Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users
Medical Director at University OH Partners
Real User
Top 20
A stable and inexpensive solution that can be used to share files with external clients securely
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Box is security."
  • "Working on documents in real-time is sometimes faulty and could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Box is a very secure means to share files with external clients.

How has it helped my organization?

Box has improved our collaboration with our clients. We do not necessarily have to give them frequent updates because they can find it themselves.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Box is security.

What needs improvement?

Working on documents in real-time is sometimes faulty and could be improved.

I would like to see Box integrate with more apps.

Buyer's Guide
Box
June 2025
Learn what your peers think about Box. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
857,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Box for seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate Box ten out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate Box ten out of ten for scalability.

How was the initial setup?

Box's initial setup was straightforward.

What was our ROI?

We have seen a return on investment with Box.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Box's pricing is excellent.

What other advice do I have?

Box is an online cloud platform, and I am using its latest version.

The solution is on par with ShareFile and inexpensive.

Overall, I rate Box ten out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Grant Boyd - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior IT Project Manager at Nature Conservancy
Real User
Stable content storage system that could offer improved folder level permissions
Pros and Cons
  • "It is really easy to load files to and from this solution."
  • "The search features and role permissions are not very user friendly. It only searches the first few pages of a document, which is quite a problem."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for file storage.

What is most valuable?

It is really easy to load files to and from this solution. 

What needs improvement?

The search features and role permissions are not very user friendly. It only searches the first few pages of a document, which is quite a problem. In a future release, we'd like to have better permissions for folder level permissions at low levels. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for six months. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have not had any challenges with scalability. 

What other advice do I have?

This solution is good for file storage but there are better options out there.

I would rate this solution a six out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Box
June 2025
Learn what your peers think about Box. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
857,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior Manager, IAM (Des317) at Inspira Enterprise
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Seamless and secure cloud-based content management with notable advantages such as efficient file sharing and customizable access controls
Pros and Cons
  • "The system's performance is impressive, and file sharing is notably straightforward."
  • "I find their API to be quite complex and it could be more straightforward."

What is our primary use case?

We utilize Savient to oversee our Box accounts, along with the associated files, folders, and Box groups. This platform serves as our central hub for storing and organizing files. Additionally, we leverage Box for seamless sharing of files with our customers, catering to these specific use cases.

How has it helped my organization?

There is a distinct advantage since I no longer have to transfer files via email between my company and the customer's company. This mitigates concerns related to email spoofing and DLP issues. By sharing within the customer environment, there is a sense of comfort and security, as data remains within their network.

What is most valuable?

The system's performance is impressive, and file sharing is notably straightforward. Accessing Box files through desktop applications enhances ease of editing and overall management. Additionally, there's effective control over file sharing, allowing users to decide whether others can edit or only view the files.

What needs improvement?

I find their API to be quite complex and it could be more straightforward. Additionally, the user interface complexity arises, particularly when creating users or managing ownership assignments. Simplifying this interface could enhance user experience.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using for the last six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability is solid, and I would give it a rating of eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In our production environment, we manage twenty-one million files, and based on my assessment, scalability appears to be excellent.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Within my organization and in customer environments, Microsoft Teams is the standard communication platform we commonly employ.

What about the implementation team?

No technical team is required for deployment since it's a cloud-based environment.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I would rate it eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Yasmine Abib - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems engineer at Expleogroup
Real User
A storage and VM solution that makes it easy to deploy virtual machines
Pros and Cons
  • "I like that Box makes it easy to deploy virtual machines."
  • "It could be cheaper."

What is our primary use case?

I use Box to deploy virtual machines. My computer is Windows-based, and whenever I need to use Linux, I can download it there and do all my development work within it.

What is most valuable?

I like that Box makes it easy to deploy virtual machines.

What needs improvement?

It could be cheaper. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Box for about three or four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Box is a stable solution. I have never had any issues. I was never disconnected for any reason, and it kept the connection even though I put my laptop in sleep mode.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give stability a ten.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. The deployment process depends on your computer resources.

What about the implementation team?

I implemented this solution. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I have to pay for Box. It could be a little cheaper.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give the pricing a five.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale from one to ten, I would give Box a ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
IT Manager at Batchelor Construction
Real User
Is relatively easy to set up but the low level of role-based security it provides is very cumbersome
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is scalable."
  • "I don't like the low level of role-based security it provides – it's very cumbersome, and the support is ordinary at times."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution primarily for storage and very occasionally for collaboration.

What is most valuable?

I haven't found any valuable features.

What needs improvement?

