We find that it is not uncommon for small businesses to begin with using Gmail as their email provider. As they grow, they discover they require more control and therefore Office 365 can potentially meet this need of growth.
While it may seem an unfair comparison to compare Googles email service (Gmail) to Microsoft’s Office 365, but it’s a switch many businesses take. Gmail focuses on email and it is excellent, while Office 365 includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook (email), Publisher, and Access. Therefore, in this article we discuss 4 benefits of migrating from Gmail to Office 365.
1 Office 365 has more features
Office 365 includes several features. As mentioned above it includes a range of tools that enable you to create and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Office 365 also includes a range of collaboration tools, such as the ability to share files and work on them simultaneously with other users. If you are a business owner and used Gmail to start your business, you might benefit from switching to Office 365.
2 Advanced security
Gmail and Office 365 are both secure. They are both constantly being updated with new security features. Office 365 employs several security features to protect your data, such as:
Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Office 365 offers MFA, which requires users to enter a code from their phone in addition to their password when logging in.
Data loss prevention (DLP)
Office 365 includes DLP features that help organisations to protect sensitive data from being uncovered. These features can be used to prevent unauthorized access, classify data, and track data usage.
Threat protection
Office 365 also includes a variety of threat protection features, anti-phishing, such as anti-malware, and spam filtering. These features help to protect users from malicious emails and attachments.
Compliance
Office 365 is compliant with a variety of industry standards, such as SOX, HIPAA, and GDPR. This means that organisations that use Office 365 can be confident that their data is being protected in accordance with the law.
All the above will help your business reduce the risk of data breaches and other security incidents.
3 Storage space
Gmail offers 15 GB of free storage space per user, whereas Office 365 business standard offers 1 TB of free storage space per user. This means that businesses can store more of their documents, emails, and files in Office 365. If you require a lot of storage space for email and files, Office 365 may suit your needs. However, if you only need a small amount of storage space, Gmail is a free and a reliable option.
4 Designed for businesses
Aside from the features mentioned above, Office 365 is a very scalable service. Being a cloud-based service, it allows businesses to scale up or down at their convenience. If your business is growing, then 365 as a service can meet those needs of growth. The changes can be made instantly, and you only pay for what you need. Therefore, it is also very cost effective. As mentioned previously, the security measure within 365 are very robust. Businesses can be confident that they are using the latest and most secure software.
In conclusion, Google’s Gmail is all about empowerment, whereas Microsoft is more about control. If you need more control over your business and Office 365 provides this. You could do the migration yourself, but there are risks involved in this and we would recommend using an IT support provider like us. Our experts handle the migration for you, and ensure the transition runs smooth and that you experience no downtime. Contact us for more help.