Although Microsoft Office Suite used to be the go-to for all your office documents, there’s a new, cloud-based player in the game, and we’re sure you’ve heard of it: Google G Suite. Depending on what your business is, how it functions best, and the type of clients you work with on a daily basis, one or the other of these software suites may be best suited to helping your business succeed. Here we’ll take a closer look at both of them and give you recommendations based on your business type. Okay, let’s get started!
What Do Microsoft Office 365 and Google G Suite Do For Your Business?
Essentially, Microsoft Office 365 and Google G Suite do many of the same things for your business — that is, they help your business function every day through the use of a suite of selected apps that make business easier. You may have heard of some of these: Microsoft Word and Excel, Google Docs and Sheets, anyone? Yes, if you’ve been anywhere except hiding under a rock for the past five years, these office apps should be familiar to you. Both suites offer some of the same functionality, and then there are individuals apps in them that differ may be better for a particular type of business. Most important for companies today are the following aspects of both suites: pricing, communication ability, and specializations.
Should I Use Microsoft Office 365 For My Business?
Microsoft Office 365 (cloud and desktop) includes the following apps for business-running pleasure: Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, One Note, Skype, and a few others that you may or may not use, depending on your business type or daily work duties. You probably have your favorite apps, which your coworkers or business management may or may not share. Both suites offer document, spreadsheet, and storage options, but with different features. Here’s a quick comparison of both on the features that matter to most of us: pricing, communication, storage, and specialization.
Pricing
Microsoft Office 365 has three business options and four enterprise options. Business Essentials starts at $5.00 monthly and goes up to Business Premium for $12.50 per month. Enterprise packages start at E1 for $8 per month and goes up to E5 at $35 per month. Keep in mind that all of these prices are per user per month. Google G Suite is a cheaper option for most small to medium size businesses.
Communication Ability
Collaboration tools are one of the essential cloud-based tools we have today, allowing us to work in teams without being in the same room. Microsoft Teams (MT) is an instant chat-based workspace for group chats, private messages, and instant file sharing. MT notifies you if your name is mentioned in a chat. In case you work from home, MT’s new “background blur” tool means you don’t have to keep the room clean. If you’re not an MT fan, Skype for Business is a conferencing and video call option that is used widely despite its somewhat unreliable connections.
Storage & Email Client
365 offers 50 GB of mailbox storage and 1 TB of file storage for up to 300 users. Outlook allows users to create rules to tailor incoming and outcoming emails; all its extra features may slow down your device, especially if it’s older. Microsoft Outlook’s web email client is stripped back, kind of like Gmail…
Should I Use Google G Suite For My Business?
Google G Suite (cloud only) comes with these apps: Gmail; Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Calendar, Keep, Hangouts, and others.
Pricing
G Suite has a three-tiered pricing option for business users: Basic, Business, or Enterprise. Basic (perfect for small businesses) will get you 30 GB of storage, a business email address, and video conferencing, shared calendars, and Docs, Sheets, Keep, Hangouts, and Slides for $4.17 to $5.00 per month. Business is $10 with unlimited storage and archiving, and Enterprise is $25.
Communication Ability
Google’s answer to Microsoft Teams is Google Hangouts, which works for rapid messaging and chat, but doesn’t have the additional features that MT has. Group projects may not be made easier by using Google Hangouts, in other words, but it’s great to get a quick answer to a pressing question.
Storage & Email Client
Google G Suite has unlimited mailbox storage, 1 TB of cloud storage with unlimited users. Gmail, put quite simply, is faster than Outlook, and has better search functionality overall. Smart Compose AI also suggests autocomplete options based on user behavior for:
- Commonly used phrases
- Personal information
Gmail now has nudging, snoozing, full offline functionality and one-click unsubscribe options, as well. Red represents a potentially malicious threat and yellow marks a possibly malicious threat. Confidential mode protects your sensitive data in case of an attack and can send emails that disappear on a schedule. A manual email revocation is also an option.
Microsoft Office 365 or Google’s G Suite?
Ultimately the choice is up to you and what’s best for your business. LAN Infotech in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is happy to help you select the best suite for your business, and maintain it and other IT for you as needed. Give us a call or shoot us an email and we can start the process today.
LAN Infotech is a Microsoft Cloud Services Provider, IT Managed Support company and a leader in helping law firms, nonprofits and medical organizations deploy cloud solutions, manage computer networks, keep data protected and top technology management company. Businesses like yours need technology support to run highly-effective organizations.
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