Dropbox Platform aims to expand the company's operations and make the jump from a simple cloud storage app to a complex platform of services.

The company just kicked off its first DBX developer conference, announcing the brand new Dropbox platform.

"We're proud that Dropbox has become the home for millions of people's most important stuff," boasted the company. "So we want to be sure that stuff is always available, no matter if you're on your laptop at work, a tablet on a plane, or a smartphone on the bus. Keeping devices and apps synced with your most up-to-date info has gone from 'nice-to-have' to essential, which creates a real challenge for the people developing apps."

"That's why we've designed the Dropbox Platform to be the best foundation to connect the world's apps, devices, and services. We started with the Sync API, which let developers take advantage of the file syncing technology that took us years to get right. And today, we're announcing a suite of tools that fundamentally simplifies how developers can build across devices and platforms."

Dropbox had roughly 100 million users last November, but now the service boasts 175 million users and is growing "like crazy," according to company CEO and founder Drew Houston.

Houston further noted that Dropbox users combined save more than one billion files to their accounts every day, with content ranging from tax returns to wedding photos, and how the service filled a great void. Dropbox serves for much more than a simple cloud storage service by providing a convenient online hub for people to share and communicate, added the executive.

The new Dropbox Platform consists of a set of tools for developers so they can more easily build across devices and platforms.

Dropbox has been working hard to improve its portfolio of services. Notable efforts to this endeavor include revamping its services for businesses and expanding its horizons through acquisitions such as Mailbox.

More than 100,000 apps are already running on the Dropbox Platform and other industry partners include 1Password identity manager, the CloudOn mobile app for productivity, collaboration platform Asana and more.

Most of the new announcements Dropbox made at its DBX developer conference are not immediately available to consumers, but the new features paint a clear picture of the company's goal: replace the hard drive with cloud storage.