One question often asked is whether we recommend Google over Microsoft for cloud email hosting. Instead of trying to develop a product review of all of the programs and services offered by either Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 we thought we would focus on providing insight regarding migrating your company email to either service. As you might imagine this is often the first step for a business to migrate to the cloud.
What we see most often is a migration from on-premises Exchange to either Google or Microsoft’s cloud platform. Occasionally we see a request to move email and possibly company data files from Microsoft to Google or more commonly from Google to Microsoft. As you might imagine both platforms offer excellent tools to help you move to their platform but both services lack the same attention to detail when it comes to migrating off their platform. You will want to be fairly confident you have done your homework and are committed before getting established with one of these providers.
What are some of the reasons you might have to select one service over the other? When comparing similar service options the cost is nearly the same. In our experience the primary reason for choosing Microsoft over Google often, but not always, boils down to familiarly with Microsoft’s Exchange email service and Office suite of software. It has been said friends do not let friends run Windows or even use Microsoft products at all, however your hands may be tied with that discussion. For many businesses familiarity with the programs and services is a legitimate reason by itself to choose Microsoft over Google.
There is always going to be some friction among your teams when you select a new application or process and choosing Google when you have been a Microsoft shop for years is not going to be an exception. It is hard to change but as you know sometimes it is worth the effort to make a change. Google Workspace is excellent and if you have not looked at their services lately you might consider having a look.
Google Workspace is mature and designed from the ground up to be cloud first. While you can access your email and documents with apps and third-party software packages, access using a web browser offers a great experience. Sharing is done intelligently and seamlessly and the suite is designed to be truly platform agnostic. Many businesses will benefit from increased productivity even if the only benefit is the lack of nearly daily updates which breaks functionality or integration with other software and services.
Having said that, Microsoft is investing heavily, to the exclusion of other technologies like the Windows OS, in cloud services and functionality. If you are a Microsoft shop and want to remain “in the fold” you will be subscribing to their services in the future whether you like it or not. The results of their investment is evident because many of the core Microsoft 365 services are polished and work well when they are working.
In summary I personally would recommend most businesses consider Google Workspace over Microsoft 365 unless there are reasons preventing you from doing so other than reluctance to change. In the interest of full disclosure that opinion is not unanimous at Stratus but I wrote the blog so I get to make the recommendation. Contact us to discuss your particular situation in depth and we will let you know what we would recommend as it relates to your particular use case.
