Question: How can small and midsize businesses — such as accounting firms, legal firms and architectural companies — easily but securely share files with selected clientele? One potential answer is Box.net, a simple content management and storage service. Eager adopters include Network Depot, a managed service provider in Reston, Va. Here are some details.
I first stumbled onto Box.net when Nine Lives Media Inc. (MSPmentor’s parent) was evaluating widgets and plug-ins for our Web sites. We tested Box.net as a way to securely share PDFs and it seemed to work well. By pure coincidence, Network Depot President Rich Forsen emailed me last week about his company’s use of Box.net — so I wanted to hear more.
Forsen noted that Network Depot — an MSPmentor 100 company for 2007-2008 — serves accountants, lawyers and architects. He added:
“All have a need to share large files with their own clients, and like most companies, they’ve tried to use e-mail with limited success due to size and attachment limits, or they’ve had to manually set up FTP and modify that setup each time they had a client or project. Box.net provided several compelling aspects as a solution to this problem.”
The Big Box.net Benefits
Among Box.net’s three benefits, according to Forsen:
- Network Depot’s clients can manage Box.net’s folder and permission structure on their own.
- End users can create “Guest” collaborators that allow collaborators to directly link to files.
- Each of Network Depot’s clients can have their own Box.net-oriented URL branded with their their own logo. Plus, those clients can tie in with services like EchoSign and eFax directly within the app.
All of those capabilities came at a low enough recurring monthly price point that it was affordable to our clients and eliminated the costs of exploding e-mail servers and repeated service tickets to modify or augment FTP servers, added Forsen.
Next Moves
As you may recall, Network Depot has launched a sister company called Virtual Administrator, which operates as a Master managed service provider. Virtual Administrator hosts Kaseya‘s software for aspiring MSPs and VARs (here’s a podcast describing the company more fully). Box.net could find a home within Virtual Administrator, notes Forsen, so that Virtual Administrator’s partners can leverage the Master MSP’s economies of scale.
Other Options
I realize MSPs have dozens of cloud-based storage and content management systems from which to choose. Plus, compliance regulations vary from vertical to vertical (HIPAA, Sarbanes- Oxley, etc.), which could impact your customers’ online storage options.
Box.net is merely one example of a solution that works for Network Depot. I wonder: Are other MSPs giving Box.net a try — or are you opting for alternative file sharing services?
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Posted In: Master MSPs | MSP Mentor | Software as a Service and Hardware as a Service
Tags: Box.net | Hosted Kaseya | managed storage | Master Managed Service Provider | Master MSP | Network Depot | Network Depot President Rich Forsen | storage as a service | Virtual Administrator
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Take a look at our 
After seeing enough hacked FTP servers, I decided there has to be a better way to share large files with outside 3rd parties. I’ve been using http://www.transferbigfiles.com to do just that, and it is free.
The other problem I’ve been trying to solve internally, is finding a good way to store client documentation securely, but where it can be easily accesible anywhere. I can attach documents in Autotask to a client, but I would have to manually upload them each time they are updated.
I’m looking at using Microsoft Office Live Workspace (free) for storing documents online, and giving various permissions to staff, contractors, clients, etc. I thought about using Sharepoint as one option as well. I would be curious to see if anyone else has used OLW yet, and how it has worked. You can download a plugin that lets you save Office files directly to your OLW workspace as well. This sounds like it might be a similar product. It looks like it is a beta, and I will be curious to see if it is easy to use and popular, if it will become a paid service.
David Dempsey
Managed Data
http://www.managed-data.com
Purely FYI: I got an email from the Box.net community manager within 30 minutes of posting the blog above. They certainly are plugged-in and attentive to Web 2.0 conversations about them. The community manager offered to answer any additional questions I had regarding the Box.net service. I was impressed.
-jp
Our experience with them so far has been amazing. They are very responsive and attentive to their clients.
Paul Barnett
Marketing Director
Virtual Administrator
Joe, I’ve been testing out box.net for about 2 months now and am very pleased. It’s a great way to share files – especially those large ones that you don’t want to email back and forth again and again.
-Andrew Pohran, MSP Partners
Andrew: Thanks for the perspective. Given all the feedback, I’m considering Box.net as a tool for sharing future press releases and other MSPmentor-branded materials.
Wow. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a “community manager!” What a world
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I’ll keep you informed as we continue working with them as to how the relationship grows and the new directions it takes.
One little know but in my opinion very important differentiator that sealed the deal for us goes well beyond the FTP aspects. It’s the “OpenBox” API that they have. They have partnered already with Echosign, E-Fax and many others (see http://www.box.net/info/openbox) and I think this is great. It gives them a way to constantly invent more value. Good luck with your experimentation!
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Alessandra
http://www.craigslisttool.info