Working with online data via local copy of Excel

Copper Contributor

We’re trying to limit the downloading of our organizational data. Once a file is downloaded, we lose all control over where that file, and hence our organizational data, goes. However, we also recognized that some of our users have valid reasons to use Excel to perform research and analysis on our data and that further, a material number of people live in parts of the world where internet bandwidth is limited.

 

We’ve heard of people accessing Excel Online files via their Excel desktop app who are under the impression that the data is never stored locally. But we question whether temporary files are in fact being created, and if so, savvy users could access those temp files and we’re back in the download business again.

 

Does Microsoft have any recommendations that would allow us to prevent users from downloading data files but at the same time not have a severely hampered experience when working in Excel in bandwidth-starved locations?

 

If the answer to the above question is that local temp copies are necessary for a productive Excel experience in these bandwidth-limited areas, is there are way to prevent directly accessing the temp files or saving/sharing these temp files with others? Also, would these temp files be accessible to InTune in the event that a remote wipe was necessary?

 

btw.. We have Office 365 Enterprise so every user has access to Excel or SharePoint Online.

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