Dropbox acquires Boxcryptor belongings to deliver zero-knowledge encryption to file storage

Dropbox has announced plans to deliver end-to-end encryption to its enterprise customers, and it’s doing so by means of buying “key belongings” from Germany-based cloud safety firm Boxcryptor. Phrases of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Dropbox is well-known for its cloud-based file back-up and sharing providers, and whereas it does provide encryption for information transferring between its servers and the vacation spot, Dropbox itself has entry to the keys and may technically view any content material passing by means of. What Boxcryptor brings to the desk is an additional layer of safety through so-called “zero data” encryption on the consumer facet, giving the person full management over who’s allowed to decrypt their knowledge.

For many individuals, equivalent to customers storing household images or music information, this stage of privateness won’t be a serious precedence. However for SMEs and enterprises, end-to-end encryption is a giant deal because it ensures that no middleman can entry their confidential paperwork saved within the cloud — it’s encrypted earlier than it even arrives.

Transferring ahead, Dropbox stated that it plans to bake Boxcryptor’s options natively into Dropbox for enterprise customers.

“Premier companion”

Based in 2011, Boxcryptor protects companies’ data throughout quite a few cloud providers, together with OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive and Dropbox. Certainly, Dropbox was already one in all Boxcryptor’s “premier partners,” working intently with the cloud large to make sure its encryption smarts play properly with Dropbox’s cross-platform file storage.

It’s value digging just a little bit into the precise wording of the deal introduced as we speak although. Each firms are cautious to not name this an all-out acquisition: Dropbox stated that it’s buying “key belongings,” whereas Boxcryptor says that Dropbox has acquired its mental property, together with “key expertise belongings.”

However for all intents and functions, this looks as if old school acquisition. In a blog post published today, Boxcryptor founders Andrea Pfundmeier and Robert Freudenreich say that their “new mission” might be to embed Boxcryptor’s expertise into Dropbox. And after as we speak, no one will be capable to create an account or purchase any licenses from Boxcryptor — it’s successfully closing to new prospects.

“By offering our expertise and deep-expertise to a world tech firm like Dropbox, we’ll be capable to higher scale our safety capabilities by means of Dropbox’s world platform and supply an elevated encryption expertise for customers,” they wrote. “This can guarantee much more individuals are capable of give attention to the work that issues, understanding that their content material is much more secure and safe.”

However there are explanation why the information is being packaged the way in which it has. The corporate is constant to help present prospects by means of the period of their present contracts. Boxcryptor has commitments and contracts in place, and it needs to make sure nothing is misplaced in translation — it’s stressing that no keys, contracts or knowledge might be transferred over to Dropbox, and every part will stay the place it at the moment is in its German knowledge facilities.