I'm curious if any of you have made efforts to convert legacy Office files into the current Office Open XML format, or if those old files are still hanging around in their original formats. Also, how does your company handle the access and updating of these files? Do you have any specific processes or policies in place for that? Personally, I feel like the whole migration might be a lot of work for not much payoff, but I can definitely see the security benefits of the newer format.
5 Answers
During our transition, we were able to use both formats without issues for a time. By the point real restrictions were implemented, most old files were outdated anyway, so it wasn’t a major concern.
Honestly, it's kind of surprising to hear you call it a "new format" when .docx has been around for almost two decades now! I think a lot of places are still holding on to older file formats, but for security reasons, it definitely makes more sense to move to the modern formats whenever possible.
Keeping the original format might be beneficial for interoperability, but it really comes down to what's needed for the business. I knew a guy who went overboard updating everything and it messed up a lot of works. You've got to find a balance!
We didn’t actively go through all our old files, but all new documents we create are in OOXML. Sometimes, the older formats don’t get updated unless they are opened and modified. It seems like a hassle to migrate all at once, but safety is key!
Old formats can pose security risks, especially since some tools don’t support them anymore. I think if the migration wasn’t thorough, it could leave your organization open to issues later on.
That's true! Sometimes it's just easier to create new files in the updated format rather than trying to update everything at once.