Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace: Choosing the Right Productivity Suite for Your Business
In today’s digital-first world, businesses rely heavily on productivity suites to manage workflows, communicate efficiently, and collaborate seamlessly. Among the leading solutions are Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, both offering comprehensive tools for organizations of all sizes. However, when it comes to security, compliance, and overall solution benefits, Microsoft 365 holds significant advantages, especially for businesses with strict security and compliance needs. In this article, we will explore why Micrsoft 365 might be the better choice, particularly from Productivity , Security and Compliance perspective, while also outlining a clear roadmap for adoption.
Let us look at some of the more important reasons why Microsoft 365 is being preferred by Customers over Google Workspace
Offline Access:
MS Office applications available in Microsoft 365 Business Standard provide offline access to emails and documents, ensuring work continuity even without an internet connection something Gsuite does not offer. As an Microsoft 365 user, you will get complete sync between Offline Outlook and online Browser and your Phone and your Tablet. And by complete sync, we mean Inbox, Sent Items, Mail sub folders, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Outlook Notes. With Google Apps, you get very basic and incomplete offline access. And as any Outlook user will tell, there can be no substitute for offline access with Outlook. Outlook is the World’s BEST Personal Information Manager. So do ask yourself if you can live without offline access to your Mailbox and contacts and calendar and tasks. If not, then Google Apps is not for you, and you should consider using to Microsoft 365.
Can your organization work without MS Office?
Can Google Docs be used instead of MS Office?
If not, then Google Apps is not for you. The reason is that with SharePoint and OneDrive, you will get ability to share Office documents and also work together on documents. When using Google Apps, the sharing is inefficient. And many times, the document fidelity gets lost. You do not want your Excel chart to look different to different users, do you?
In the Hybrid World that we live in, Collaboration between Team members has become critical. And this is where Microsoft Teams shines very brightly. It has more than 300 Million daily users, making it the Most popular Collaboration Platform. There is very little that Teams cannot do. And Google just does not have anything that can come even close to Teams in terms of Collaboration.
SharePoint Online offers numerous benefits for enhancing collaboration and document management. It centralizes document storage, making it easy to organize and share files while providing robust version control to track and revert changes. Customizable workflows automate business processes, improving efficiency. Seamless integration with Microsoft 365 applications like Teams, OneDrive, and Outlook ensures a cohesive user experience. Advanced security features protect your data with encryption and access controls. SharePoint Online is scalable to support businesses of all sizes and includes collaboration tools like shared calendars and task lists to foster teamwork and communication.
Storage
Storage Comparison Between Gsuite and Microsoft 365
| Workload | Gsuite Storage | Microsoft 365 Storage |
|---|---|---|
| 30 GB per user (Basic) | 50 GB per user + 50 GB archive (Business Basic) | |
| Cloud Storage | 30 GB per user (Basic) | 1 TB per user on OneDrive (Business Basic) |
| Additional Storage | Paid upgrade options | 1 TB per organization + 10 GB per license on SharePoint (Business Basic) |
| Overall Storage | 30 GB across all services | Significantly higher, with additional storage options available |
Microsoft 365 Roadmap
Adopting Microsoft 365 involves a step-by-step approach to ensure a smooth transition and maximum ROI. Below is a simple roadmap to help businesses plan their adoption journey:
- Assessment and Planning: Begin by assessing your current infrastructure and business needs. Identify key security and compliance requirements to ensure a seamless migration to Microsoft 365.
- Pilot Deployment: Start with a pilot group to test functionality, ensuring all key features—especially security and compliance tools—are working as expected.
- Full Deployment and Training: Roll out Microsoft 365 across the organization, focusing on training employees in security best practices and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams.
- Optimization and Support: Continue to refine your use of Microsoft 365, integrating advanced features such as AI-driven insights and compliance tools for ongoing optimization.
Once your Data is in Microsoft 365 , the Magic of Productivity begins. With our Teamwork 365 Solutions, we can delivery extremely compelling Solutions in the area of
- Power Platform Solutions for Low Code , No Code
For a more detailed roadmap on Microsoft 365 adoption, visit our dedicated Microsoft 365 Adoption page.
Compliance: Comprehensive Solutions for All Industries
When it comes to regulatory compliance, Microsoft 365 surpasses Google Workspace by offering built-in compliance tools tailored to a wide range of industries, including healthcare, finance, and government.
- Compliance Manager: Microsoft 365’s Compliance Manager provides users with a real-time view of their compliance status, automated risk assessments, and recommended actions to reduce risk.
- Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Microsoft 365’s DLP policies prevent sensitive information from being shared inappropriately, giving businesses full control over data.
- Broad Compliance Certifications: Microsoft 365 complies with global, regional, and industry-specific standards such as ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, and SOC frameworks. Google Workspace also offers compliance certifications, but the depth and range provided by Microsoft 365 are more robust.
Security: Leading the Way in Business Protection
Beyond Productivity, Microsoft 365 has long been regarded as a leader in security, offering enterprise-grade protection designed to safeguard businesses against modern cyber threats. The SecureIT Services from Techgyan ensures you get bullet proof Security and Compliance in the following areas:
- Identity and Access
- Information Protection
- Threat Protection
- End Point Life Cycle management
- Governance
- Audit and reporting
- Compliance
For more details , refer to SecureIT 365
Please do read some of the real-world success stories of Customers here Success Stories — TechGyan – Cloud Changes Everything
Next point of comparison is to check how the individual components of Office 365 and Google Apps stack up.
| Microsoft 365 | G Suite | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subscription Plan | Microsoft 365 Business Basic | Microsoft 365 Business Standard | Microsoft 365 Business Premium | Basic | Business | Enterprise |
| (Formerly Office 365 Business Essentials) | (Formerly Office 365 Business Premium) | (Formerly Microsoft 365 Business) | ||||
| Price | ||||||
| Cloud Storage | 1TB | 1TB | 1TB | 30 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Email Storage | 50GB | 50GB | 50GB | 30GB | 30GB | 30GB |
| Email Archive | 50GB | 50GB | Unlimited | |||
| Custom Domain | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calendaring | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Business Email | Outlook | Outlook | Outlook | – | – | – |
| Web Versions | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Versions | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Versions | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Word Processing | Microsoft Word | Microsoft Word | Microsoft Word | Docs | Docs | Docs |
| Spreadsheets | Excel | Excel | Excel | Sheets | Sheets | Sheets |
| Presentations | PowerPoint | PowerPoint | PowerPoint | Slides | Slides | Slides |
| Video & Voice Conferencing | Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams | Meet | Meet | Meet |
| Messaging | Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams | Chat | Chat | Chat |
| Team Intranet | SharePoint | SharePoint | SharePoint | Sites | Sites | Sites |
| Archive Data | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | Vault | Vault |
| Device Management | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| Exchange | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| OneDrive | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| SharePoint | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| Lists | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| Forms | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| OneNote | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| Outlook | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| Planner | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| Project | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| Power Automate | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| Yammer | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| Sway | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| Teams | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| Stream | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| To-Do | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| Power Apps | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |
| Power BI | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – | – |