Cloud content management firm Box Inc. today introduced a couple of new features in hope of making it even easier for customers to store all their data in its service.

One set of features is updates to its Admin console, including a new dashboard (pictured) that makes it easier for Box administrators to see where people are working and on what content, whom they’re collaborating with and what other systems they’re using in conjunction with Box.

“We wanted to take out the friction for them,” Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel said in an interview. That’s not only to get a better sense of the kind of collaboration going on and ensure proper security, but also to give admins themselves tools to back up their need for Box services.

“We find that administrators must justify the investment they’ve made in Box to their superiors,” Patel said. “Now they can get lots of usage insights.”

The other new feature is the ability to use metadata, or descriptions of categories of data, in Box’s Governance service introduced three years ago as an add-on the its file sharing. That service helps customers track business documents all the way from their creation to retention for the proper amount of time to getting rid of it when it’s no longer needed.

Up to now, Patel said, customers have managed setting policies for various kinds of data based on which folder to which they’re assigned. But that gets complicated and time-consuming because each folder might have multiple policies with different regulatory mandates on how long to retain the documents. With metadata describing the nature of the document, that process can be more granular and automated.

“So you can say if it’s a life insurance policy, keep it for seven years, or if it’s an auto insurance policy, make it three years, or a homeowners policy one year, because that’s what the regulations call for,” Patel explained. “This completely changes workflows and policies in companies.”

This last feature isn’t strictly to comply with the European Union’s General Data Protection act that goes into effect in a few short weeks, bringing with it potentially huge penalties for data that’s mishandled. But Patel said governance capabilities such as the new metadata-driven retention are one reason Box services will comply with GDPR.

“All this makes it easier and more compelling for companies to put their information into Box,” he added.

Image: Box