IBM and cloud player Box are to integrate existing cloud products and services to target opportunities across a range of industries and professions from medicine to engineering and research.
The alliance will bring together Box’s cloud content collaboration platform with IBM Analytics, IBM Social, IBM Security and the global footprint of the IBM Cloud.
“Today’s digital enterprises demand world-class technologies that transform how their organizations operate both internally and externally,” said Aaron Levie, co-founder and CEO of Box.
“This extensive alliance between Box and IBM opens up an exciting opportunity for both companies to reach new markets and deliver unified solutions and services that can redefine industries, advance secure collaboration and revolutionise enterprise mobility.”
The idea for Box came out of a college project where Levie examined cloud storage options for businesses at the time and he realised the market was fragmented in the area.
Spotting an opportunity, Levie and his friend Dylan Smith left college and started Box in April 2005 out of Smith’s parents’ house.
A cold email to Texas billionaire Mark Cuban secured Box’s first angel investment. Since then, major investors have come on board, including Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, General Atlantic, Meritech Capital Partners, US Venture Partners and Salesforce.com
As of 2014, some 40pc of Box’s 39,000 paying customers are Fortune 500 companies, including P&G. Levie’s net worth is US$100m.
Actionable insights
“This partnership will transform the way work is done in industries and professions that shape our experience every day,” said Bob Picciano, senior vice president, IBM Analytics.
“The impact will be felt by experts and professionals in industries such as healthcare, financial services, law, and engineering, who are overwhelmed by today’s digital data and seek better solutions to manage large volumes of information more intelligently and securely.
“The integration of IBM and Box technologies, combined with our global cloud capabilities and the ability to enrich content with analytics, will help unlock actionable insights for use across the enterprise.”
IBM image via Shutterstock
