Microsoft announces a new set of integration with DropBox

Microsoft has announced a number of new collaboration-focused additions for Microsoft Office, across its online, iOS and desktop applications, with partners Box and Egnyte. This is certainly a step in the right direction to say the least, especially when you consider just how indispensable some of us find the likes of Dropbox and Box to be.

Microsoft also is promising that users who have been migrated to the new Outlook.com will be able to attach files directly from Dropbox, Box and OneDrive directly from inside their inboxes.

In November 2014, Microsoft announced a partnership with Dropbox on Office for iOS to enable users to edit Office files from the Dropbox app and to access Dropbox files from Office apps, all while automatically syncing changes. From today, you’ll be able to create and work on documents stored in other storage services.

Box for Office Online with real-time co-authoring and the Box integration with Office for iOS are available starting today to Box business customers with an Office 365 license and to all Box personal users. “Today, we’re making Office even easier for customers to use with cloud storage providers by adding real-time co-authoring with Office Online for documents stored in partner cloud services, extending our Office for iOS integration to all partners in the CSPP, and enabling integration between Outlook.com and cloud storage providers Dropbox and Box”, Microsoft wrote in a blog post on Wednesday.

In addition, Outlook.com users will soon have the ability to select and send files straight to Dropbox, no toggling needed. “They are opening up their platform more and more for companies like ourselves”, said Jain.

With the new co-authoring in Office Online, users can collaborate with other users on the Office docs in Dropbox in real time – no need to email feedback or send multiple versions back and forth. The move makes sense for Microsoft, since it’s competing hard with Google in the real-time collaboration market, and not everyone is interested in storing their files in OneDrive or SharePoint. It will be interesting to see if that gets extended to other storage providers. This group is open to IT Leaders, MIS & IT Managers, Network & Infrastructure Managers who share insights, discuss challenges & wins and keep abreast of cutting edge technologies.