IBM and Box in enterprise cloud data alliance

IBM and Box have announced a global partnership that will combine the technologies and resources of both companies to “transform work in the cloud”.

Together, the companies plan to develop new solutions targeted across industries and professions, ranging from medical teams working on complex cases to individuals negotiating consumer loans by mobile phone, to engineers and researchers identifying patterns in patents, reports and academic journals.

“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,” said the partners.

Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, said: “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.”

Bob Picciano, senior vice president for IBM Analytics, said: “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.”

As part of the deal, Box will enable joint customers to store their content on the IBM Cloud. The IBM Cloud provides data localisation – a key consideration for customers who want the option to keep their data in their own country.

Box and IBM will also jointly develop content management solutions and incorporate Box technology into select IBM MobileFirst for iOS apps. And IBM will enable enterprise developers to integrate Box APIs on the IBM Bluemix developer cloud to help build content rich web and mobile apps.

John O’Brien, an analyst at TechMarketView, said: “This tie-up is clearly a major new opportunity for Box, which needs relationships with major IT and services providers like IBM and Microsoft [Box recently announced a partnership with Redmond] to extend its reach into the enterprise.”

He said: “This has the potential to build more sticky relationships and reduce Box’s cost of sale – an important factor for loss-making SaaS players who need to invest heavily in sales and marketing. For IBM, it shows just how important it is to now partner with new and innovative players like Box, to enhance its capabilities in the cloud – and a clear admission that it doesn’t have all the answers.”