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Microsoft 365 versus Google Workspace
Both platforms are capable and most businesses would function perfectly well on either. The decision usually comes down to three things: whether you need desktop applications, what your line of business software expects, and which one your staff already know.
Where they genuinely differ
Ignore feature comparison tables. Six dimensions actually affect the decision for a business of this size.
| Dimension | Microsoft 365 |
|---|---|
| Desktop applicationsWeb first, with limited offline capability | Full desktop Office on most tiers |
| Complex spreadsheetsAdequate until it is not | Stronger, and it is not close |
| Real time collaborationExcellent, and still the benchmark | Good |
| Device managementEndpoint management included, less deep on Windows | Intune included in higher tiers |
| Line of business integrationFrequently a second class integration | Most vendors build for it first |
| AdministrationSimpler and less granular | Powerful and complicated |
Questions that decide it
Answer these five before comparing prices.
- Does your line of business software integrate with one and not the other?
- Does anyone build complex spreadsheets or heavily formatted documents daily?
- Do you have a compliance obligation requiring specific retention or logging capability?
- Are your staff already fluent in one, and what is the retraining cost?
- Do you run Windows devices that need managing, which favours the Microsoft stack?
The cost nobody budgets
Switching platforms is not a licensing decision, it is a migration project. Email history, files, shared calendars, permissions and every integration have to move, and staff have to relearn tools they use all day.
For a business already running one platform competently, the cost of moving usually exceeds any licensing saving for several years. That does not mean never switch. It means the business case has to survive including migration cost and productivity dip, not just the monthly comparison.
For a business choosing for the first time, or one already planning a major change, the calculation is entirely different and worth doing properly.
Common questions
Answered before you ask.
Which is cheaper?
Headline pricing is close enough that it rarely decides the question honestly. What shifts the real total is what each tier includes: if you would otherwise buy device management, advanced email security and information protection separately, the higher Microsoft tiers frequently work out cheaper overall than a lower tier plus three products.
Can we run both?
Technically yes and it is usually a poor idea. Two identity systems, two sets of permissions, files in two places and staff unsure which to use creates ongoing friction and a genuine security gap around offboarding. Where it happens it is normally the result of an acquisition and it is worth consolidating rather than accepting.
Which is more secure?
Both are capable of being secured well and both ship with defaults chosen for ease of setup rather than defence. The platform matters far less than whether the tenant has been hardened, whether multi factor authentication is enforced everywhere, and whether anyone reviews the alerts. Configuration decides this, not the logo.
Related
Read next.
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Tenant hardening, device management, licensing and the backup gap.
Microsoft 365 licensing tiers explained
What each tier actually includes, and the duplication most businesses are paying for.
Cybersecurity services
Endpoint detection, email security, monitoring and user training.
What managed IT services cost in Tacoma
Per user pricing bands, what moves the number up, and how to read a quote.
Cloud services and migration
Azure, hybrid environments and planned server retirement.
Start with the assessment, not the contract.
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