Dropbox teams with Google Cloud to integrate G-Suite

Dropbox has announced a partnership with Google Cloud which will see the company integrate G-Suite in its cloud storage and offer "a more unified" productivity suite for users.

Dropbox said that as part of the partnership, it plans to develop a series of cross-platform integrations that connect G Suite cloud productivity tools and content over Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Hangouts, with its global collaboration platform.

Made accessible for all users, these integrations means they'll be able to create, open, and edit Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files that live in Dropbox. Dropbox Business administrators will also be able to manage Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files just like any other content that lives in Dropbox, the firm said.

"We want to make it easy for our users to work across devices with the tools they love," said Dropbox's VP of Engineering, Tony Lee.

"This partnership with Google Cloud is one more way we're creating a unified home for content and the conversations around it. We're excited to work with Google to break down silos and centralise the information teams rely on every day."

Lee made clear that the ultimate goal of the partnership is to make G Suite accessible no matter what tools users bring to work.

"And these integrations help our shared customers better collaborate in the tools they use every day," added Google Cloud's director of product management, Ritcha Ranjan. "Working with Dropbox to make our apps work better together helps our customers focus their time on work that matters."

Beyond Google Docs and files, Dropbox will also develop additional native G Suite integrations with Gmail and Hangouts Chat, the firm said, to help teams keep project content connected to the conversations around it.

For example, users will be able to select and generate Dropbox file links from directly within Gmail, as well as choose to see metadata on Dropbox content in Gmail including date created, last saved, and last accessed.

Dropbox and Google said these new integrations are expected to be available starting in the second half of 2018.