Box partners with IBM: software integrations, joint sales, new cloud options

Cloud file syncing and sharing company Box and legacy tech vendor IBM today announced a major new partnership, with several implications for both parties.

Box will get analytics from Watson, security features, and enterprise content management as a result of the deal. Box customers will get support from IBM’s Global Business Services division.

IBM’s Verse and Connections software will gain Box software integrations. Box tools will be integrated into some of IBM’s MobileFirst for iOS apps.

Joint IBM and Box customers will be able to store files on IBM’s cloud. That in itself is a big deal, considering that IBM has data centers in many countries, while Box has maintained its own data centers to run its service. Box application programming interfaces (APIs) will become part of IBM’s Bluemix platform as a service (PaaS), too.

The partnership should help Box in many ways. If nothing else, getting Box software in front of more enterprises should make a difference to Box’s top line.

“The two companies will jointly deliver these solutions to market internationally,” IBM said in its statement on the news.

Box brought in $65.6 million in revenue for the quarter ending on April 30.

That Box is allying with IBM is interesting, considering how much Box has partnered with Microsoft in the past year or so.

Cloud computing has been a high priority for IBM, which has been battling with Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, among others, in that area for years. Having modern technology from a company that just recently went public could improve IBM’s perception as a cloud software provider.