Salesforce integrates Dropbox for Business, lets you manage files directly from your records

Dropbox and Salesforce today announced Dropbox for Salesforce, which essentially means you can now manage Dropbox for Business files without leaving Salesforce. You can download the new Dropbox app for Salesforce right from the AppExchange.

In short, Dropbox for Business wants to become the information backbone for Salesforce accounts. Right in your Salesforce records, you can now pull in all your business-critical files from Dropbox for Business, as well as organize them according to accounts, contacts, leads, and opportunities.

Additionally, you can also upload files to Dropbox directly from a Salesforce record, as well as access files via Salesforce web (including Chatter) and the Salesforce1 mobile app. Since Dropbox for Business is a cloud storage service, anyone in Salesforce who has access to the record will always have access to the latest version of each file.

This is possible because the integration runs quite deep: Permissions are mapped between Dropbox and Salesforce. The owner of the file can always see and control who can access each file. Dropbox for Business admins can also use the dashboard within Salesforce to get insights into Dropbox usage.

The move is a clear answer to Box’s recent enterprise push, including its Workflow system for creating rules and Microsoft Office 365 integration. That’s the type of news that Dropbox can’t be too happy about, so today’s partnership shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.

The news also follows Salesforce’s recent integration with Microsoft technologies, including OneDrive and Office. Salesforce continues to be open to offering partner apps via AppExchange, and now it’s great to see the support for Dropbox, which businesses across various industries are increasingly adopting.