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I Want More

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So what’s a SharePoint guy like me doing signing up for a Box.net account?  Simply put, I am experimenting. You see, I am desktop bound M-F, and I enjoy access to full blown powerful desktop applications, reliable on-premise storage and a SharePoint server that is set up just the way we like it. Microsoft products are all covered by Software Assurance, so upgrades are available on the same day that they are released, unless that day happens to be within 90 days of year-end a.k.a. the “No New Excel Zone”. On the other hand, there is life after the day-shift – I should say, there is work after the day-shift.

Off-premise access to the stuff I am working on has always been a huge deal for me. Having such access has allowed me to live a relatively normal life. I can go home on time, but I can still finish the work that has to be done before tomorrow. I have enjoyed this type of freedom since the days of Carbon Copy and a Hayes 2400 baud modem. Given that Microsoft builds has these features built into their servers, why am I checking out the competition? I mean, all I have to do is fire up my laptop, connect over VPN and voila, I am logged into MySite. The problem? I want more. I want simple, secure, fast, reliable access to the files I need tonight without all the hassle of my domain laptop and VPN. I should be thrilled with the capabilities I have, but I’m not, and if I’m not, I’m guessing some of my users aren’t either.

I really liked the way, back in the days of SharePoint 2007, that the Exchange OWA client could peak behind the firewall and give you access to a SharePoint library. Unfortunately, that feature appears to have gone missing in the 2010 combination. That was a nice solution, but it only offered one-way access; I could download and edit a document, but I had to put it back in SharePoint using VPN. Oh, I could force an indirect update via an email-enabled library, but that was a three-cushion bank shot. I also have a SkyDrive, but it’s tangled up with Live.com. Now, Live.com is a very cool solution, and I truly appreciate the 30 GB SkyDrive, but Live.com wants to be so much more than cloud-based storage. It wants to be my social and sharing platform of choice and I don’t want that. Flickr will always be a better place to share photos, Twitter will always be a better place to share random thoughts and Facebook…ok, you got me there, Facebook isn’t a better place for anything.

I opened a free account at Box.net, and my first impressions are mixed. The free account gives me 5 GB of storage and a 25MB file size limit. I should be able to manage with that, but it certainly seems paltry compared to the 30GB SkyDrive. Box, has an app for my iThings (hopefully Apple hasn’t trademarked iThings) but I can’t edit direct a document directly from my iPad app; I still need to make that three-cushion bank. The features for sharing seem better on my SkyDrive too, but honestly, I use this for sharing between work-me and home-me, so I’m good. As I said at the start, I am experimenting. So far, I have an account, the Box App for my iPad, a couple of Office look-a-like wannabe apps for the iPad and a 12-pack of Sam Adams Boston Lager. I’m on vacation this week and I’ll report back next Tuesday.

Comments

Box is for companies, not individuals

Submitted by Daniel O'Leary July 05, 2011 - 7:21 PM

Daniel I think you signed up for the wrong account. Box.net is what I run LincWare.com and our network of global partners and resellers on. It works on every device, and helps me share files and collaborate with external users.

Dropbox is what I run my family on. It's what my wife uses to sync up her pictures and documents, and how I share photos with friends.

It sounds like you signed up for a box, just the wrong box. For what you are looking to do, Dropbox would be more appropriate to replace a SkyDrive implementation.

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No, It's the Right Box

Submitted by Daniel Antion July 05, 2011 - 7:33 PM

I understand the difference between Box and Dropbox, it's just that I'm starting out slow. I also want to look into sharing and collaboration, to compare it to the offerings from Microsoft. That said, I have to start somewhere. Basic, simple, reliabale access from anywhere on any device is important, and I decided to check it out using myself as a test subject.

The ideal solution would allow people to really collaborate across devices, particularly iPads without jumping through a lot of hoops. So far, Microsoft isn't really helping me there. I have to download, edit on the iPad and then upload, and I have to use a 3rd party app to download/upload from SharePoint. Box seems to work better in terms of the download part, but I'm still trying to figure out an easy way to edit.

Dan

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Also experimenting with alternatives..

Submitted by Kristina Frazier-Henry July 06, 2011 - 12:38 AM

Daniel, I found myself doing the same thing mostly because I hear noise from various co-workers on specific (perceived) limitations and that this or that service does what SP does and then some. It's a way for me to understand if it's noise or if there's something there to address for proposed needs which are currently going through the company aop process ;).

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Exactly

Submitted by Daniel Antion July 06, 2011 - 8:01 AM

Thank you Kristina for your comment. I actually hope that we can find a way to deliver a better end-user experience through SharePoint, but I want to know what the alternatives are. You raise a good point though, about filtering out the noise or knowing if there is something that needs to be addressed.

Dan

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This post and comment(s) reflect the personal perspectives of community members, and not necessarily those of their employers or of AIIM International