I came across an interesting online solution lately. At first glance, this solution seemed rather similar to Google Docs, being a way to store and distribute files online and offsite. Once I read further I realized that one thing that made this system great was that it was not only a great way to store your files (spreadsheets, documents, presentations, and more stored securely offsite) but it also allowed the user accessing those files to open the files up in a built in viewer. This means that you do not need a powerpoint viewer installed on your computer in order to see a PowerPoint presentation and the same goes with all popular file formats.

This site is called Box.net.

From their security whitepaper found here… http://www.box.net/home/security_whitepaper … it seems that they have thought of everything, granting users specific access as if it were hosted on their own internal network.

But wait…..they have also just recently released an iPhone app as well that allows you to access your company’s files, such as Word documents or Excel spreadsheets, on your phone, edit them, and send them back to the cloud for others to access.

They have also created APIs for the mobile market that will enable other apps developers to access the content and manipulate it as well. Managing files on the go has never been easier or more convenient.

There is a free lite version similar to Dropbox, but if you require heartier services as a bigger company, you can check out their plans here…. http://www.box.net/pricing

Posted by Jeff Johnston