In the consumer mobile app world, developers have a number of platforms including iOS, and Android, from which they can not only find users but also monetize and make money. Connecting with social networks like Facebook can help for distribution, and you can sell your app in Apple’s App Store and Google Play or make money via ads. But in the enterprise world, this is a challenge that any mobile or web app developer faces. Today, cloud storage company Box is hoping to solve this problem for developers by debuting Box $rev, a new program for developers to monetize their applications on the Box platform.
“This is really about how we can drive value for both developers and users,” explains CEO and co-founder Aaron Levie. He says that enterprise apps do not monetize well in the App Store or other mobile app platforms, and this is going to provide a way for enterprise app developers who are building off of Box to actually make revenue from users interacting with their apps. “This is the easiest way for enterprise app developers to make money,” claims Levie.
With Box $rev, developers are paid when a Box Business or Enterprise customer uses a third-party app that’s integrated with Box. Box $rev, via a new SDK developers must use, will measure customer interactions with third-party apps integrated on Box and compensate developers based on that usage. Based on usage, developers can be paid up to 15 percent of the Box seat price ( which can range from $10 per month upwards) per user. If an entire organization with 10,000 seats downloads a specific app, that could be meaningful revenue for the developers. It also provides a way for Box to see which apps its users are interacting with the most.
“We’re rewriting the rules when it comes to supporting the next generation of enterprise app developers,” says Levie.
Box $rev is launching today with ten inaugural Box OneCloud partners including CloudOn, Notability, Documents by Readdle, PDFExpert, iAnnotate, Genius Scan, CamScanner, Outline+, GoodNotes and SmartOffice. Over time, Box $rev will expand to a broader set of programs and capabilities, the company explains.
Box is also releasing new SDKs for Android and IOS that add the ability for users to select Box files through a secure file picker with only a few lines of code. Box has also added built-in SSO support to easily manage enterprise identity.
At the heart of what Box is doing is trying to create a broader economy around its API and developer ecosystem. Box $rev could be a super interesting way to not only attract more developers to build off of Box, but also gain additional insight into how its business and enterprise users are interacting with additional functions and apps leveraging the cloud storage platforms. Today, the Box OneCloud ecosystem includes more than 500 app integrations, including drchrono, SmartOffice and Documents by Readdle. And 43% of the Fortune 500 are using apps from Box OneCloud today.