Dropbox has announced a significant update to Dropbox Dash, introducing new features aimed at helping users efficiently manage and find workplace content across various media formats and platforms.
The updated Dash offers advanced video and image search capabilities across integrated platforms, in addition to improvements in content creation tools for businesses. These new features are now available to users in Australia, highlighting Dropbox's focus on supporting productivity for local teams.
According to Drew Houston, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Dropbox, "Knowledge workers waste more than a month a year just looking for information and switching between apps. With the new Dash, we're not just helping you find your content faster—we're helping you put it to work."
The enhancements in Dash allow users to search for content across multiple media types, including videos, images, and audio files. Dropbox reports that billions of videos and images are uploaded to its platform annually, spanning materials from notes and session photos to meeting voice notes. The new search capabilities are designed to locate information within these files, eliminating the need to recall exact filenames. Users can now enter queries such as "scanned release forms from our customer event" or "Spring campaign we shot in Melbourne" and receive results instantly.
Dash's capabilities have also been extended to facilitate people search within organisations. The platform can quickly identify relevant subject matter experts, making it possible to locate teammates or determine authorship of internal documents and plans.
An upgraded suite of AI-powered writing tools is included with Dash. These tools are designed to streamline the process of drafting new documents by pulling together data from existing assets. For example, users can ask Dash, "What were the key takeaways from our customer research last month?" to receive analytical summaries derived from reports, meeting summaries, and messaging app conversations within seconds.
Users can also request Dash to generate project briefs or plans from organisational data. By typing a prompt such as "Create a project plan for our Q3 marketing campaign", Dash assembles a first draft using information such as goals from strategy documents, timelines from previous projects, and budget data from financial spreadsheets. This approach aims to reduce the time spent gathering data, allowing teams to focus on substantive and creative contributions. Dash can also format the draft in preferred templates and replicate the organisation's writing style.
Dropbox Dash's integration capabilities have been expanded to work with widely used apps such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, alongside tools like Canva, Jira, and Figma. These integrations are intended to allow users to locate and act on files without leaving their primary work environments. For instance, users can search for Canva files directly through Dash or find out decisions about social media visuals by querying across Slack and Zoom transcripts. The goal, according to Dropbox, is to help teams minimise application switching and remain productive within familiar platforms.
Security features within Dash have also been improved. IT administrators can now manage permissions and restrict access to sensitive content, such as HR files or confidential projects, using custom exclusions. Dash complies with GDPR standards, ensuring that users' data is handled securely and their privacy remains protected. Dropbox also allows customers to opt for self-hosted AI solutions to maintain data within its established security boundaries. The Dash Protect and Control capabilities let businesses manage document access with confidence.
Drew Houston highlighted the importance of these factors, stating, "With more than a trillion pieces of content stored on Dropbox, the company is committed to maintaining trust as it continues improving Dash and applying AI to its products."
The new features in Dropbox Dash, including updated search, AI-driven content creation, and strengthened security controls, have begun rolling out to business teams. While some of the described features are currently in development, Dropbox is encouraging Australian businesses to explore the available updates.
