REDWOOD CITY, Calif. & REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Box, Inc. (NYSE:BOX) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq “MSFT”) today announced
an expanded partnership to jointly offer Box cloud content management
with Azure to enterprise customers. Box will use Azure as a strategic
public cloud platform and the companies commit to shared go-to-market
investments, including initiatives to co-sell Box with Azure. In
addition, the partnership will enable future integration between Azure’s
artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities with Box’s
cloud content management platform.
“Azure is a trusted partner in the enterprise and we’re thrilled to be
integrating our technologies and going to market with Microsoft,” said
Aaron Levie, cofounder and CEO, Box. “Microsoft shares our vision to
transform how people and organizations work and Box and Azure together
can unlock incredible opportunities for innovation.”
“Box shares our focus and commitment to empowering enterprises on their
digital transformation journey,” said Scott Guthrie, executive vice
president of Microsoft’s cloud and enterprise division. “With this new
partnership, we ensure customers can take advantage of Box’s platform on
Azure, and look forward to future innovations using Azure’s intelligent
cloud services.”
The companies intend to collaborate on initiatives, including:
Box with Azure
Businesses globally will be able to purchase Box’s cloud content
management platform, as well as extended functionality like Box
Governance, while choosing to store their Box content on Azure.
Advanced Machine Learning and Cognitive Computing
Box will explore integrating Azure’s best-in-class Cognitive Services to
extend the capabilities of Box’s cloud content management solution.
Potential integrations might include advanced content processing
technologies like video indexing, which uses natural language processing
to generate metadata and power advanced search capabilities. Customers
in media and entertainment, for example, could potentially use the
technology to discover related content or make recommendations for their
Box content.
Box Zones leveraging Azure
Introduced in April 2016, Box Zones helps businesses address data
sovereignty concerns by enabling in-region data storage. Currently, Box
Zones is available in eight countries. Over time, Box intends to
leverage Azure’s global footprint to expand Box Zones coverage to many
more regions while also giving customers choice and flexibility in local
storage options. Today, Azure has announced 40 datacenter regions around
the world – more than any other cloud provider – giving customers the
flexibility and scale needed to transform their businesses.
Pricing and Availability
The new Box and Azure offering is expected to be available later this
year. More information on pricing and geographic availability will be
shared at a later date.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) is the leading platform and
productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its
mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet
to achieve more.
About Box
Box (NYSE:BOX) is the cloud content management company that empowers
enterprises to revolutionize how they work by securely connecting their
people, information and applications. Founded in 2005, Box powers more
than 74,000 businesses globally, including AstraZeneca, General
Electric, P&G, and The GAP. Box is headquartered in Redwood City, CA,
with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia. To learn more
about Box, visit http://www.box.com/.
Safe Harbor for Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve
risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the integration
of Box’s and Microsoft’s technologies, solutions and services, the
co-marketing of Box and Azure, and the benefits that are expected to
result to Box, Microsoft, their customers and other stakeholders from
the partnership between Box and Microsoft. Statements including words
such as "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", “future” or
“will” and statements in the future tense are forward-looking
statements. The achievement or success of the matters covered by such
forward-looking statements involves risks, uncertainties and
assumptions, which, if they do not fully materialize or prove incorrect,
could cause the results of the partnership between Box and Microsoft to
differ materially from those expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions
include, but are not limited to, risks associated with changes in
product plans or roadmaps; product development or integration delays;
market acceptance of the companies' combined products and services; and
changes in the relationship between Box and Microsoft due to the
business environment, competitive factors or other factors. Further
information on these and other factors that could affect the partnership
between Box and Microsoft or the financial results derived
therefrom, can be found in the documents that Box and Microsoft have
filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including the most recent Forms 10-K and 10-Q filed by each company. All
forward-looking statements in this press release are based on
information available to Box and Microsoft as of the date hereof.
Neither Box nor Microsoft assumes any obligation, nor do they intend to
update these forward-looking statements to reflect events that occur or
circumstances that arise after the date on which they were made.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170627005496/en/
Source: Box, Inc.