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Dropbox takes partner program to Canada

A year after launching its partner program in the United States, cloud storage and file sharing company Dropbox Inc., is now offering Canadian service providers the opportunity to resell its Dropbox for Business products.

The expansion, which took effect May 6, also includes Australia, the European Union and New Zealand, according to the leading file sharing Web site, which says it now has 750 active partners in the U.S. ranging from small service providers to technology manufacturers such as Dell Inc.

Adam Nelson, head of channel sales and partnership at Dropbox, said the company is rolling out its program beyond the U.S. border in response to a growing demand for its Dropbox for Business.

“There is a lot of opportunity for channel partners internationally. Seventy per cent of our user base is outside the U.S.,” he said “We’ve had thousands of inbound requests from international IT solution providers from 71 countries.”

The company launched Dropbox for Business in February last year. The service essentially beefs up Dropbox’s popular consumer-grade personal file sharing tool with business-focused functionalities and features like separate business and personal consoles that ensure corporate data is secure while users can still store personal files.

Dropbox for Business comes with one terabyte storage cap per five users and an additional 200GB for each additional user. Nelson said data storage can scale up to as much as a customer needs. The service also comes with security tools and a management console that allows IT administrators or solution providers to monitor and manage the service.

One big advantage of Dropbox over other file sharing players in the corporate space is that “there is very little personnel training required since many people are already used to it,” said Nelson.

Dropbox for Business costs $15/user/month for a minimum of five users. Features include: sync and file sharing; 256-bit AES and SSL encryption; two-step verification and mobile passcodes; unlimited file recovery; unlimited version history; and security against file sharing outside a corporate team.

Management tools include: log in, device and location tracking; centralized team billing; SSO and Active Directory; priority email support; and phone support.