Good evening

Pure offline management without a connection to the cloud is possible. However, depending on the firmware with which the switch is supplied, this is only possible as long as the switch has no internet connection (see https://community.netgear.com/t5...).
This means that if the firmware is old, it is essential to set it up without the Internet and carry out the update. Then everything will work with offline operation. If the latest firmware is already installed, this diversions is unnecessary.

LG Nero