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Head-to-Head: Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 Copilot

Executive Summary:

Google and Microsoft both offer cloud-enabled office productivity suites. The right choice for your organization depends on your priorities. Small businesses may find Google Workspace is the best fit due to better collaboration and stronger AI capabilities, while larger organizations may want the more full-featured security tools of Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Nearly two decades ago, Google stepped up with a  cloud-based solution to challenge Microsoft's dominance of office productivity software. Today, Google can claim a significant lead in the global marketshare of Google Workspace over Microsoft 365 Copilot. But does that mean Google has better products, or just better marketing?

The answer isn't cut-and-dried. While Workspace and Microsoft 365 possess broad similarities, they also diverge in key respects. The right choice depends on how these differences intersect with your goals.

The reviews I studied displayed a general consensus that Google Workspace is best for organizations which prize seamless collaboration above other considerations. Some analysts also see Workspace as the better solution for small business. Microsoft 365, on the other hand, may be the wisest choice for the security measures large enterprises require.

Google built collaboration into their office applications from the start, and they retain a wide lead in this area today. While Microsoft offers collaboration in Microsoft 365, it's neither as powerful nor as easy as that included in Workspace.

Both office suites provide basic security features, such as data encryption in transit and at rest, two-factor authentication, and anti-phishing/anti-spam measures. But, perhaps due to its long partnership with big business, Microsoft has taken a deeper dive on security, offering full-fledged data, identity, and endpoint management, as well as more capable threat and data protection.

Of course, advanced features often come with higher price-points. Small businesses may not have the budgets or the skills to implement all of Microsoft's bells-and-whistles. And if they don't operate in high-risk, high-compliance environments, like finance or healthcare, they may not need them.

One additional area where Google may have a slight edge is the inclusion of generative AI in its office suite. They recently announced they will bundle a version of Gemini, their artificial intelligence platform, in their Workspace business and enterprise plans. Microsoft offers something similar with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. But John Pettit, the CTO at Google partner Promevo, told CRN in an interview he believes Gemini is better integrated across its office suite. According to the article linked above, Pettit particularly praised one of the tools Google offers with Gemini: "...Agent Builder is pretty amazing in terms of being able to create your own search agents and chat agents with low code."

In the end, your choice of an office productivity suite will come down to your specific needs, your fundamental business objectives, and your comfort level with making trade-offs to get the best fit. There are no perfect solutions, but there are approaches that work better in particular situations. Which is which in your case depends on your unique situation.

Next Steps: Share With —  vCTO, CIO, CEO

Action Items — 

Assess your security requirements to decide if your organization needs the more advanced capabilities of Microsoft 365 Copilot in this area.

Review both the version of Google Gemini integrated with Google Workspace business and enterprise plans, and Microsoft Copilot Chat, to determine which (if either) would help your business the most.

I’m a serial entrepreneur with an extensive background in information technology, including more than thirty years working with what we now call “the Cloud,” as well as networks and server infrastructures. I blog about cloud computing at www.cloudessy.com.

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A vulnerability in #Azure Active Directory allows unlogged brute force intrusion attempts on Azure AD and #Microsoft365. https://cloudessy.com/security-firm-discovers-outstanding-vulnerability-in-azure-active-directory/

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Some Microsoft 365 users are currently unable to login. #Microsoft365 #MultifactorAuthentication

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Google sees an opportunity in the new hybrid work trend. #GoogleWorkspace #GoogleMeet #RemoteWork

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Elastic 7.15 provides for private data transfer between Google Cloud and Elastic Cloud. #Elastic #ElasticCloud #GoogleCloudPlatform

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ThreatPost reports Zoho has patched a vulnerability in ManageEngine ADSelfServicePlus, which ThreatPost describes as “a self-service password management and single sign-on (SSO) platform for AD and cloud apps”. #zoho #security

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I could use more feedback on my video explaining what I do! If you haven't done so--and you have three minutes--please watch the video: http://cloudessy.link/whatido And answer a few short questions in the following survey: http://cloudessy.link/whatidosurvey Thank you! :)

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Yes, your data is safer in the cloud

Executive Summary: Many businesses are bad at security. The chances of something catastrophic happening to your data are greater if you keep it on-prem. Play the percentages.

Occasionally, I run into a business owner who’s afraid of the cloud. They don’t have nephophobia–they just like to keep their data on-site. Their argument often goes something like this:

“I like to know where it’s at.”

“The cloud has breaches all the time!”

“What if my data gets deleted?”

Or, my personal favorite:

“”I don’t want the Chinese to hack into my system.”

There are various levels of validity to these concerns. They often come up during well-meaning security presentations oscillating somewhere between “prudent” and “FUD” (good old “fear, uncertainty, and doubt”!).

Often overlooked, however, is the fact that the risk of keeping your data on-prem is likely greater than your risk of it suffering a cloud-based disaster.

When it comes to security, maintaining your own IT infrastructure is a big risk factor. Security firm Imperva concluded “46 % of On-Prem Databases Contain Vulnerabilities”. MyTechDecisions is reporting recent vulnerabilities in on-prem systems have highlighted the security advantages of the cloud. In both cases, a big part of the problem is insufficiently patched resources at individual companies. Many organizations are simply unable or unwilling to pay for the IT security expertise and labor required to keep everything fully patched. These vulnerabilities are an attractive target for bad actors.

In addition to the risks inherent to on-prem solutions, the cloud providers are incentivized to continuously improve their services. In a round-table discussion published by the Albany Business review, Lauren Groff discusses how a cloud subscription model gives vendors a higher ROI for enhancements than the legacy model used for many on-prem products.

While human nature tempts us to “keep our data where we can see it”, the realities of the market and scarce resources tell a different story. Move your data to the cloud, so you can sleep better at night!

Next Steps: Share With — CTO, CIO, CISO

Action Items — • Review your current security posture with your in-house IT, staff or your managed services provider. • Pay close attention to where your hardware and software are at in their patching cycle. • How many outstanding patches do you have? • What are the potential consequences if the remaining vulnerabilities are exploited? • What is the potential cost of continuing to do what you’ve always done?

Brian S. Pauls is the founder and vCTO of Cloudessy. He likes to keep the dice for his table-top role-playing games on-prem, and his data in the cloud. He blogs about cloud computing at cloudessy.com.

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A recent TechRadar review of the #MicrosoftTeams phone system concludes it's a good solution for businesses already using Teams, or which want to scale easily, as long as they don’t need sophisticated call handling like that required in a call center. https://www.techradar.com/reviews/microsoft-teams-phone-system-review