Adobe Partners with Dropbox to take PDF to the Cloud

Adobe and Dropbox have recently announced a new partnership to make PDF documents more accessible for its users. The new partnership aims to integrate Adobe Acrobat Reader and Acrobat DC with Dropbox’s cloud service. Users will be able to save PDF documents to the Dropbox cloud servers. This would make it easier to share the documents with others by giving them a link of the shared folder that’s on the cloud.

That said, Dropbox integration with Acrobat does not seem to offer much advantage for desktop users. They can already store PDF files in Dropbox and open it using Acrobat Reader. However, it will provide convenience for mobile users who at present have to switch between different apps to open and view the PDF files stored in Dropbox. The mobile integration feature is slated to be launched later this year.

The integration will allow users to open PDF from the Dropbox app. This will offer more convenience for Adobe Acrobat users in collaborating and working with PDF files. Apart from the app integration, Adobe and Dropbox also plan to integrate their services in Dropbox’s web interface.

The recent partnership between the two companies is interesting since Adobe’s Cloud ambition has been enterprise-focused while Dropbox’s user base is mostly individuals. Adobe also plans to partner with other cloud storage providers in the near future. It has already been cultivating relationship with leading cloud firms to upgrade its Document Cloud services for enterprises.

Last month, for instance, Adobe announced partnerships with Salesforce and Workday to integrate its Document cloud e-signature with their online services. The former offers on-demand Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software services for companies while the latter provides enterprise-level software solutions for human resource and financial management.

Dropbox integration is focused on expanding its e-signature functionality for consumers. It provides a drag-and-drop workflow tool that allows any one of the Document Cloud subscribers to set up a system for easy collaboration between multiple individuals. They can now review and sign the documents from anywhere, anytime.

Adobe’s e-sign services now include support for digital signatures that uses a physical smartcard with a secure chip to verify the signature. This is a useful functionality for people in industries such as pharmaceuticals as well as government employees that offer the smartcard to verify their identities.

By taking the initiative to expand its Document management services, Adobe plans to make its offering more competitive in the e-signature market. The company wants its services to be superior to its primary competitors such as DocuSign that focuses on offering e-signature products and has a large consumer base.

The announcement to team up with Dropbox is part of a series of partnerships that Adobe hopes will make it a leader in Document management and e-signature services both at corporate and individual levels.