box.com is a cloud-based file sharing and storage service which enables people to collaborate and share information and files. The service can be accessed through any smart device.

Box can be used either as an online service alone or a mixture of an online and a local cloud backup service. An application called box sync can be downloaded onto a Mac or PC for syncing any files that are added to the box sync folder either online or on your local machine. An internet connection is required for syncing. Files and folders in the box sync folder can be marked for syncing, so that others are available online only. https://www.box.com/personal/store-files-online/

Complexity: simple

Platform: Web-based; desktop software for Mac and PC; smart device app for iOS and Android

How to get it: https://yale.app.box.com and login via CAS

Help documentation: http://its.yale.edu/services/collaboration-and-file-sharing/box-yale

What kinds of files can I store?

Just about any type of file can be saved, though box like dropbox has trouble with files that are organized like folders (e.g. .mellel).

Who uses it?

Universities, businesses, and nonprofit organizations of all sorts use box, including Yale. For a longer list, see http://www.box.com/customers/

How many files can I store? How big can they be? How much will it cost?

Box offers individuals users 10 GB is free (files size limited to 250 MB).

100 GB is $5/month (file sizes limited to 5 GB).

Group users and business users have additional options.

Yale offers all students, faculty, and staff 50 GB of storage (file sizes up to 5 GB).

How can I keep my files organized? Do the files have names–like on my computer? Is organizing the files easy?

Box uses a typical folder structure.

So you organize things the same way you do on a computer: files inside folders inside folders.

Who can see the files? Can I keep them private? Can I share them?

As with many such services, there are three-to-four levels of access.

Private. Only you can see or download it.
Shared by permission. Users must be signed in and can then access a file or folder you’ve chosen.

Shared by link. You create a link, and anyone who has the link can access the file or folder.

What is the legal status of public or shared images–their licensing? Can people ‘steal’ my images?

There are no licensing restrictions offered through box.

Can I leave the file here and publish it directly to a web site?

Most file types can be embedded onto a website or blog for downloading. The embedded files can have controlled access, such as viewers ability to print, share or download.

Can I ever get them all back?

If files are synced to box through the box sync application then the files are also stored on your local machine. If files are stored online only, these files can be downloaded directly from box.com.

What if I accidentally delete a file? Can I get it back?

When files are deleted they are sent into a “trash” folder. The file is removed 30 days after being in the trash folder.

https://support.box.com/hc/en-us/articles/200519768-Using-the-Trash