Box has always promoted this notion that you can make applications/addons/extensions that use Box as a backing datastore [1]. This was quite obviously a play at the B2B line-of-business market, which could conceivably develop cloud-hosted apps [2] that operate on data that employees upload into Box.
This is to the detriment of those who sell traditional desktop-based line-of-business apps, including potentially Microsoft Office.
Box could -- for a while now -- open Google Docs documents [3][4] and the like. I guess now it works the other direction, where Google Docs works on files that are sitting in Box?
Google Drive, as funny as it sounds, is actually in a different market: they're the catch-all storage space for Google stuff, while at the same time marketed at nothing in particular. Meanwhile Box aggressively goes after the 'medium business' market. From this odd partnership, a realistic competitor to Microsoft and other office-y application makers may result.
This is to the detriment of those who sell traditional desktop-based line-of-business apps, including potentially Microsoft Office.
Box could -- for a while now -- open Google Docs documents [3][4] and the like. I guess now it works the other direction, where Google Docs works on files that are sitting in Box?
Google Drive, as funny as it sounds, is actually in a different market: they're the catch-all storage space for Google stuff, while at the same time marketed at nothing in particular. Meanwhile Box aggressively goes after the 'medium business' market. From this odd partnership, a realistic competitor to Microsoft and other office-y application makers may result.
[1] http://readwrite.com/2013/06/06/box-pay-developers-based-on-...
[2] https://app.box.com/services/browse/57
[3] https://blog.box.com/blog/how-to-use-google-docs-in-box/
[4] https://blog.box.com/blog/box-and-google-docs-accelerating-t...