Reliable and easy-to-use.
December 18, 2012
Reliable and easy-to-use.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Software Version
Business
Modules Used
- Storage, collaboration, admin
Overall Satisfaction
- The collaborative features such as task management are great for keeping projects moving forward. The reporting capabilities are also helpful to ensure people are really reviewing the documents. These capabilities are useful in both sales and delivery.
- The desktop integration is fine - about as good as the competitors - but it would be better if the synchronization mechanism worked for any specified directory rather than just one. It is not common, but we sometimes need to transfer files (e.g. virtual machines) which are larger than 2GB so that limit gets in our way.
- We did not do a formal ROI calculation; however, since we are a distributed company, Box-like capabilities are critical to our business model. We need developers and engineers around the country and around the world collaborating so our choice was between using Box or a cheaper but less capable alternative.
Product Usage
10 - Sales and Delivery.
1 - One person spends a couple of hours per week with basic system administration, adding users, changing access, and reviewing reports. More work would be involved for a larger organization or for an environment with more integration to other systems, but for us it is very easy.
This should not be counted as Box support, but managers and document owners also have to spend some time setting up and checking on tasks. Of course, those are capabilities we wanted to speed and improve project execution, rather than system administration.
This should not be counted as Box support, but managers and document owners also have to spend some time setting up and checking on tasks. Of course, those are capabilities we wanted to speed and improve project execution, rather than system administration.
- We use Box for both Sales and Delivery functions. The sales process involves sharing documents such as presentations, proposals, quotes, and engineering documents across multiple departments and sometimes with the customer. The Delivery process involves technical resources sharing development specs, code, and other documents from our corporate headquarters, the customer's location, and our delivery centers in India.
Evaluation and Selection
Previously, we used Google Docs to store and share documents between team members and occasionally with customers.
We also looked at DropBox, but the collaboration features were not as strong. We are not currently using the Enterprise edition of Box, but those are features we may use in the future and don't exist in DropBox.
Implementation
- Implemented in-house
Training
- Online training
- Self-taught
It was very easy to install and configure for people with any technical skill. Likewise, it is very easy to use once it has been configured. For that reason, I would not recommend spending money on external training unless you run into some roadblock.
That said, a small amount of internal training for users is a good idea, but that training is more on your use of the system than the product itself. One example is that using the collaboration features, while easy, may require process changes and require people to change their habits; and, those processes may be different for each team. If you are going to use the collaboration capabilities, you should ensure the appropriate steps and communication are in the project plan. Another example is that people should be trained on your company's standards for where data should be stored and how it should be tagged. For example, if you have multiple divisions, clients, or projects, teaching people how/where the respective data should be stored is important. None of this is hard, but it should be addressed before you put users on the system.
That said, a small amount of internal training for users is a good idea, but that training is more on your use of the system than the product itself. One example is that using the collaboration features, while easy, may require process changes and require people to change their habits; and, those processes may be different for each team. If you are going to use the collaboration capabilities, you should ensure the appropriate steps and communication are in the project plan. Another example is that people should be trained on your company's standards for where data should be stored and how it should be tagged. For example, if you have multiple divisions, clients, or projects, teaching people how/where the respective data should be stored is important. None of this is hard, but it should be addressed before you put users on the system.
Configuration
We developed directory structures, tags, and standards to facilitate sharing of data. We also had to design and implement the appropriate access rights. Since we work with multiple clients and work with some confidential data, our configuration must take that into account.
Support
No - We have the standard support with the Business edition. The Enterprise edition comes with dedicated support, but we haven't found that necessary.
Usability
Reliability
Integration
- We use Box with Google Apps.
We use the basic integration which is available in the Business edition and was easy to configure.
- In the future, we may want to integrate with Active Directory and Salesforce.com; however, we decided against that for now.
Yes, those capabilities are available in the Enterprise edition.
Vendor Relationship
Box is expensive relative to competing services, which are more consumer focused than business; however, for our small implementation negotiation was not much of an issue. Of course, you should carefully review the privacy and data rights section of the contract.