Dropbox Launches Cloud File Sharing for Partners With Dropbox Partner Network

File sharing and cloud storage service Dropbox has launched the Dropbox Partner Network, designed to enable partners to resell, manage and support Dropbox for Business for customers. Talkin’ Cloud spoke with Dropbox Vice President of Sales Kevin Egan and Head of Channel Adam Nelson about the new program and what it means for partners. Here are the details.

First, some background. It all started with the consumer-focused Dropbox file sharing service, but as more people used it for business, the company introduced a more secure version that could be controlled by IT managers, Dropbox for Business about 18 months ago. This version also gives IT more visibility into how users leverage the service. 

Nelson said the Dropbox Partner Network was launched as a response to the “thousands of IT service providers” that have inquired about Dropbox on behalf of their customers.

To develop the partner program, Dropbox started with 50 partners in January and asked about the types of features needed to make Dropbox the easiest tool to manage, Nelson said.

Dropbox designed a Reseller Portal to provide partners with training, sales and marketing materials, as well as enabling them to manage teams on behalf of their customers. A dedicated sales manager will also be assigned to partners.

“We are really excited to work with partners as an extension of our team to support this demand,” Nelson said. “We really wanted to build this integrated approach, and we wanted to build a program for partners that fit nicely into their business models.”

Partners can sign onto a Dropbox reseller agreement with no fees or quotas, Nelson said. Dropbox will base partner levels on participation, but would not disclose the criteria for each of the three levels.

The company is launching the program today with more than 150 partners.

Separately, unified identity services provider Centrify Corp. announced yesterday that the company is making it easier for businesses to securely use file sharing service Dropbox by bringing Microsoft (MSFT) Active Directory-based single sign-on (SSO), access control and mobile management to Dropbox for Business.