I don't like the low level of role-based security it provides – it's very cumbersome, and the support is ordinary at times.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using the product for 12 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would say the solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

In my experience, support manages metrics instead of managing the solution. It seems they want to meet the SLAs without providing a solution.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

Box is relatively easy to set up.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

On pricing, I would point out that the more you dig, or the deeper the level of tools, the more expensive it becomes. 

What other advice do I have?

For basic file storage and a little collaboration, the product is fine. But for anything more integrated from a security point of view, it is not.

Besides Box, we also run SharePoint, and in terms of a holistic approach, I would say that SharePoint is probably the better option.

I would rate this product a six out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1453413 - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO / PM / Systems Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Easy to use for customers and technologists and allows us to collaborate securely with customers in controlled conditions
Pros and Cons
  • "Governance and ease of use are why I think a lot of people like Box, including ourselves. Basically, we're concerned about what information is being sent to Box, so we use a lot of the Box governance features to make sure that what is being sent to Box is appropriate. If it is not appropriate, it is not allowed to be sent. It is also pretty easy to use. It is the easiest to use for customers and for technologists."
  • "I haven't really come across a case where we're not able to use it for what it is, so I don't really have anything holding us up or any customers holding us up at this point that I know of. There are always some limitations, but as a technologist, I just live with them, and there is always room for improvement, but I don't have anything quantifiable."

What is our primary use case?

We are using the latest Box Enterprise. We use it to collaborate securely with customers in controlled conditions. The general use cases are really just customer collaborations. It might be in a financial institution working with loans or selling loans. With low interest and COVID, most banks are really pushing the refinance functionality, and it is very important for banks and credit unions and even just loan brokerage companies to be able to securely, easily, and safely get information to and from their customers.

Most of the time, email is not the way to do it because either people don't know how to use email securely or the files are too large to be sent via email. That's why these file-sharing collaboration things are really popular and should be really popular with the financial industry. This is a huge use case right now.

What is most valuable?

Governance and ease of use are why I think a lot of people like Box, including ourselves. Basically, we're concerned about what information is being sent to Box, so we use a lot of the Box governance features to make sure that what is being sent to Box is appropriate. If it is not appropriate, it is not allowed to be sent. It is also pretty easy to use. It is the easiest to use for customers and for technologists.

What needs improvement?

I haven't really come across a case where we're not able to use it for what it is, so I don't really have anything holding us up or any customers holding us up at this point that I know of. There are always some limitations, but as a technologist, I just live with them, and there is always room for improvement, but I don't have anything quantifiable.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for a couple of years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have seen cases where the number of people using it in an organization goes as high as 1,000.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their support was very good. We very rarely need support, but when we did engage them, they were quick to respond and very accurate and complete.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

In addition to Box and ShareFile, we also use a product called Egnyte. It is very similar to Box. I would say it is on an equal level with Box. Both Box and Egnyte are better than ShareFile.

We are in a reseller and consulting role for some companies, and some of our customers wanted to go with Box because they're a larger company. It was basically just a perception of financial stability. It was not that there was a concern that Egnyte wasn't stable. It was just a concern that they were a much smaller company. They perceive a large company as a lower risk.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

They are very price competitive when pushed. Initially, they come out with a standard list price, but they are willing to be very competitive. The Box price was pretty much equal to or lower than the Citrix price, and Box has more features.

What other advice do I have?

We like this solution, and we prefer to work with the Box consulting team. Basically, for a large company, we would recommend that people work with their professional services just to get things set up quickly and completely. It is possible to do this on your own, but it is faster if you have help from Box. Their pro services are very good.

I would rate Box an eight out of ten. Eight is about as good as somebody is going to get. There is always room for improvement, but I don't have anything quantifiable to make it a ten. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
CEO at CSToday
Real User
Easily collaborate and share information with this feature rich solution
Pros and Cons
  • "We've never had a penetration. We've never had a security issue that their support didn't solve. We love their audit trail. We can know exactly when a collaborator opens. We love how you can define a collaborator."
  • "I recommend doing the trial first, because it's not cheap ware. It's not overly expensive, but it's not cheap ware, and enterprise has a minimum number of users."

What is our primary use case?

Our clients' primary use cases are for business, mostly enterprise.

What is most valuable?

One of the coolest features in the enterprise is nominal file requests. Let's say you're getting a tune-up to your state plan, and the law has changed. There is a questionnaire with some documents and the paralegal sends them to you in just a normal email with the custom URL. You don't have to have a Google account for Google Drive or a Microsoft account for OneDrive. The fact that you are within the time window and within the credentialed determination, Box is aware of who does everything. They're the most compliant company we've ever encountered. We never run into a FIPSE or HIPAA or Sox issue with Box because they check every one of the boxes every time. So you never have to worry about that. To finish the story, you get that email, click on that link, fill in some answers on a TLS secure webpage, they give you a place to upload, and you're done.

