Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace: Which Is Right for Your Office?
We get this question often, usually from a business still using email from its internet provider or an old server in a closet. Moving to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace is one of the more worthwhile upgrades a small office can make. Both give you professional email on your own domain, shared calendars, cloud file storage and video meetings.
We've migrated organizations to both, and the honest answer is that either can work well. The decision mostly comes down to how your team works day to day.
When Microsoft 365 makes more sense
If your staff spend their day in Word, Excel and Outlook, Microsoft 365 is usually the easier fit. You get the full desktop versions of those apps, and documents exchanged with clients and partners open exactly as expected. It also tends to be the better choice when you rely on industry software built around Microsoft, or when you need more detailed control over company devices and security policies as you grow.
When Google Workspace makes more sense
Google Workspace suits teams that work mostly in a web browser and collaborate on the same documents at the same time. It's simpler to administer, there are fewer settings to manage, and it works well with Chromebooks and a mix of devices. For smaller teams that don't depend on advanced Excel features or complex Word formatting, it's often the more pleasant day-to-day experience.
What matters more than the platform
In our experience, problems rarely come from choosing the "wrong" platform. They come from how it was set up. A few things make the biggest difference:
Multi-factor authentication turned on for every account, and email authentication (SPF, DKIM and DMARC) configured so your messages aren't spoofed or sent to spam.
A planned migration, so existing email, contacts, calendars and files come across intact and staff aren't left without email for a day.
Shared drives organized with sensible permissions, rather than important files scattered across personal accounts.
A separate backup. Microsoft and Google protect against their own hardware failing, not against someone deleting a folder or ransomware encrypting your files.
If you're thinking about switching
We help businesses choose a platform, plan the move and handle the migration outside business hours so the change is as quiet as possible. See our cloud services or contact us and we'll talk through what fits your office.