Office365 - any benefit to a local install over cloud?

[ExtraSlow]

So for the last few years I've been using mostly the google g-suite of products, and it's a fully cloud-based system accessed through the browser. No local software and no local storage of files. I really liked it for accessing from different devices and for collaboration and simultaneous access to the files.

Now I'm working for a real company, and my first thought is to get a local install of the MS office suite, but I'm not sure. I see that my office365 subscription has fully cloud based software as part of it too. I've tried it and it seems good. I'd like in the future to do some collaborative document editing, and cloud-based seems smarter for that.

What should I be considering when making this choice? Are there any benefits at all in local software installs?

[firebane]

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So for the last few years I've been using mostly the google g-suite of products, and it's a fully cloud-based system accessed through the browser. No local software and no local storage of files. I really liked it for accessing from different devices and for collaboration and simultaneous access to the files.

Now I'm working for a real company, and my first thought is to get a local install of the MS office suite, but I'm not sure. I see that my office365 subscription has fully cloud based software as part of it too. I've tried it and it seems good. I'd like in the future to do some collaborative document editing, and cloud-based seems smarter for that.

What should I be considering when making this choice? Are there any benefits at all in local software installs?

Local installs still works when your internet is down or slowness is around and you can't use it online

[Jlude]

My company uses G Suite and have been from the beginning, very happy with it. We only ever use the local install of Outlook, @firebane mentioned some pros and cons, but another pro is the upgrade to the latest version of Outlook with 365, no upgrade with the stand alone install.

[ExtraSlow]

One thing is that if you have the right office365 subscription you have the option of using local or cloud, so I guess you could download from cloud certain files if you planned to use them offline, and leave them in the cloud for collaborative editing etc.

Although, then you need to remember which file is stored in which place etc.

[Thaco]

yeah you likely need to have a hybrid solution, cloud apps are lacking much of the advanced functionality of the traditional local apps

[ExtraSlow]

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yeah you likely need to have a hybrid solution, cloud apps are lacking much of the advanced functionality of the traditional local apps

Can you think of anything specifically they lack? I admit I'm not familiar with the features (or lack) in Office365.

[sabad66]

Do a local install of Office, but leave your files in the cloud (OneDrive). You can still use the cloud versions of the software even if you install locally, but nice to have the local versions in case you're offline (i.e. in a plane or in a car or anywehre you don't have wifi).

When you keep your files on onedrive, you don't have to worry about backing up and keeping track of which files are online/offline. Basically it will sync the entire cloud folder to your computer, so you access the files as if they were local, but they are actually backed up to the cloud where you can share them/collaborate if you want. It's quite slick and seamless.

[sabad66]

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Can you think of anything specifically they lack? I admit I'm not familiar with the features (or lack) in Office365.

are you an advanced user of Excel? Pretty sure Excel Online can't do:
- massive workbooks (like say 100MB+ in size)
- power query/power pivot with data connections
- encrypted spreadsheets

Things may have changed but this is what i had in my mind last time i looked into the differences.

Besides that, there's just something about the Online versions of MS Office that i don't like but can't quite put in words. It just feels much more natural / faster using the Desktop apps. Personally i only ever use the online version if i'm collaborating real time, or open a link from a sharepoint site or something and only need to look at something really quick. I would never do any 'real' work using the online versions.

[killramos]

I feel like keyboard shortcuts don’t all work online.

I always use offline even when using a file on OneDrive. It just works faster.

[revelations]

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My company uses G Suite and have been from the beginning, very happy with it. We only ever use the local install of Outlook, @firebane mentioned some pros and cons, but another pro is the upgrade to the latest version of Outlook with 365, no upgrade with the stand alone install.

Same here. The Gsuite Enterprise edition is light years ahead of MS in terms of functionality and way, way better UI.

Google knows all though - at 3am I got an email that a users account email/password was found in some dark web/online database and it should be locked/changed immediately. They dont fuck around.

[Thaco]

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are you an advanced user of Excel? Pretty sure Excel Online can't do:
- massive workbooks (like say 100MB+ in size)
- power query/power pivot with data connections
- encrypted spreadsheets

Things may have changed but this is what i had in my mind last time i looked into the differences.

Besides that, there's just something about the Online versions of MS Office that i don't like but can't quite put in words. It just feels much more natural / faster using the Desktop apps. Personally i only ever use the online version if i'm collaborating real time, or open a link from a sharepoint site or something and only need to look at something really quick. I would never do any 'real' work using the online versions.

one thing that drives me nuts online is the right click menu, also copy/paste and stuff you don't have options for saving for stripping formatting because it doesn't work via right click, you have to ctrl+v and then you cant just do paste values or anything like that..

But yeah, a lot of advanced excel formulas are crippled or missing from the online version.

[D'z Nutz]

I find using any of those online office applications to be clunky over a desktop version, especially when you're dealing with bigger documents. I mean, it's a great option having the online version if you want to do quick edits during a meeting or something like that, but I much prefer the desktop version by a long shot.

One of my biggest pet peeves with the online apps is if you're on a laptop and you're editing something like a spreadsheet with lots of columns. When you're sliding the trackpad sideways, sometimes the browser interprets that as going back in your browsing history and you exit out of your document.

[revelations]

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One of my biggest pet peeves with the online apps is if you're on a laptop and you're editing something like a spreadsheet with lots of columns. When you're sliding the trackpad sideways, sometimes the browser interprets that as going back in your browsing history and you exit out of your document.

You can turn off gestures from the trackpad usually ..... OEM stuff

[D'z Nutz]

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You can turn off gestures from the trackpad usually ..... OEM stuff

Yes, but I use them so turning them off just to use an online office tool makes no sense.

[ExtraSlow]

Yeah, I'm not going to be able to deal with the online version of Excel for much longer. Getting errors opening files.

[killramos]

Just use real excel lol

[ExtraSlow]

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Just use real excel lol

[killramos]

That’s a start

[revelations]

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Yeah, I'm not going to be able to deal with the online version of Excel for much longer. Getting errors opening files.

Is there any advantage using Edge or, groan, IE11 for this?

[ExtraSlow]

they still make IE? I thought Edge was the only MS browser nowadays? I've been a huge Chrome guy since it worked so seamlessly with G-suite, but really I could use whatever. Then again, if I'm giong a local install, maybe farting around with different browsers doesn't make any sense.