Microsoft and Box, a cloud management and file storage company, have announced a partnership which aims to leverage the software giant"s Azure platform in "shared go-to-market investments".
In a press release, it is revealed that customers who choose to purchase Box"s "cloud content management platform" will be able to do so while also storing their Box content on Azure. Furthermore, the file storage firm will also take advantage of Microsoft"s cloud platform footprint to extend its Box Zones feature - which enables in-region data storage for businesses with data sovereignty concerns. Though Box Zones are currently available in the US, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Singapore, Japan, the UK, and Australia, Box intends to use Azure"s "40 data center regions around the world" to extend the availability of this feature in the future.
Last but not least, Box will also integrate the Azure Cognitive Services to help provide, for example, media and entertainment professionals with a way of indexing their videos stored on the service, thus enabling more powerful video search capabilities.
Of the partnership, the CEO of Box, Aaron Levie stated that "Box and Azure together can unlock incredible opportunities for innovation.", while Microsoft"s EVP of Cloud and Enterprise, Scott Guthrie remarked that "Box shares our focus and commitment to empowering enterprises on their digital transformation journey".
This integration of services is expected to be available "later this year", with pricing and geographical availability being communicated at another time.