Microsoft announced its alliance with Dropbox to integrate their services across Dropbox and Microsoft Office on phones, tablets and the Web.
The strategic partnership stems from the fact that more than 1.2 billion people use Office, while Dropbox has become home to more than 35 billion Office files.
“Together, Microsoft and Dropbox will provide our shared customers with flexible tools that put them at the center for the way they live and work today,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in a statement.
These capabilities will first be available from within the Dropbox and Office apps on tablets and phones, and will be accessible via the Web. The functionality will first be included in the next updates to the Office apps for iOS and Android, coming in the next few weeks.
Earlier, Microsoft announced its partnership with IBM to boost enterprise mobility presence.
Dropbox and Microsoft users can now do the following:
Access Dropbox from Office apps to get to their files and folders faster
Edit Office files directly from Dropbox and sync them across devices
Share new or edited files from the Office apps using simple Dropbox sharing functionality
“People around the world have embraced Office and Dropbox to empower the way they live and work today,” said Drew Houston, CEO and co-founder of Dropbox.
The Web integrations between the Dropbox website and Office Online will be available in the first half of 2015. Dropbox will also make its application available on the Windows Phone and Windows tablet platforms in the coming months.
These capabilities will be available to all Office users with a Dropbox account. Dropbox for Business customers will need an Office 365 subscription.
Box, a rival of Dropbox, is already available to Office 365 subscribers.
editor@infotechlead.com
