What is Alfresco MS Office Edit Documents Online?

The Alfresco Edit Documents Online addon allows employees to edit content from Alfresco using Microsoft Office without moving documents back and forth to the local computer. Files like Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint slideshows all open directly in the Microsoft program and get saved directly to Alfresco without anything being downloaded or remaining behind. With this direct connection, users can edit content online and save changes directly in Alfresco while having the full functionality of MS Office at their fingertips. This editing option has the added benefit of saving previous versions of the file in Alfresco for later retrieval if necessary.

Why is Alfresco MS Office Edit Documents Online so important?

• Avoid work stoppage– no upload or download lag time; editing is done online in real time
• Increased security – ensure that employees don’t keep company files on their local device
• Avoid data loss – prevents issues with incorrect uploads and uses Alfresco’s versioning feature to track editing history
• Eliminates duplication – duplicating work is impossible when files are editing in online mode
• Save storage space – edit online without downloading a single file

The Benefits of Alfresco MS Office Edit Documents Online

Skytizens developed this addon to make it easier than ever to work with files like Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint slideshows. For employees who are familiar with Microsoft functionality, this module is a godsend. They have access to the full MS programs with all their favorite menu options without having to work offline. Company security remains intact–no need to worry about downloads or breaking content policy just to get the job done. This addon comes with the added benefit of Alfresco’s versioning feature to keep track of past editing sessions. Not even MS Office can do that without the help of Alfresco!

How Does Alfresco MS Office Edit Documents Online Work?

The Alfresco MS Office Edit Documents Online addon works by creating a direct link between the Alfresco Document Library and the specified Microsoft Office program. It lets users open and edit MS files without going offline and without downloading the file.

Users who are unfamiliar with newer cloud-based work environments (e.g. Google Docs) or who have extremely specific content editing guidelines love this feature. While remaining online, they have access to the full functionality of Microsoft to complete their edits.

With the document, spreadsheet, or slideshow open, edits will be saved directly to the Alfresco Document Library. Alfresco keeps old versions of the document for reference or reversion.

Security is a main feature of this module. Alfresco uses the browser’s plugin to trigger MS Office to launch. It allows the user to remotely author the content from the web. This feature helps employees abide by company content protocols and keeps sensitive data secure. The file never gets downloaded to the user’s local computer. Microsoft runs the editing session on a temporary file which automatically gets deleted when the file is closed. Absolutely zero trace of the file remains on the local device and the employee cannot access the file at a later date.

The option to edit a document in Microsoft Office appears in the action menu of a Microsoft file that is saved in the Document Library.

This module works with three programs from the Microsoft Office Suite:

• Microsoft Word (word processing)
• Microsoft Excel (spreadsheets)
• Microsoft PowerPoint (slideshow presentations)

The user is prompted to verify their Alfresco username as a permissions check and then proceeds when the document opens.

Main Features

Edit in Microsoft Office – Users who have Microsoft Office programs installed on their device have the ability to Alfresco MS Office Edit Documents Online in real-time directly from the Alfresco Document Library.

Save in Microsoft Office – Using the typical Save functions in the MS Office interface, users can save any changes directly to Alfresco.

Support Native File Lock – Alfresco supports the native file lock feature of Microsoft’s version of WebDAV. This means that when a file in the Alfresco is being edited using this module, the Document Library will display an attention-grabbing yellow banner with a message reading “This document is locked by” and the Alfresco user name. Other users can also see the blue Reason for Editing banner with user input about the editing session.

Versioning – The Document Library keeps past version of documents edited using this module and assigns each version a unique number for ease of reference.

Security Compliance – To control general and sensitive data in the system, this addon can be used to enforce employee compliance with company content policy.

Permissions Control – Access to this feature is managed by Role.

1. Role Access – Permission to use this feature on certain files is given by file managers based on role access in the Alfresco system.

Conclusions

No more lag time waiting for files to download. Now you can get the full functionality of your Microsoft Office Suite without having to leave Alfresco.

Speed up work with the Alfresco MS Office Edit Documents Online addon. Developed by Skytizens, this module allows for dynamic online editing capabilities using MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint without settling for the limited functionality of inferior cloud-based programs.

Now employees can complete true Microsoft program editing sessions while they track old versions, avoid duplicate work, save storage space, and remain compliant with company data handling restrictions at the same time. Edited documents are saved directly into the Alfresco Document Library without leaving behind any copies on the user’s local device.