File sharing beyond the firewall [Video]

Box.net has been around for a few years, but in December, it quietly released OpenBox, a new platform that integrates Box.net’s online repository with Web applications such as eFax, EchoSign, Zoho, and many others.

With OpenBox, users can now edit a file online using Zoho or send it immediately via eFax without having to download it to their machine. Moreover, a new feature, released this week, gives users authority to share files without help from an administrator. Box.net uses Isilon storage systems in the background and has two geographically separated datacenters in California. The service backs up to a third site in Washington state using Amazon S3.

Of course, Internet access is crucial for tapping Box.net’s service. Without it, files can’t be reached. That caveat aside, however, the service provides an opportunity to reduce some of the burden of storage administration, freeing you up to tackle other mission-critical endeavors without …