BoxWorks Digital: Collaborating to do our best work together

Our new work-from-anywhere world has required us to change the way we collaborate. We can no longer rely on in-person meetings or hallway discussions to drive business forward. Instead, we need new ways to connect with internal and external partners so we can be productive and get our best work done--together.

It's clear, collaboration is a top priority for businesses--in fact, 84% of tech execs consider collaboration tools very important or mission-critical to their operations. That's why Box has made it easy to securely collaborate with anyone, anywhere, on any device. 

In the spring, All-New Box helped you unleash your best work with simple, frictionless remote collaboration. And today, at BoxWorks Digital 2020, we continue to transform the digital workplace into a new hub for idea-sharing, decision-making, and ultimately getting work done with our newly announced enhancements to Annotations, increased mobile device support, and investment in Box Notes.

Intuitive, and centralized feedback

Annotations, released earlier this summer, simplifies review processes by centralizing feedback within preview and shifting it out of emails, chats, and attachments--keeping everyone on the same page (literally). This makes it easy to collaborate on a variety of popular document types like images, PDFs, slide decks, and more without needing to open the app the content was created in. Plus, with our new mobile integrations, including Annotations support for Apple Pencil and Apple Scribble, you can mark up, draw, or type your feedback--whatever works best for you! 

To make Annotations even more extensible on the web, we will be offering:

• Greater precision with a new highlight text annotation type that allows to-the-word feedback
• Increased flexibility with the ability to modify previously created annotations
• New ways to stay informed with Annotations in the Web Notification Center 

Additionally, mobile users will be able to view Annotations from their iPhones, iPads, and Android devices as well as receive push notifications when @mentioned, which will allow users to: 

• Accelerate their review and decision-making process securely from their mobile phone or tablet
• Work across file and document types on mobile, without having to open the app the content was created in

We are excited to announce that iPad users will be able to use the Apple Pencil to leave Annotations either as a free-form mark up or drawings, or as handwritten notes that can be converted to typed text with Apple Scribble. This will help busy executives, who have come to rely upon their iPads for reviews, maximize their time and be more efficient.

Powering mobile productivity

As we do more work on our mobile devices it's become increasingly important to have access to our content and be able to collaborate from anywhere. Mobile devices make work flexible and more often then not, we are making the most of our time by using our phones and tablets for at-a-glance reviews, fast interactions, and short posts. 

Our upcoming mobile enhancements will focus on powering increased mobile productivity including:

• A new user experience for iPad with improved usability for files and folder browsing
• The appearance of shared links in search results on mobile devices
• An improved photo experience in Box Mobile 
• The ability to capture content with mobile document scanning
• Support for Apple Scribble to enhance efficiency

Working together in real time

When we replace legacy technology, processes, and practices with new ways of working and communicating transparently, we harness the power of collaboration. Sometimes, it's as simple as reducing overhead by making it easier to find or work with documents or putting more power behind an application. 

As we look to 2021, Box will continue to innovate and explore new ways to get work done together, in real time. In particular, we plan to invest in Box Notes--our secure, go-to note taking app for brainstorming, managing projects, and staying on task. By making Box Notes faster and improving key functionality like tables and image resizing, we will help drive efficient collaboration whether you are working internally or externally as part of a group, or as an individual.

Make the most of new collaboration tools

The way we collaborate and work has changed for the better, but sometimes it feels as though it's changing by the minute. To help you stay informed and keep up with the innovation Box is delivering, we're launching the "What's New" message center for admins. Here, we will list all the latest product updates and events as well as education and onramps to our community site so you can be empowered to help your organization do its best work. Annotations enhancements, mobile updates, and the "What's New" message center will be available in fall 2020. 

Want to learn more about collaboration and how to unleash your best work? Be sure to tune into BoxWorks, and follow #BoxWorks on Twitter!