Google  vs Microsoft 365: A Battle of the Tech Giants

Information Technology is a competitive field. With business and office software advancing so rapidly, it makes sense that many different companies will try to get in on the action and create products that they deem are better than others. Whether you prefer iPhones over Androids, or Macs over PCs, it’s clear that with each new service or piece of technology there will be pros and cons.

For SMEs trying to stay competitive in a volatile period of history, it can be difficult to understand which programs and software suites are truly beneficial. When you have big tech giants such as Google and Microsoft battling it out to see who can create the most helpful office suite, it’s nearly impossible to get a nuanced perspective on which is better, especially when your company’s needs are unique to your situation.

To help you understand which solution is best for your company, we’ve created a guide to understanding the pros and cons of Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365.

Google Workspace (Formerly Known As G Suite)

If you’ve ever worked on Google Docs or Google Drive, you probably have a general idea of how Google Workspace works. You can check email through Gmail, have video conferences on Meet, work on presentations through Slides or keep track of data via Sheets. These are definitely helpful alternatives to previous office suites that required you to download applications to your device before you could use them.

With Google Workspace, everything is saved to the cloud and accessible via web browser, making it truly portable as long as you have an internet connection. In addition, you can also download files for offline usage in the event that you are on a train and about to lose service.

Microsoft 365

When compared with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 appears to have similar features, but with one glaring difference: if you just need the basic suite, the Business Basic rate is cheaper than Google Workspace’s Business Starter tier. However, if you prefer the Business Standard or Business Premium tiers, you will find that they are priced similarly.

Microsoft 365 also has some applications that aren’t available with Google Workspace. Though Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint feel like siblings of their Docs, Sheets and Slides counterparts, the Microsoft versions of each application provide you with much more nuance and creative control. On top of this, you have applications like Tasks that allow you to partition your workday into intuitive to-do lists!

If you want to keep your data truly secure, you can also rely on Microsoft 365’s multiple-layer encryption methods that prevent sensitive data from being leaked.

Follow Your Needs

In an ideal world – at least from the perspective of the head honchos at Microsoft and Google – businesses would use either Microsoft or Google products exclusively, and this is the motivation behind the latest all-inclusive software suites. In the real world, however, most SMEs are happy to use Gmail and Google Docs alongside Microsoft Word, Excel, and Teams and, at the end of the day, the best software solution for your SME will depend on your specific needs.

At Fuse Collaboration, we work closely with our customers to set up an efficient support framework that delivers the best results from all their chosen applications, while also advising on the best products and platforms for specific sectors and requirements  Please give us a call today to find out more.

Image Source: Pixabay