From our user side or client side, when you hit that submit, you get deposited right in their client file, in your folder. And every one of your answers becomes metadata that will accompany all of your documents, all the way through your journey. This eliminates errors. It eliminates redundancy. It eliminates retyping. It's searchable. It's taggable. Really, really exquisite. 

The other thing about Box is that it has a really, really simple installation of the desktop component. And their new one, Box Drive, the users love. It creates a thumbnail, a meta, in your Explorer, whether it's Windows or Mac so everything you have access to in the cloud version you also have in the browser version. It's so easy, especially for older users. We find if they're over 40, then they have a much easier time with Box.

We've never had a penetration. We've never had a security issue that their support didn't solve. We love their audit trail. We can know exactly when a collaborator opens. We love how you can define a collaborator.

Let me spend a little time on that because that's really important - Box versus other cloud storage. Instead of being one dimensional, it's three dimensional. You can visualize a little matrix. Do you want them to be able to download this thing or just look at it? Do you want them to be able to upload and not download? Do you want them to be able to edit? Do you want them to be able to print? You can inhibit or enable any of those. So you can be dealing with opposing counsel and you don't want them to download, you just want them to see it, because your only responsibility to the court is that they can see it. But you don't want them stealing your work product. Box protects our client's intellectual property while allowing them to do business. So it's really exquisite.

The user interface is straightforward and simple. We also do a bunch of pro bono. One of our clients is sobrietyhouse.org, the largest, oldest, lowest recidivist rate, lowest cost rehab in Colorado. We regularly deploy Box there. We've tried to help this year with Save the Stages, with helping various musicians and other creators. This is a good example of how flexible Box is. 

In our corporate account, we will have extremely confidential information. We can create a folder set, share it to a band in Boulder and let them use that to collaborate vids, MP3s, tracks. Everything that they're trying to get ready for their Facebook Watch. And we can jump on and help. Box Note is like notepad, but 100 people can be on at the same time, tuning and perfecting, which works beautifully for lyric development.

That's completely isolated, works fine, costs them nothing. It's subsumed under our umbrella Box enterprise account. Because we have an unlimited number of external users we can add it's got a good genome. Yet, it wasn't designed by marketing people. It was designed by engineers and people who actually did work for a living.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Box for about nine years.

How was the initial setup?

I recommend doing the trial first, because it's not cheap ware. It's not overly expensive, but it's not cheap ware, and enterprise has a minimum number of users. Of course, it's nothing for us because we were well in excess to that minimum. But check your pricing. Don't think that just because Google Drive is cheaper that doesn't make it better.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale of one to ten, I'd rank Box a 10. And I rank their customer service a 9.5. Because they're not as good as GravityZone, but they're better than anybody else out there.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1248519 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Staff Data Engineer at a construction company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
A simple end-user experience that offers good options for access control
Pros and Cons
  • "The application is very light in terms of uploading and downloading files."
  • "Better integration with other solutions is needed."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use Box for sharing files within our group.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of this solution is the set of security options that can be set when sharing files with a group. There is a lot of flexibility in that you can assign specific people read-only permissions. It can be done at the object level, or the folder level.

The application is very light in terms of uploading and downloading files.

With respect to the end-user experience, this is a very simple solution.

What needs improvement?

Better integration with other solutions is needed. Some use cases require the user to integrate with a document management system, or they may want to do some sort of workflow management. For example, if they want to maintain an integrational ERP system then different departments may have different requirements. The legal team will require a different set of controls than the HR department, and they want to have some sort of workflow as a process. I do these things manually because they are lacking in this product. If an ERP needs a file stored in Box then it should be able to download it directly.

I would like to see an indexing system because without knowing the filename, it is difficult to find what I am looking for amongst thousands of files. It would be nice to have some sort of metadata.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Box for five or six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

My team has had no issues in terms of stability. My use case is really simple and straightforward.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

With perhaps 200,000 users, we have had no issues with scalability. 

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not been in contact with technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We use several other tools for content management such as Documentum, Alfresco, and SharePoint. The choice of tool depends on the use case.

What about the implementation team?

We have our own in-house team that deploys this product.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to anybody who is considering this type of solution is to first formulate the use case. Box has certain limitations, but it is very plain and easy to use. If you need collaboration in terms of document management then it provides a simple interface that offers differing levels of granularity in terms of access control.

This is a good solution but it does not address all of the use cases for a content management system.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Box Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: June 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Box Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.