I’ve always visualized Dropbox as a big digital locker in the cloud; photos, documents, and videos stored and sharable, all easily accessible and secure. Open the locker up (via web login, app, direct link, etcetera), drop or grab what’s needed, close it up. And sure, Dropbox has its competitors which boast similar usability and features and such, but there’s a reason more than 700 million people in 180 countries (via its support in 20 languages) currently use Dropbox in 2024.
In terms of the world of cloud storage, those are some confidence-boosting numbers.
But it gets better, readers.
Just last week, Dropbox announced new security, organization, and sharing-centric features to equip teams with even greater control and flexibility to get what they need done. The modern workplace spans counties, states, entire time zones and countries, so having supplemental tools to lighten the load for the workforce – on-prem or remote – is a win.
In terms of new features, there are a lot to cover. We’ve condensed the information down to a long-story-short version below:
Advanced Data Protection
- Dropbox, as most know, keeps content secure without undue custom configurations or cumbersome setup steps. All customer files at rest are encrypted using 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standards so Dropbox users can be confident their data is safe. But many teams do want additional encryption layers to safeguard highly sensitive information, so Dropbox has added seamless end-to-end encryption – it’s now natively integrated into team folders, eliminating the need for extra software subscriptions. (Users can also set up a unique encryption key managed by FIPS 140-2 Level 3 key management services.)
- Moreover, Dropbox improved its admin experience (e.g. for membership monitoring, add-on configuration, customized AI) and updated its Trust Center to keep risk assessment, privacy and compliance needs simplified.
Microsoft 365 Integrations
- To better meet customers where they’re working (with popular external tools they already use), Dropbox launched its improved integrations with Microsoft Teams, letting users search, preview, upload and share content stored in Dropbox without leaving Microsoft 365.
- In addition to Teams, Dropbox’s plugin extension for Copilot for Microsoft 365 provides user support (i.e. answers questions, generates summaries, etc.).
- Dropbox even brought to the fore one of its reportedly most-requested features: Co-Authoring, which allows multiple team members to collaboratively edit Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Replay for OneDrive) files from desktop, web and mobile, all natively within Dropbox, as well.
Lastly, Dropbox also dropped a cornucopia of other features in Dropbox Replay (e.g. rich media support, Avid Pro Tools integration, dynamic watermarking, custom branding), and Dropbox introduced DocSend Advanced Data Rooms – from an initial pitch to due diligence to the very final signature in a deal, DocSend Advanced Data Rooms keeps proprietary info locked down so users can utilize group permissions, visitor verification, and built-in NDAs.
Like we said, there’s a lot in this news drop. Read the full announcement here.
But for now, we’ll wrap up with two quotes from Microsoft and Dropbox, respectively.
“It is important that mutual customers collaborate in the most seamless way possible,” said Harshal Patil, Senior Product Manager at Microsoft. “The Cloud Storage Partner Program offers partners like Dropbox the ability to integrate with our solutions. With this integration, users now have a more seamless way to collaborate on documents stored in Microsoft 365 or Dropbox, thereby addressing evolving customer needs.”
“Our latest product updates aim to empower teams to cut through the clutter so they can do more focused, meaningful work,” said Drew Houston, Dropbox co-founder and CEO. “As teams become more distributed, Dropbox continues to be the trusted, easy-to-use platform for them to organize their content and collaborate — anytime and anywhere. And with the latest advancements in AI and ML, we have the potential to automate routine tasks, increase productivity, and free up mental space so people can get back to doing the work that matters most. I’m excited about what we’re building for an AI-first future, and we’re just getting started.”
Edited by
Greg Tavarez