The Dropbox initiative is not without controversy, however. A number of blogs have raised concerns about Dropbox's security. Orion appears to be comfortable with it, but if advisors want additional protection, the firm plans to offer integration with one or more third-party providers of multi-factor authentication. In addition, Clarke has said that once the Dropbox programming is completed, Orion should be able to use the same framework to connect with other services (Box.net and SpiderOak come to mind).
An Impressive Burst of Innovation
With all these services, Orion is blazing a trail of rapid innovation that should greatly benefit existing users. These innovations should also attract plenty of new advisors who would benefit greatly from what the firm is developing.
Although Orion is not as widely known as some of its competitors, the firm's latest innovations are sure to spur more interest in its core portfolio management and reporting businesses, as well as the many innovative "extras" that it makes available to its clients.