The cloud storage (opens in new tab) provider Box (opens in new tab) has unveiled a new virtual whiteboarding (opens in new tab) and online collaboration tool (opens in new tab) called Box Canvas that is designed for organizations that have adopted a hybrid work model.
With Box Canvas (opens in new tab), hybrid teams can securely connect online and brainstorm, ideate and create together from anywhere. The new visual whiteboard tool will be available to all Box users at no additional charge later this year and the company plans to showcase it at its upcoming Box Content Cloud Summit.
Chief product officer at Box, Diego Dugatkin explained in a press release (opens in new tab) how Box Canvas is the ideal collaboration tool for hybrid work (opens in new tab), saying:
“With approximately 70 percent of companies in the U.S. and Europe planning to establish a hybrid work environment, it’s clear that the future of work is here. This new way of working requires tools that extend beyond static document types and traditional communication styles to be more dynamic and fluid. Box is taking collaboration to the next level with Box Canvas. Our goal is to unleash the power of creativity so teams can solve complex problems, nurture fresh ideas, and create new ways of working together from anywhere.”
Collaborating with Box Canvas
While just over two thirds (67%) of Fortune 500 (opens in new tab) companies already use Box Content Cloud to manage, share, secure and collaborate on content both internally and externally with customers and partners, Box Canvas will provide organizations with a new, visual collaboration tool built-in to Box’s platform.
Box Canvas makes it easy to get started quickly with premade templates and the ability to alert collaborators in real time with both notifications and @mentions. Internal and external collaborators will also have access to an unlimited number of Canvases to brainstorm regardless of their location or time zone.
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When it comes to brainstorming (opens in new tab) in Box Canvas, users will be able to work the way they want with free-form drawing and text, diagrams, wireframes and process flows using visual elements such as shapes and connectors. However, they’ll even be able to create slides and run meetings and workshops directly from the new tool.
Possible use cases for Box Canvas include marketing teams conducting interactive workshops for their next campaign, product teams mapping out and visualizing each step of a logic flow for a new app or product, user experience teams storyboarding a user onboarding experience, sales teams creating sales dashboards, presentations and interactive account plans and HR teams running hands-on training and onboarding sessions that are more engaging.
Box Canvas is expected to be generally available for all Box users in the fall of this year and the company also plans to add additional features to its whiteboarding and collaboration tool going forward.