Microsoft Office 365 and Google Apps for Work: Head-to-Head

What do you get?Both packages offer a similar range of features – including a cloud-based document repository, a mail client, and tools for live online communication, as well as a complete range of document creation and sharing apps.

At face level, the packages contain very similar tools. To get an idea of what separates them, we need to dig a little deeper into their specs.

Unified Communications and Collaboration (UC&C) is all about the convergence and integration of essential workplace and communication tools. By bringing everything together, you can keep everyone on the same page, ensuring that no matter where their jobs take them, they can all access to the same reliable information – and stay in touch.

As the concept has picked up steam in the modern business, two major packages have risen to the top – Microsoft Office 365 for Business, and Google Apps for Work. Both offer significant benefits for today’s flexible workplaces, but what sets them apart? And more importantly, which is right for you?

Microsoft Office 365 for Business Google Apps Unlimited

Communication

OneDrive Drive

Email/Calendar/Contacts synced across PC, Phones and Browser anti-virus and anti-spam protection

Gmail/Calendar

Skype for Business Online Hangouts

Unlimited online meetings, IM and HD video conferencing. Includes Skype for Business app

Hangout On Air

Creation

Word* Google Docs

Excel* Google Sheets

PowerPoint* Google Slides

OneNote* Google Forms

Sharepoint* Google Sites

Publisher*

Fully installed on up to 5 PCs or Macs per user

*Includes new office 2016 apps for PCs or Macs

How the specs stack up

Microsoft Office 365 for Business Google Apps Unlimited

Cloud storage capacity 1TB (unlimited coming soon) Unlimited1

CollaborationReal-time with tools to support simultaneous multi-user document editing

Real-time and built for collaboration from the ground up

Company social site Yammer Enterprise, Sway Google+, Sites

User interface Familiar Transformational/New

Integration with communication tools

Skype for Business Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution Switch Business Voice

Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution Uberconference Switch Business Voice

Offline review and editing Only for Microsoft Office users Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drawings

Import, export and conversion

• Manual importing and exporting of documents and storage capabilities

• Good drag-and-drop features (files and folders)

• Manual importing and exporting of documents and storage capabilities

• Good drag-and-drop features (files and folders)

• Desktop plugin to sync documents

• Able to convert most MS Office files except Excel macros

1Or 1TB per user if fewer than 5 users, max file size is 5TB if more than 5 users

Switch Business Voice: Seamlessly integrated Switch from Sprint is a business voice system built for unified communications and collaboration – and it’s now available alongside Google Apps and Microsoft Office 365 from Sprint. With Switch, your mobile phone becomes your mobile workplace, with robust business voice call features and conferencing functionality.

With Switch Business Voice and Google Apps for Work, you get:• One business phone number

per user, across all devices• The ability to switch seamlessly

between devices• Context on every call from your

email client, contact list and social profiles

As you can see from the table, Google provides unlimited cloud storage, and real-time sharing and collaboration – an appealing offer for highly mobile businesses. However, Microsoft delivers recognizable Office software that your users are probably already very familiar with, with the option to

integrate new cloud services with any of your existing Microsoft software investments – enabling a phased approach to the cloud migration.

Microsoft Office 365 for Business Google Apps Unlimited

iOSContact, Email, Calendar, OneDrive, Office Mobile

Calendar, Email, Contact, Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets, Hangout, Admin, Google+

AndroidContact, Email, Calendar, OneDrive, Office Mobile

Calendar, Email, Contact, Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets, Hangout, Admin, Google+

BlackberryContact, Email, Calendar and OneDrive

Calendar, Email, Contact

Windows phone or tablet

OneDrive and Office Mobile Calendar, Email, Contact

Fully installed Office experience on up to 5 tablets and 5 phones. Includes basic Mobile Device Management

Feature spotlight: Mobile compatibilityMobile is a big deal for the modern enterprise. Here’s what your people will be able to access on their devices of choice.

Deployment options: Hybrid vs 100% cloud

One area where the two suites clearly differ is how they can be deployed. Microsoft Office 365 for Business offers hybrid deployments, giving you a flexible way to gain the benefits of cloud without any of the risk. Conversely, Google Apps is 100% cloud-based – it’s been designed entirely for the cloud, with no legacy concerns or scalability issues to consider.

So which is right for you? With the basics of both suites laid bare, it’s a bit simpler to see which might be the better choice for your business.

Consider Microsoft Office 365 for Business if you:

• Want to deliver familiar productivity tools to a traditional work group

• Want to help your team communicate using tools they’re familiar with

• See the cloud as an opportunity for an extra productivity boost for your MS Office users

Consider Google Apps for Work if you:

• Are serious about the cloud and its role in your business’s future

• Have a team that’s constantly on the move

• Generally hire a millennial team that is familiar with Google Apps

• Need unlimited cloud storage and real-time collaboration

• Want peace of mind when it comes to scalability

Whichever you choose, make the move with SprintAt Sprint, we understand exactly what businesses are looking to get from Unified Communications and Collaboration. And no matter which suite looks like the best fit for your organization, we’ve got the services and capabilities to help you and your team get the most from it.

You can visit our website sprint.com/business to learn more now, but it would be great to talk and discuss what you want to get from UC&C. If you want some help finding the ideal solution for your business, you can talk to us live by calling 1-877-633-1102.