Is it time to migrate from Google Workspace to Office 365?

Changes to the way we all work brought about by the coronavirus pandemic and the shift to home working have led the PCM team to re-evaluate the systems and software we recommend to our clients.

As a result, we are increasingly recommending a migration from Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) to Office 365, for a variety of reasons.

Key to this is to bring everything together under the Microsoft system, with all the resultant benefits. This provides a standard and familiar experience across devices, combined with an easy and secure way to access company data from locations outside the office.

In addition, Microsoft Teams offers a flexible and capable platform for communications and productivity both in and out of office. It’s time to look at how you migrate from Google Workspace to Office 365!

So which system provides the best solution in terms of productivity?

From a user perspective, Google Workspace and Office 365 have key similarities. Both are subscription-based on a ‘per person’ scale, and offer differing levels of performance dependent on user requirements. The Google offering is web-based but can operate offline; Office 365 is a desktop software application with web-based capabilities.

Neither is limited in terms of the devices they can work with; Google Workspace apps are available for Android and iOS, and Microsoft has Office client apps for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. Both offer word processing, email, calendar, spreadsheet and presentation applications and Cloud storage options.

However in general, our clients are finding Office 365 a more familiar and accessible option than Google Workspace. The platform successfully combines information protection and compliance capabilities which, when combined with the productivity tools, enable individuals and businesses to work together within compliance frameworks with advanced levels of security.

Before we migrate, let’s take a closer look at the different elements making up Office 365.

Outlook – a familiar face

Outlook is probably the most familiar email package, providing a powerful combination of capabilities – most of us benefit from its flexibility, bringing together email, calendar and contacts into one accessible space. It’s worth taking time to see what else Outlook is capable of!

As an example, use Data Loss Prevention (DLP) capabilities to protect your data and keep important data in one place using the archive and large primary mailboxes. Share information easily but retain high levels of security using built in defences against email threats, multi-layered anti-spam filters and anti-malware engines to protect against viruses. Give your teams a seamless communications experience too, sharing calendars and scheduling meetings whether in or out of office.

Make the most of Teams

One thing we’ve all learned over the course of the past 12 months is how to use video conferencing to communicate with both colleagues and customers! Microsoft Teams provides an agile, real time interface for cooperation and collaboration.

However, Teams offers so much more than chat, and we’re encouraging clients to make best use of the facility. It’s effectively a teamwork hub within Office 365. Use Chat for quick questions, even attaching files for discussion – Chat integrates with Office and OneNote to make life easier. Everything you need, all in one place, no searching for individual email messages. Teams can combine most of your commonly used tools on a single platform – schedule meetings easily, create a daily activity feed – and it’s all secure.

Easy access to Cloud storage

Office 365 OneDrive for Business provides secure cloud-based storage, with OneDrive folders easily accessible from anywhere on any device. You can work on your files and share files with others quickly and securely.

It’s really flexible and matches our changing working patterns. You can work anywhere you choose and still have access to all your files and folders via a web browser. Using Office 365 web-based apps for Word, Excel and other applications, you can edit and save your work on any device.

It’s easy and familiar – everything looks just the way you expect it to, and team working is effective too. Co-author documents with multiple users, scan items straight into OneDrive, and stay secure with all files encrypted and automatic virus scans on all downloaded files. There’s even an extra-secure area for really sensitive files, and recovering deleted files is quick and simple.

SharePoint – streamline business processes, reduce costs

It’s all about collaboration. SharePoint is essentially flexible and can work as your own company intranet to share information, schedule tasks and so much more. It’s easy to administer, including security settings and permission levels, and you can tailor most aspects to match your individual requirements.

SharePoint integrates seamlessly with other business applications and works with all modern web browsers. Most importantly, it features advanced levels of security to ensure data integrity.

Moving forward: migrate from Google Workspace to Office 365 migration

In summary, to simply and speed up the migration process, the PCM team focuses on bringing together and setting up a key selection of Office365 features to provide a professional, flexible and comprehensive package of features for our clients. These include:-

• Microsoft Teams- ideal for both internal and external communications
• Office software to manage day to day activities
• SharePoint and OneDrive for storage and collaboration of files
• 1TB of cloud storage per account
• 2 Factor Authentication to secure accounts
• Mobile device management
• Advanced Threat Protection to stop malware and phishing attacks
• Data loss prevention - Stop sensitive company data from being leaked
• Encrypted email
• Azure identity protection - Azure monitors how you use your PC to keep you secure
• Retention policies for certain types of emails - Stop users deleting important emails.

So how do I change my Google suite to Office 365

The migration process from Google Workspace to Office 365 is fast and straightforward and can be completed without any significant disruption to business processes. The PCM team has managed migrations for dozens of clients which have been streamlined and retained all data and files without issues. Just pick up the phone and talk to us – we can advise on your individual requirements and complete the migration quickly and effectively so you can begin to benefit from Office 365 capabilities.

In addition, the PCM team can also structure training sessions to help your staff make the most of the new opportunities. If you would like to know more about how this could help your business, please contact us.