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Box, which like most other cloud storage providers is continuing to assuage users and potential users that its storage and collaboration service is secure enough for business use, has upgraded to include new enterprise-grade security functionality.
Box says it now protects data throughout its life cycle, rather than simply while it is at rest in the cloud. This practice better enables enterprises to manage users, devices and applications while also providing on-demand access to data analytics.
The Los Altos, Calif.-based company announced Feb. 25 that it has new product integrations with Samsung, Code Green Networks, CipherCloud and GoodData “to ensure that every interaction with a file is secure and will give businesses complete visibility into those activities.”
“We’re way past the old perimeter/firewall view of security,” Box General Manager Whitney Bouck told eWEEK. “There’s a lot more granular control for administrators—especially for creating groups—in deciding which users or groups of users are entitled share content and invite external, non-employee collaborators into their groups to share their content.”
Product features include the following:
—Admin controls for external collaborators: Admins can now restrict individual users in their enterprise from creating externally shared folders.
—Device pinning: This becomes available in mid-March 2013 across Box’s mobile apps for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows 8 and on its desktop application. Device pinning allows IT admins the ability to limit from which devices users can access Box, ensuring trusted access to Box content on IT-approved devices.
—Log-in security: Box is introducing an enhanced security detection algorithm, which will automatically detect and prevent unexpected user log-ins.
—Content security: Box is announcing new partnerships with Code Green Networks and CipherCloud to protect against the loss of confidential and restricted data.
—Content intelligence and reporting: Box is helping businesses consolidate reporting across all applications through a new integration with GoodData.
CipherCloud provides data loss prevention to scan, detect and take action to protect sensitive organizational information. CipherCloud also provides cloud information protection, malware detection and cloud-user activity auditing. This enables enterprises to securely adopt cloud applications by eliminating concerns about data privacy, residency, security and regulatory compliance while preserving cloud application usability and functionality, Bouck said.
Finally, Box has joined with longtime partner Samsung to have its service installed on Samsung’s new Knox mobility security platform. Knox has an intuitive device management interface that enables users to separate their work and personal lives on their mobile device. The integration provides enhanced security at all levels of the Android platform, Bouck said.
All the new features except device pinning are available now, Bouck said.