Have you ever thought to yourself: life is good, but it could be better?
You could ask that same question about how your office handles is productivity. You may have a system that does the job at a satisfactory level, but could it be improved?
If you are using G Suite for your productivity needs and your answer to a question like that is “eh, it’s alright,” then why settle for a solution that is just “alright,” when you can step up to something amazing.
Sounds like it’s time for you to Step Up Your Suite, and neoRhino is here to help.
In this new series, we are going to break down just how beneficial your office life will be by upgrading your productivity suite to Microsoft 365. Let’s start with a brief overview of the differences of G-Suite and Microsoft 365, compare applications & services, and cover what is needed for migration, particularly your email.
Painting the Picture.
Let’s say you currently have G-Suite implemented in your office. However, you’re starting to notice the pastures of Microsoft 365 (M365) and they are starting to look a little greener. Maybe you’ve been seeing ads for it on TV. Perhaps you tried using Microsoft Teams while working from home during the free period and you’ve enjoyed it.
However, you have to think about the productivity your team. How would everything proceed if you were to switch everyone to M365? What are the apps? What about your important emails?
It’s much smoother than you may think. Let’s get started.
Down to the Core (Applications).
If you are on G Suite and are thinking of moving to Microsoft 365, your comparable core applications will be:
| G Suite Core Apps | Microsoft 365 Core Apps |
| Google Docs | Microsoft Word |
| Google Sheets | Microsoft Excel |
| Gmail | Microsoft Outlook |
| Google Slides | Microsoft PowerPoint |
| Google Hangouts/Meet | Microsoft Teams |
| Google Drive | Microsoft OneDrive/SharePoint |
| Google Keep | Microsoft OneNote |
Microsoft’s productivity applications are the most universally used and cross-compatible programs in the world. While it might be a bit more cost efficient and “easier” to implement G Suite, with Microsoft 365, you know you’re getting the gold-standard. Is it really worth potential incompatibility with sending or creating documents with others worth settling for what you have and/or to save a few bucks a month?
Keep in mind that Google is also known to not be fully clear on support of its various products and may drop applications at a whim. Microsoft 365 and the Office 365 family of applications have been most adopted and most supported productivity programs for decades, so have confidence in how Microsoft, as well as MSPs like us at neoRhino will support you.
We shall dive deeper into the differences of the Core Applications at a later date, but for now let’s move on to what may be the next aspect on your mind: the cost.
Getting Your License to Thrive.
G Suite has three main licensing plans for businesses that range from $6/month to $25/month per license and start with 30GB of online storage:
- G Suite Basic
- G Suite Business
- G Suite Enterprise
Microsoft 365 has four main licensing plans for businesses and range from $5/month to $35/month per Business license and start with 1TB of online storage:
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium
- Microsoft 365 Apps for Business
And for Enterprise Plans:
- Microsoft 365 E3
- Microsoft 365 E5
- Microsoft 365 F3
- Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise
There are more options, but Microsoft gives Enterprise and Business Users greater capabilities in both cost and beneficial services. For a more complete list of the plan differences between Microsoft 365 and G Suite, check out our breakdown in this downloadable whitepaper.
What do I need to do to migrate? What about my email?
If you want to switch your entire G Suite family of apps to Microsoft 365, that’s excellent!
Hold on a moment, though… you also need to be aware of other potential factors before migrating such as factoring in additional platforms in your organization that need migration (OpenOffice, Dropbox, etc), location of your workstations, mobile platforms you use, potential individual suite needs and other mail clients besides Gmail your office uses.
This is more of the back-end “nitty gritty” duties, so before making the jump we recommend contacting a Managed Services Provider, or an MSP, to guide you through the migration.
Thankfully, neoRhino IT solutions is just the MSP for the job!
In future entries to this series, we’ll be covering more of the benefits of switching to Microsoft 365, including covering:
- Full Application Breakdown with Pros & Cons
- Collaboration, Storage, & Notetaking Capabilities
- Accessibility & Support
- Security & Compliance
- Cost Breakdown
G Suite may do the job, but why settle for something that does the job, when you can have a suite that Excels at the job?
Contact a neoRhino Account Manager today or call us at (281) 779-4850, and we can help you Step Up Your Suite by moving your Office to Microsoft 365.
