A NAS is no longer that simple hard disk with network connection. It is much more a complete server on which all kinds of software can be installed. The Synology NAS in particular excel in functionality. There is even a complete Office package available.
The Synology NASes have a kind of software store (in which most of the software offered is free) in the form of Package Center. Here you will also find Office, to be precise in the category Productivity. To use it, install it via the appropriate button. Once that step is over, the fun can begin. Incidentally, Office is now part of another package - installed at the same time: Drive. In terms of functionality, it somewhat resembles Google Docs and indeed: you will also find the most important Office components in Synology Office. Namely a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation program. If you want to make the case completely complete, an agenda and mail software can also be installed via the Package center mentioned. For now, however, we focus on Office. To create a new document, launch Drive. The app - which opens in a new browser tab - works with a Team Folder as a central storage location. If you work alone, you still use that folder.
team folder
You arrange the Teammap by first via Control Panel and then Shared folder create a new share. Then launch the Drive Admin Console app and select this newly created folder followed by a click on Switch. Finished. The selected folder can now be found in Drive under Team folder. Double click on it to open it. Let's start by creating a text document. Click on the + and then Document. In yet another new tab, a blank document is now waiting for you in a surprisingly usable word processor. A hint: because everything runs in the browser, you can use this cloud software anywhere on the (home) network. If you help your NAS online via, for example, port forwarding in the router, you can always access your own safe and trusted Office environment from all over the world.
Versatile
The word processor is very useful for daily work. You have access to standard options such as adjusting fonts, typesetting styles and paragraph styles. The standard toolbar under the menu is self-explanatory. There are hidden extras in the various menus. For example, for professional writers it is necessary to know the number of words or characters of a document. Click in the menu for that Tools on word count and you know exactly where you stand. Inserting an image is also no problem. To do this, click in the menu Insert on Image. Drag an image to the open window or click the button From your computer. Then browse to a folder containing the desired image, select it and click Open. The selected image is now inserted at the cursor position. That image can then be aligned again, or, for example, dragged larger or smaller.
Shapes and charts
The word processor also has the option to insert pre-baked shapes, click below Insert on Form and choose one of the pre-baked ones. These can then be adjusted as desired; both in size and color. If we're in the menu for a while Insert look, you see the option there too Graph. Click on it and in the newly opened window you can choose from various chart styles. To adjust the data of the graph, click on the button at the top right (the table with the pin). Satisfied? Then click To apply and the chart is inserted.
Spreadsheet
Synology Office also has a spreadsheet on board for better calculations. You start this again from Drive, which can be found in the still open 'previous' tab in your browser. This time we'll use a pre-baked template. Click in the menu for that File on From template. Double click on the desired copy and select the Team Folder to save the new document. You can now customize the open document to your liking. Of course it is also possible to simply get started with a virginally empty spreadsheet. Have fun, we would say.
Presentation
Another practical part of the Synology Office suite is the Slides presentation package. If you have a NAS of this brand running at home or at the office and you set up a presentation with this program, then it is no problem if you have forgotten to take your presentation with you. You simply log in to your NAS - if necessary from a tablet - and present the whole thing from the browser. Slides is a simple presentation package where - for now - you will search in vain for effects and animations. Perhaps that is more a victory than a loss, but that is worth a completely different discussion.
Save
All parts of Synology Office are continuously kept in the background. By default, the name Unnamed with a sequence number is in use. It is more sensible to change the document name to something more recognizable. You do this by clicking on the document name at the top right, which works the same for all parts. Tap a new name and click OK. From now on, your document will be saved under that name. Initially, this will be done in a Synology Office proprietary file format. To export it to, for example, an MS Office file format, close the tab with your document. (click to play safe first in the menu File on Save). Go to the tab drive and click with the right mouse button on the document you want to use in Office or another program. In the context menu click on Download and save the .docx file to your computer.
Collaborate and more
You can easily collaborate on documents in Synology Office with other users who have an account on your NAS. There is even a chat program. Office is still under development, with new features appearing with each revision. The package already runs on the simplest NAS from a few years ago, so you don't have to ignore that. Take a look, there's a good chance you'll soon be charmed by the suite!
