For The First Time, Google Drive Files and Folders Can Be Accessed By Non-G Suite Users Through AOBox

AODocs, a leading document management platform that builds on Google Drive’s unique user experience and agility to implement enterprise business applications and document workflows, launched AOBox. AOBox is a first-of-its-kind platform that allows individuals, multinational companies, and everyone in-between to access and share files directly through Google Drive, regardless of whether they have a Google account.

Available at launch for both Enterprises (AOBox Enterprise) and SMBs (AOBox Pro), AOBox is designed to tackle a common headache: companies and individuals using G Suite and other Google tools are often working with networks of customers, partners and suppliers who are not on G Suite. This can create chronic issues around version control and security. The most common resulting scenario is that workers and teams turn to workarounds, often called “shadow IT,” to overcome file sharing limitations. Even if these “rogue” workarounds are conducted on widely adopted platforms like Box and Dropbox, G Suite-based companies face long-term issues around risk, compliance and cost control.

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AOBox empowers teams and collaborators to reconcile differences in file management, file sharing, and collaboration platforms. Uploaded files are added by AOBox to the Google Drive folder and downloaded files are read by AOBox from the Google Drive folder in which they’re stored. Meanwhile, file and folder owners can access an audit trail containing the detailed activity of the external users accessing their content. Anyone can open the Google Drive files shared with them via AOBox by authenticating their existing Office 365, Outlook, Facebook, LinkedIn, Windows Live, or AOBox account. AOBox also eliminates the need for “rogue” accounts created by employees on their personal accounts to work around sharing limitations.

“At AODocs, we believe it’s possible to provide security and processes without limiting collaboration or sacrificing user experience, and this applies regardless of the content and collaboration platforms,” said AODocs CEO Stéphane Donzé. “By allowing G Suite users to securely share their Google Drive files with anyone, AOBox improves the end user’s collaboration experience while helping the company maintain confidentiality and compliance. You can have your cake and eat it too!”

Major features of AOBox include:

• Secured Workspaces: Non-Google users can access and/or upload files in selected Drive folders.
• Activity Tracking: Users can monitor activity in shared files and folders by utilizing a detailed audit log.
• Real-time Collaboration: Teams can trust they are working on the latest version of documents with external partners and collaborators.
• Cost Reduction: Companies can avoid paying for additional licenses from other software vendors.
• Risk Reduction: Teams can eliminate file duplicates created when a file stored in Google Drive is copied to other platforms to be shared with non-Google users.

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