Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, businesses had their productivity apps installed on their office computers. Most of them were using Microsoft Office because it was practically an unrivaled business productivity suite at the time.
Today, with the growing prevalence of remote work, especially during the height of the pandemic, many companies are shifting to cloud-based tools. But unlike two decades ago, Microsoft has found a fierce rival in Google, with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace being the two leading cloud-based productivity suites.
At first glance, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace seem to provide just the same productivity apps. This is why many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) may find it difficult to determine which one to use.
| Microsoft 365 | Google Workspace | |
|---|---|---|
| Word processing | Word | Google Docs |
| Spreadsheets | Excel | Google Sheets |
| Presentations | PowerPoint | Google Slides |
| Outlook | Gmail | |
| Cloud storage | OneDrive | Google Drive |
| Video conferencing | Microsoft Teams | Google Meet |
But upon further evaluation, we at SpectrumWise highly recommend Microsoft 365 for SMBs. Here are three reasons why:
1. More employees are familiar with the Microsoft environment
Microsoft 365 apps have the same look and feel as the Microsoft Office programs that have been widely used by businesses for years. And since most people prefer to work with tools that they’re familiar with, your staff will likely transition more quickly and willingly to Microsoft 365 as opposed to Google Workspace.
Most US companies are still using MS Office files, so going for Microsoft 365 makes more sense since it uses the same file formats. While you may use Google Workspace to create and edit MS Office files, this functionality is limited and wonky, especially when working with complex files.
Finally, if your company is already using MS Windows as your operating system, then Microsoft 365 will be a more natural fit. This is true if you’re using Publisher and Access, which are Microsoft 365 programs that are only available to Windows-based users.
2. Microsoft 365 have cloud and desktop versions of their apps
Unlike Google Workspace’s cloud-only approach, most Microsoft 365 plans offer both desktop- and cloud-based versions of their productivity applications. This means that in addition to using your web browser to access Microsoft 365 programs, you can also install full versions of these apps on your computer so you can use them even when you’re offline. Therefore, whether you have limited or no internet access, you can still get work done.
Even though Google Workspace programs also have an offline functionality, you’ll still need to go online and enable file syncing to activate this feature.
3. Microsoft 365 apps are more feature-rich than their Google Workspace equivalents
Microsoft 365 programs offer more robust functionality in comparison to their Google Workspace counterparts. Below are some examples:
Word vs. Google Docs
Word has more advanced features than Google Docs such as better table controls and formats, easier addition of footnotes and citations, and more text style options and prebuilt report templates. Word also has more chart types and styles that you can embed into documents. Finally, if you’re looking to add SmartArt graphics to a document, you can only do that with Word.
Excel vs. Google Sheets
If you require advanced number crunching, then Excel is the way to go since it offers a wider selection of advanced formulas and can handle far more data sets than Google Sheets. The former also comes with Power Pivot and Power Query, which make data cleaning and data analysis a breeze.
Excel’s data visualization capabilities are also far more superior than Google Sheets’s. Excel is packed with 17 chart types (e.g., bar, pie, line, column, area, histogram) with each type having multiple subtypes (for bar charts, there are stacked bars, clustered bars, etc.). In contrast, Google Sheets only has basic chart types. Plus, creating charts is simpler in Excel than in Google Sheets.
When it comes to budget templates, Excel has 60 while Google Sheets only has three. So whether you need to create a company outing budget or a program budget, you’ll more likely find one that suits your requirements with Excel.
PowerPoint vs. Google Slides
PowerPoint has powerful features that are not available in Google Slides such as:
- PowerPoint Designer – Offers automatic design suggestions for your slides
- Broadcast Live – Lets you share a browser-based link so anyone can watch your presentation in real time
- Presenter View – Projects your presentation to a second screen so you can still view your speaker notes while the audience looks at your slides
Bottomline is that Microsoft 365 trumps Google Workspace when it comes to sophisticated features.
Want to get started with Microsoft 365? Get in touch with SpectrumWise and we’ll help you right away with migration, setup, training, and ongoing support.
