OK, so that’s an overused title, and I expect that it will apply to many future blog posts, as well. The times, they are a changin’.

The news today was that Box and Microsoft have extended their partnership to allow Box to store content on Microsoft Azure. This allows Box to support those customers that prefer to use Microsoft Azure as their cloud storage service.

Box provides strong content management services, comparable and different in ways from SharePoint Online, which is part of the Microsoft Office 365 service.

Microsoft Azure is providing, and has scheduled on the roadmap, additional information compliance and security capabilities.

I expect that Box will be able to leverage the Microsoft Azure information protection and content classification capabilities. If Box can incorporate the content retention and deletion policies that Microsoft Azure is implementing, this may mean that an enterprise would be able to use one set of common Classification Labels to assign to content across the organization – across email in Exchange Online, enterprise documents in Box and SharePoint Online, file server content in Box and Microsoft Azure, and on employee laptops and mobile devices with Box and Microsoft OneDrive.

Azure Information Protection – Labels

With Box and Microsoft both chasing vertical implementations, digital workplace transformation, IT services and Business Solutions, the coverage for Enterprises may be even closer to one layer of security than the days when everything was stored on a single storage rack and WordPerfect was the enterprise productivity OS.

I look forward to Box and Microsoft being able to speak the same security language. It’s about the users, and about making business work right.

Use the right tool.

The more things change, the more they become the same.

While you are waiting, listen to Bob Dylan, The Time They Are A Changin’ (1964)

Headline reference: Dogs and Cats Living Together

Categories: Information Mgmt, Microsoft Azure, Security