Best practices for remote staff & is the app better than the website?

Question

I have a team of 3 part-time staff. We use Dropbox for Business for all of our client files. What are the best practices for syncing files to the staff's hard drive vs. staff using the web-based platform through a browser?

Two of the staff utilize their own computers and are reluctant to sync files to their local machines due to space concerns and prefer to use the web-based app. However, the web-based app seems clunky and difficult to use. It is more difficult to navigate than Windows File Explorer for example.

However, I have been researching the online-only option. I looked at my synced data, and it seems that 70GB of files takes up only 2.8 GB of hard drive space. Maybe syncing is not that bad after all?

We work on a client-by-client basis. Once a client is done, we may not open their files for another year. So one option is for my staff to go into the Dropbox settings and sync only the client she is working on at that time or sync the portion of clients they are working on and leave the online-only option on. But that seems like unnecessary admin time.

What are best practices for dealing with Dropbox and staff who are part-time outside of getting them their own work computer?

Graham · Answer

Hi @bouldercpa,

Thanks for posting this question! I'm going to echo what @Megan has said here with regards to the app having some advantages over the website. But, this aside, I think it is very much down to individual preference and the needs of your team members. If someone needs ot upload large files, then the app makes perfect sense, but if they just need to have access to those files, then I think the website would be perfect.

I work almost exclusively from the website, most of my tasks are browser based and it makes more sense for me to work in my browser so I'm not constantly switching around from browser to app. If I worked on different apps or software away from my browser, I'd be more likely to use the app more.

I'm also really interested to hear what others think of this or what their personal preference is.

Thanks again, and have a great day!

Graham

Megan · Answer

Hey @bouldercpa, welcome to our Community!

Let me start by saying that how someone chooses to utilize either our app or the website is entirely up to them, or to you as the admin of the Team.

We all have our preferences. Each platform has some pros and cons, but I have to admit that when working with such a load, and especially large files and folders it's always best to use the app. The website has smaller limitations when it comes to upload or download content.

Generally the app can handle larger content better, and it's "easier" to sync files on a member's device, without them having to do as much.

If you're concerned about your hard drive space you could always utilize our available-offline feature as you mentioned, in order to offload some of the files and local space.

I'm definitely going to keep this thread open, that way other users can also chime in and share their experiences, and thoughts.

If you have any other particular questions, I'm here to help just give me a shout!