By: Cecilia Bennett
When you think of office productivity, G Suite and Office 365 are probably the first two options you think of. They have remained the most popular tools for businesses over the years, and for good reason. They both offer very similar packages such as word processing, spreadsheets, and business email hosting. If your business is currently looking for new office productivity programs, we are here to help you choose the best one for your business’ needs.
Pricing
Let’s start with the most important aspect, pricing. When it comes to shopping for your business it is important to get the most bang out of your budget.
Office 365 offers 3 plans for businesses: Office 365 Business Essentials, Office 365 Business, and Office 365 Business Premium. They range from $5.00 user/month – $12.50 user/month. The most popular business option is the Office 365 Business Premium. Some of the key features are:
- Email hosting with 50gb mailbox
- Desktop versions of all Office applications: Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, OneNote, Access, Publisher
- 1 TB storage on OneDrive
- One license for Office applications on 5 phones, tablets, and PC or Mac users
- Access to online meetings
- Monthly application updates
G Suite offers 3 plans for businesses as well: Basic, Business, and Enterprise. The pricing ranges from $6.00- $25.00 user/month. Some of the key features are:
- Unlimited storage (1TB is 5 or less users): Gmail, Google Photos, and Google Drive.
- Company-wide search options
- Ability to shared drives throughout business
- Free access to Google’s office applications through: Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, My Maps, Sites, Keep, Hangouts and Jamboard
- Video and voice conferencing options
- Shared calendars
Email Hosting: Gmail or Outlook
Business emails are typically some of the most important aspects of your business. You depend on your email hosting to provide your employees consistently with their emails. When deciding between Office 365 and Gmail there a few main characteristics you need to decide upon.
Nowadays, Gmail is definitely the more popular choice for businesses. It effortlessly pairs with third-party apps and is very simple for employees to grasp. Gmail also allows attachments to be sent up to 25MB. However, they still allow you to share files larger than that directly from your Google Drive. Gmail also uses a priority inbox system which typically accurately filters your emails for you by what they believe is most important to you.
Outlook on the other hand, has a steeper learning curve for employees which can cause challenges throughout an organization. However, Outlook gives you the option to use Gmail through their email hosting as well. Outlook also gives you the option to pin important emails to the top of your inbox, unlike Gmail. You can also create however many folders and sub folders that you desire.
Employee Communication and Collaboration
Both G Suite and Office 365 offer a variety of options to get the most out of employee teamwork. For example, employees can work simultaneously on both Google and Office 365 files, allowing for optimal workflow throughout the business. Being able to edit documents together from separate locations is a huge advantage in today’s business world. You will also have access to either Google Hangouts or Skype for Business, which will give your employees the opportunity for video chatting, instant messaging, online meetings, and do video conferencing with clients and other employees.
In Conclusion
G Suite and Office 365 are both solid options for any business. They are both well used and loved by businesses across the world. They offer a wide variety of features that are important to businesses. It all comes down to finding which one best fits your specific business needs.
If you’re interested in learning more about G Suite or Office 365, feel free to contact Blue Ridge Media Company in Cleveland, OH. Our team is here to help you find the best match for your business. Contact us on our website or give us a call today at (888)-535-2762!
