Box And Google Announce Expanded Cloud Partnership

Box and Google announced Thursday new and expanded integrations between Box, G Suite environments and Google Cloud services. Under the strategic partnership, Box will leverage Google Cloud for data storage, machine-learning integrations in the Box Skills kit, and upcoming single sign-on (SSO) improvements. 

More specifically, the companies intend to offer Google Cloud's Document AI service as part of the Box Skills kit to improve data processing. The Box Skills kit leverages machine learning capabilities from cloud service providers such as IBM and Google to glean insight from data stored in Box. On the identity front, Box said it plans to build SSO enhancements that let customers set identity configurations more easily. 

Additionally, Box plans to add support for Google Authenticator and time-based one-time passwords.

The companies are also expanding the integrations between Box and G Suite for joint customers. New integration features include consistant access settings and privacy controls across Box and G Suite; reciprocal transfer for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides between Box and Google Drive; and a new G Suite add-on that lets customers start a document in G Suite and save back to Box.

Box and Google first announced G Suite integrations at the 2018 Google Next conference. Initial integrations allowed customers to create, edit, and collaborate on G Suite files from within Box, while maintaining Box's admin controls and its security and compliance capabilities. With the Gmail integration, users can attach Box files and download email attachments to Box, without leaving Gmail.

"We are excited to extend our partnership with Box as a key global cloud infrastructure partner, and to enable more seamless integrations between Box and G Suite environments," said Thomas Kurian, CEO at Google Cloud. "By building on Google Cloud and continuing to invest in the integration between Box and G Suite, we believe we can provide optimal experiences for our joint customers and for remote teams."