Migrate from G-Suite to Office 365 with Ease

Over the past few weeks, Microsoft has begun to roll out a new tool to make transferring data from one cloud platform to another as easy as possible. The tool, which was promised by Microsoft in late 2018, is being called a “migration experience”, and is focused on helping customers make the switch to Microsoft away from Google. Both companies have cloud platforms that businesses and individuals use to increase productivity and manage their data. Google has G-Suite and Microsoft has Office 365.

The competition between the two companies has been stiff when it comes to their cloud-based platforms. Each has carved out its own lane, Office 365 being more effective for high-level business activities while G-Suite is often the choice for personal use. It comes down to your individual or organizational needs from a cloud platform. Google already has a feature to help import from Office 365. Now Microsoft is coming out with its own tool and hoping to pull some customers over to Office 365. This is the second move they have made to challenge Google since changing Edge to run on Chromium.

How Does it Work?

Users will be able to migrate their inbox, calendar, documents, contacts, along with other data from G-Suite to Office 365 using a semi-automated tool. The process will be faster than ever before. The previous tool employed by Microsoft allowed for the migration of only mailbox data, but now it will also include calendars and contacts. Businesses will now be much less averse to making the transition. Microsoft wants to make it easier for people to leave their competition and switch to their platforms.

Why would I migrate?

Why bother going through the migration process even if it is simple? Here are some reasons your business might want to switch to Office 365.

• The biggest advantages that Office 365 has over G-Suite have to do with the applications themselves. Apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are bread and butter for Microsoft. They have been around seemingly forever and have always gotten the job done. They are simply more effective and have more features than their Google counterparts. For example, Google Sheets fall short of the data-processing power that Excel has. Companies that do high-level statistical research routinely turn to Excel for their processing.

• Along with additional features, Office 365 gives you the desktop version of all the Office programs. This is a must if your clients expect to be able to send and receive Word documents. It also allows for offline editing and creation. The Google counterparts to these programs are closely integrated with Drive, their cloud storage service. This means you can only edit a Google Doc when connected to the internet. Office 365 will give you the web version as well as the option to download onto your desktop.

• Another advantage is that Microsoft offers more file and email storage on their lower level plans. If your business receives high-volumes of emails, this is likely the right option for you. And since Outlook allows you to archive email, you essentially get unlimited storage.

• Ever since Microsoft purchased the company in 2011, Office 365 also offers Skype. Skype is a much better video conference app than Google Meet. Allowing you to fit up to 250 people on a Skype call as opposed to 100 on Google Meet. Skype also has a built-in translation tool allowing you to translate both voice and text chat to your preferred language.

• Finally, Office 365 lets you sort mail much easier and gives you more options to do so. Your mailbox can be as organized as you like; With a custom section or folder for all areas of business.

The Right Move For Businesses

Overall, Office 365 is more well-suited to businesses and organizations. The programs are more suited to everyday business activities, and they are likely the same programs that your clients and partners use. G-Suite certainly has its advantages, like the fact that individuals can get certain features for free, and the ease of collaboration because of how web-based it is. But for businesses looking to be as efficient and effective as possible, Office 365 has the upper hand and it has never been easier to make the switch.

At Louisville Geek, we use Office 365 on a daily basis in almost every aspect of what we do. Now that Microsoft is implementing this migration experience, we are excited to put it to use as we help our clients make the switch if they so choose. If you are wondering if Office 365 is right for your business or if you’re looking for assistance on making the migration to Office 365, visit our contact page and submit a form or call the number provided to get in contact with one of our Geeks. We can help transfer your business’s data safely; helping your business run more efficiently with the classic Microsoft programs we all know and love.