5:55:00 PM
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REDWOOD CITY, Calif., and REDMOND, Wash. — June 27, 2017 —
Box Inc. and Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday 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, co-founder 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 these:
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 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/.
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.
For more information, press only:
Microsoft Media Relations, WE Communications for Microsoft, (425) 638-7777, rrt@we-worldwide.com
Denis Roy, Box, (650) 543-6926, denis@box.com
Stephanie Wakefield, Box Investor Relations, (650) 209-3463, swakefield@box.com, www.box.com/ir
