Box launches new Drive macOS app with cloud file streaming

Dropbox and Google Drive have long had native drive apps on the Mac, and now Box is introducing its own macOS drive client for its cloud syncing service. Box Drive for Mac is a free download in public beta version starting today.

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Like its competitors, Box Drive integrates natively with the Mac’s Finder file system so you don’t have to rely on the web version for access to documents and media. Box also says its new app lets users “stream your cloud files directly to your desktop” and “easily share and collaborate on files” using Drive.

Here’s how Box describes the new Drive app benefits:

• It easily gets everyone in the cloud. Box Drive is easy for teams to learn, and simple for them to use, because it’s grounded in what they already know: the desktop. Plus, Box Drive supports Mac, Windows, and VDI environments, so everyone gets the same (great) experience!
• Take advantage of all the powerful security innovations we’ve pioneered in the cloud. With Box Drive, you have the same enterprise-grade security and compliance capabilities you do with Box, just on the desktop: HIPAA, FINRA, and FedRAMP compliance, Binding Corporate Rules, data retention policies, and more. And because files are no longer stored on users’ hard drives by default, lost or stolen devices have a much lower risk of data loss.
• Save millions replacing your network file shares. Working with files in Box Drive is just like working with files in a network share, offering the same ease and simplicity without all the high costs and hang-ups. In fact, Box projects that customers across industries such as real estate, healthcare and financial services have the potential to realize cost savings of $1.3M to as high as $6 million or more over three years when retiring legacy infrastructure with Box.

Box Drive joins the company’s other Mac clients including Sync, Notes, and Edit which include cloud integration. In addition to the new desktop client, Box also plans to integrate with Apple’s new Files app on iOS 11 later this year.