Connectivate! BOX file sharing on the Cloud

Organizations still have a long way to go to to fully integrate the social web to connect to their customers. Here are some great examples, curated by Hult International Business School and Center for Innovation, Excellence and Leadership (IXL Center). Their book Connectivate! is a collection of real world stories from 54 innovative companies whose breakthroughs are changing the world.

By leveraging today’s confluence of technological and analytical breakthroughs, these companies connect people, businesses, governments and entities in novel and meaningful ways, capturing win-win propositions on the value chain. These companies have created a new economic context, increasingly accessible in a space-time singularity called Always Available.

Real world stories about innovators and innovative companies are an important way to learn, and we place high value on them at Innovation Excellence. The next case study in our Connectivate! series is:

BOX – File Sharing on the Cloud

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Share files simply, securely and at low cost with anyone, anywhere

WHO NEEDS IT?

Individuals or companies who need a secure and easy way to create and share files, especially people who need to collaborate and access shared information remotely from any device, at any time and any place.

Companies looking to share files with their customers and suppliers to become more effective.

WHAT IS THE CONNECTIVATION?

Box’s cloud content management platform is a secure, simple and affordable solution that enables individuals and companies to share and manage all business content online which can be accessed either from a computer or a mobile device.

Box’s open platform connects with Google and other business applications allowing people to use and manage more information.

WHAT WAS THERE BEFORE?

Files were saved either on individual computers or on the company’s network and couldn’t be accessed from anywhere at any time.

Sending files, tracking different versions, setting access and collaborating with files was difficult and cumbersome with previous solutions.

IMPACT

Box has changed the way people work and do business. The company is growing through contracts previously signed with giants such as Microsoft. One hundred thousand businesses including 77% of Fortune 500 companies and 7 million individuals use Box.

COMPANY “AHA”

Provide a simple and secure solution to manage, share and access content online — anytime, anywhere, from any device.

EMERGING TRENDS

·  Always Available: Having information available to be shared and downloaded 24/7.

·  Technological Convergence: Use of smartphone apps to access and share files making it more convenient for users.

·  Globalization: People traveling, companies with employees across different countries need to have easy access to files. Making it possible for several people to work on one document from different locations is changing the way people work.

BASIC HUMAN NEEDS

·  Convenience: In a busy and competitive world, people need to get as much work done as possible in less time, requiring better tools.

·  Community: People feel the need to work together, share ideas in order to get better and bigger ideas. They believe in collaboration.

WHY THEY ARE WINNING

With more than 50,000 businesses around the world managing content, sharing files and collaborating with others through internet and mobile apps as well as integrating the platform with Google and other business apps.

PRICING

·                 Commission: Box charges $15/month per user with a minimum of three users per subscription.

·                 Customer Loyalty: They retain their customers because of the convenience and trust on the site.

PRODUCTION

Content management platform made for the web and designed as an open platform. Communication-integration with mobile apps, Google Docs and other business apps.

OFFERING

Content management, online workspaces to view and edit files, track versions, post comments. Administrative controls for security, privacy and integration with other business software.

DELIVERY

Access, share and collaborate on files anywhere through the Internet and mobile applications.

MARKET

Any group or company that needs to share files internally, with their customers or their suppliers.

PARTNERS

Mobile application developers, business platforms developers such as Google, Salesforce and NetSuite, and companies integrating Box into their products or services.

image credit: box.com

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Dr. Hitendra Patel, Ronald Jonash, Steve Wyatt and Victor Fernandes are co-authors of Connectivate! Companies Innovating in New Ways to be Always Available; and members of leadership and the team at IXL CENTER, the Center for Innovation, Excellence & Leadership at Hult International Business School.