company Details - Since 2005, co-founders Aaron Levie and Dylan Smith along with their fast-growing team have setup Box.net as one of the most hot and trusty internet services for storing and sharing data from anywhere. Today, more than 2000000 individuals, small businesses, and Fortune 1000 companies around the world use Box.Net to effortlessly unite with the files and people that matter most. Box.net is based in Palo Alto, California.
Security Abilities - Box.Net provides 256bit encryption for files whilst being transferred back and forth to it's data centers. The Company host their servers at 2 high-grade data centers with current audits, continual monitoring and video surveillance, on-site security guards, mantraps, and exacting access controls. All power and environmental systems are in an N+1 redundant design to assure fault tolerance. Redundant power feeds, UPS devices, and onsite backup generators assure perpetual performance and strong infrastructure. Information is automatically backed up to a physically separate location. This ensures that they always have multiple copies of your information.
Backup Abilities - Box.net is not a backup solution, notwithstanding, you can reserve 5 different versions of files if you have the Individual account or upto 10 versions if you have the business account.
Restore Options - Not counting the file versioning mentioned above, there is no restore functionality.
Control and Analysis - This is a web-based product with nothing to configure on computers, therefore CPU and bandwidth throttling don't apply.
Logging and Reporting are accessible but only in the Enterprise edition.
Interface - The interface is really smooth and offers painless uploading and sharing of files and folders via the web portal. The Business and Enterprise editions offer an Admin Portal and the functionality to manage multiple accounts.
Device Support - If your device can get to online, then you can use Box.Net.
Limitations
- The Lite and Individual editions cannot be used commercially.
- The Lite edition has an individual file size limit of 25mb while the rest of the versions have a 1Gb limit on
- There is nevertheless, no limit on how much you can transfer.
- File retention for removed files is 30 days which is the industry norm.
{File Sharing and Collaboration - With all editions, you can invite people to work via email and you can import your email addresses via comma-delimited files or directly if you have an Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail Account.
- Uploaded files can be stored in folders or directly in your home page. Once you have a folder you can:
- Ask collaborators to share the files in the folder.
- Link|Attach|Connect} to the folder
- Share the folder
- Embed the folder in a website
- Add comments and tags
- Assign a comment for the folder
- Monitor activity in this folder via email notifications
- Set the accesslevel for the folder:
- Private, Collaboration, or Global
- If sharing globally, you can assign a Vanity name to the folder
- One additional nifty attribute is the ability to set an date on the folder sharing.
Synchronisation - There is no file or folder synchronisation.
Web 2.0 Integration - This is where Box.net shines most bright! Box.net uses the OpenBox standard which means it is directly compatible with an everdeveloping amount of Web 2.0 applications. Everything from iPhone apps to Online Office apps suchas Zoho and EditGrid to eFaxing via eFax to managing CRM with SalesForce and all your preferred Social Networking sites. You can even add Google Analytics to your account so you can track how people are accessing your files.
Customer Support
- Phone support is available but not on a toll-free number and only in business hours.
- Email Support is accessable via a webform on the contact page.
- Non-interactive support is good: There is a fairly detailed FAQ section; a Knowledgebase; a forum and a blog. A demo and case studies are also provided.
- A free trial is available for the Business edition.
- We found the support staff to be friendly, well informed and willing to help in any way they could.
Ease of Use - Box.Net is very {easy|comfortable|effortless to use. You are up and running very quickly. Once you have uploaded or created some content then you truly start to see how easy it is to use. Collaboration is really simple and it becomes a so simple to work online with others when you have a easy to use, streamlined and clear environment to work in.
Cost
- Box.Net offers 4 packages as shown below:
- Lite: no charge
- Individual - $9.99 / month
- Business - $15 / month
- Enterprise - Price on application
- Initial setup on all packages is free
- There are no options for additional storage.
- There are no limits to the number of devices that can be used with the service
Conclusion - If you are searching for an online backup solution then this is NOT the service for you. If you are searching for a logical,painless and simple to manage internet collaboration service then you're in the right place. The ability to implement email notifications when changes are made in one of your project folders is a especially useful touch.
Box.Net is the best online collaboration tool we have reviewed so far.
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