Comparing Box vs Dropbox – How Do These Two Cloud Services Stack Up?

Driven by an ever-increasing demand, the $30 billion cloud storage market is going nowhere but up. Financial research and analysis firm Markets and Markets expects the size of the market to almost triple, reaching $88.91 billion by 2022.

“That Is An Annual

Growth Rate Of Nearly

24 Percent

Between 2023

And 2022.”

Several factors are behind the demand, including major expansion of the Internet of Things, increased needs for organizational efficiency and growing popularity of hybrid cloud storage. In addition, businesses have an eternal goal of reducing both operational and capital expenses.

The biggest need is expected to be primary storage solutions, which refers to data storage of day-to-day applications and business processes, as organizations increasingly use the cloud. In this sense, storage does not refer to a library of forgotten files. Instead, it is a very active storage solution that applications use and access often.

Two sectors considered to be major users in the next five years are the banking, financial services and insurance industry, and the training and consulting services. Consultants help organizations review and evaluate solutions and implement new business strategies. They also help businesses conduct training and financial analysis. Many companies offer ongoing online training to employees through blogs, help forums, video how-to’s and user manuals, all sources that require accessible and ongoing storage.

The BFSI sector generates huge amounts of data and requires storage that is extremely secure. Because of the personal nature of its dealings, BFSI firms are affected by issues with privacy and data security. The enhanced security features of cloud storage are, therefore, very appealing.

While North America is the current leader in market size, Asia Pacific is poised to pass it as the fastest-growing area. Cloud adoption in North America has earned it a “mature market” status for several reasons, including available technical knowledge, the number of businesses, advanced IT infrastructure, standards and regulations.

Different Backgrounds for Different Purposes

Nearly 70 percent of small businesses depend on mobile devices for daily operations. Cloud storage is one solution that gives users peace of mind as well as the ability to recover from a variety of issues. Getting essential files into secure off-site storage means less risk of being wiped out by a fire, flood, earthquake or other natural disasters, as well as computer crashes.

Choosing a cloud service provider can be a difficult task for small business owners, who have several dozen options. With enhanced security, as well as administrative and collaborative tools offered by Box and Dropbox, it’s no wonder they are among the top providers of cloud storage solutions. If you are weighing the advantages of adopting cloud services for your organization, here’s a look at the differences between these two services.

Box and Dropbox have different methods of file management due to their origins. Box is designed for business customers, and its services and basic user interface are fashioned to meet the needs of company IT departments. Dropbox, originally launched as a consumer service, was popular enough with users that they began using it in the workplace. Businesses soon recognized its potential to meet their enterprise needs.

Users and Operating Systems

Dropbox: With more than 500 million users throughout the globe, Dropbox is one of the biggest file-sharing platforms and offers users unlimited storage. You’ll find the customary features of document management systems that are familiar to users included here. Users have access to a secure platform and can easily share files and folders. However, there is limited real-time collaboration. Dropbox is available to users as a desktop application, through the Internet, and on iOS, Android and Linux devices. Dropbox for Business offers connectivity to more than 300,000 third-party apps with features for communications, as well as editing and more.

• More than 500 million users
• 200,000 client businesses
• Works on Apple OSX, Windows and Linux systems
• Compatible with Android, Windows and Apple iOS

Pricing

Dropbox: The service has three pricing options: standard, advanced and enterprise.

• Standard: This Level Allows 2 TB Of Secure Storage Space And Collaboration Tools That Are Easy For All To Share. This Plan Requires At Least Three Users And Costs $12.50 Each Month.
• Advanced: Businesses Have Unlimited Storage Space At This Level For $20 A Month And At Least Three Users. This Plan Also Offers Advanced Administrative, Audit And Integration Elements.
• Enterprise: This Level Allows 2 TB Of Secure Storage Space And Collaboration Tools That Are Easy For All To Share. This Plan Requires At Least Three Users And Costs $12.50 Each Month.

Box: There are four pricing options with Box: starter, business, business advanced and enterprise.

• Starter: For three to 10 users, this plan is just $5 per person per month. With the starter plan, users get 100 GB of secure storage with a file upload limited to 2GB.
• Business: This plan offers basic sync and share functions, plus enhanced security, unlimited storage, reporting and customization for $15 per user per month. There is a 5 GB file upload limit and a minimum of three users. There is not maximum limit of users.
• Business advanced: All the same services as the standard business plan, with enhanced administrative capabilities, as well as enhanced controls. Business advanced is $25 per user each month and there is no limit to number of collaborators.
• Enterprise: Enhanced security with content management, workflow automation and unlimited integrations. Upload limits are 5 GB and a minimum of three users are required. You must contact Box directly for pricing information.

What We Think

Maintaining an organization’s files in an environment that is secure yet easily accessible by many users from multiple devices allows small businesses to operate more efficiently. This is the aim of cloud storage.

Both Dropbox and Box platforms integrate with Outlook and Office 365, a critical factor due to Outlook’s dominance in workforce email and calendar functions, as well as SharePoint use. Beyond these basics, both services look to APIs to help them integrate with an assortment of third-party apps. Dropbox reports it integrates with more than 300,000 apps, while Box reports more than 1,000.

Dropbox has what it takes for individuals and small teams to create and collaborate in a user interface that is comfortable and very usable. Box is tailored for business use and offers enhanced administrative controls. The two platforms’ different backgrounds speak to the challenges that each storage solution provider faces. For Box, it means providing better ease-of-use. For Dropbox, it means more robust control features for administrators. Which one you choose depends on your business priorities.