Review of Box.Net Online Storage

company Details - Since 2005, co-founders Aaron Levie and Dylan Smith along with their rapidly expanding team have entrenched Box.net as one of the most popular and trusty online services for accessing and sharing information from anywhere. Today, in excess of 2 million individuals, small businesses, and large companies from all over the world use Box.Net to easily collaborate with the files and resources that matter most. Box.net is based in Palo Alto, California.

Security Features - Box.Net provides 256bit encryption on files being transferred back and forth to it's serviers. They host their servers at multiple high-grade data centers with ongoing audits, continual monitoring and video surveillance, on-site security staff, mantraps, and demanding admittance controls. All power and environmental systems are in an N+1 redundant design to ensure fault tolerance. Many power feeds, UPS devices, and onsite backup generators ensure constant functioning and hardy infrastructure. Data is automatically backed up to a geographically unconnected location. This ensures that they always have duplicate copies of your files.

Backup Options - Box.net is not a backup solution, still, you can hold 5 separate versions of files if you are using the Individual account or ten versions if you have the business account.

Restore Abilities - Excepting the file versioning mentioned above, there is no restore functionality.

Control and Analysis - This is a web-based service with nothing to install on client devices, therefore CPU and bandwidth throttling will not apply.
Logging and Reporting are available but only in the Enterprise edition.

Interface - The interface is very simple to use and offers easy uploading and distribution of files and folders via the web portal. The Business and Enterprise editions offer an Admin Portal and the option to manage multiple accounts.

Device Support - If your device can get to the net, then you can use Box.Net.

Limitations
- The Lite and Individual editions cannot be used commercially.
- The Lite version has an individual file size limit of 25 Megabytes while the rest of the versions have a 1 Gigabyte limit on
- There is nevertheless, no limit on the amount of data you can upload or download.
- File retention for removed files is 30 days which is the industry standard.

{File Sharing and Collaboration - In all editions, you can invite others to share via email and you can import your email address book via comma-delimited files or directly if you have an Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail Account.
- Uploaded files can be managed in folders or directly in your home page. Once you have a folder you can:
- Request collaborators to share the files in the folder.
- Link|Attach|Connect} to the folder
- Share the folder
- Embed the folder in a website
- Add comments and tags
- Enter a description for the folder
- Monitor activity in this folder via email notifications
- Set the accesslevel for the folder:
- Private, Collaboration, or Global
- If sharing globally, you can assign a Vanity name to the folder
- One additional nifty feature is the ability to set an date on the folder sharing.

Synchronisation - There is no file or folder synchronisation.

Web 2.0 Integration - This is where Box.net shines most brightly! Box.net uses the OpenBox standard which means it is directly compatible with an ever expanding number of Web 2.0 applications. Everything from iPhone apps to Online Office apps suchas Zoho and EditGrid to eFaxing via eFax to managing CRM with SalesForce and all your preferred Social Networking sites. You can even add Google Analytics to your account so you can find out how people are accessing your files.

Customer Support
- Telephone support is available but not on a toll-free number and only in business hours.
- Email Support is accessable via a webform on the contact page.
- Non-interactive support is good: There is a good FAQ section; a Knowledgebase; a forum and a blog. A demonstration and case studies are also available.
- A free trial is offered for the Business edition.
- We found the support staff to be warm, knowledgeable and keen to help in any way they could.

Ease of Use - Box.Net is really {easy|comfortable|effortless to use. You are up and running in no time. Once you have uploaded or created some content then you really start to see how easy it is to use. Collaboration is a breeze and it becomes a so simple to work online with others when you have a smooth, streamlined and clear environment to work in.
Cost
- Box.Net offers 4 packages as shown below:
- Lite: no charge
- Individual - $9.99 / month
- Business - $15 / month
- Enterprise - Price on application
- Initial setup on all packages is free
- There are no options for added storage.
- There are no limits to the amount of devices that can be used with the service

Initial allowed storage amount
- Lite: 1Gb
- Individual: 5Gb
- Business: 10Gb / person
- Enterprise: no limit

Conclusion - If you are searching for an online backup solution then this is NOT the package for you. If you are looking for a really intuitive,simple and simple to manage web-based collaboration package then congratulations, you've found it. The ability to implement email notifications when something changes in one of your project folders is a particularly useful feature.
Box.Net is the best online collaboration tool we have reviewed so far.

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