Box for Outlook

Tufts recently partnered with Box.com to provide cloud storage to all students, faculty, and staff.  There are many ways to take advantage of this excellent service whether you want to access your files at your desktop with an integrated file system application, via a web browser, or remotely with your mobile devices.  Additionally, Box has developed an application to make your Outlook experience more powerful through the installation of an Outlook add-in.

The add-in is great for sending links to files already stored in your Box account.  Perhaps even better, the Box for Outlook add-in can also convert an attachment to a Box shared link with one click.  This helps to reduce the quota problem many people experience due to the number of attachments received.

Box has created a brief YouTube video to highlight the benefits of using this product.

Installation

1. Download the Box for Outlook add-in from the Box.com website.
2. Locate the executable on your computer.  Double-click on the file to launch the installer.
3. If prompted for administrator credentials, either
   1. Enter the administrative credentials for an account on the machine.  OR
   2. Contact your support provider so that he or she can install the add-in for you.
4. Follow the default steps in the wizard to complete the installation process.

Configuration

1. Locate the Box for Outlook add-in on the toolbar (Outlook 2007) or the Add-Ins ribbon (Outlook 2010) in the Outlook application.

   Outlook 2007	Outlook 2010

   1. Click on the Box drop down menu and click Settings.
2. A new Welcome to Box for Outlook window opens. Click the More login options >> button in the bottom left corner.
   
3. Enter your Tufts email address to sign with to your Box account with your Tufts credentials.
   
4. Click the Log in button and you will be redirected to the Tufts Single Sign On site.
   
   1. Enter your Tufts username and password in the box labeled User name: and Password:.
5. When you’ve successfully authenticated, you will be logged in to your enterprise Box account with your Tufts credentials.
   
   1. Click Save to continue.
   2. Now that you’re logged in, clicking the Box icon on the Add-Ins ribbon will open your default web browser to your Box account.

Utilization

1. When you open a new email message, you will see a new area labeled Send with Box on the right side of the Message ribbon.
   
2. The Upload file and share button works similarly to attaching a file with one significant difference. This command will upload the attachment to a folder of your choice in your Box account and then create a shared link to that file so yours and any recipient’s email accounts are not cluttered by attachments drawing down on disk quotas.
   
   1. Select the folder where you wish to upload your attachment and then click Upload and share.
   2. When the file has successfully uploaded, the screenshot below will appear.
      
   3. Click OK to continue with your email message. The shared link will automatically be created and inserted into the body of your message.
      
3. If the file you want to attach to your email message already is hosted on your Box account, choose the Share from Box button when creating your email.
   1. Navigate to the file’s location on your Box account and click Share.
   2. Your shared link will automatically be created and inserted into the body of your message.

Troubleshooting

1. You must convert your Tufts account to an enterprise account before the Box for Outlook add-in will work. To accomplish this, sign in at http://tufts.box.com with your Simplified Sign On credentials. Click the blue Continue button to authenticate.
2. If the add-in suddenly stops working, reinstall using the following steps:
   1. Open the Control Panel. In the Programs category, click the Uninstall a program link.
   2. Locate the Box for Outlook application and click on it to select it. With it highlighted, click Uninstall from the toolbar above.
   3. From the run dialog box, type %appdata% to navigate to the AppData\Roaming\ folder for the current profile. Delete the Box.net folder.
   4. Reboot and reinstall the application.