Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are two popular cloud-based solutions that offer productivity apps, email, file storage, communication, and collaboration tools for businesses of all sizes. But how do they compare in terms of features, pricing, and security? Here is a brief overview of some of the main differences between them.
Before delving into the comparison, are you thinking about switching from one platform to another? If so, you might be particularly interested in the process of migrating from Google Workplace to Microsoft 365. If you’re pondering over making this transition, you’ll find many helpful guides and tutorials online to assist you.
Differences between Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace
File/Cloud Storage
One of the most noticeable differences between Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace is the amount of storage they provide per user. Microsoft 365’s Business Basic plan offers 1 TB of file storage per user, while Google Workspace’s Business Starter plan only offers 30 GB of combined file and email storage per user. However, Google Workspace’s higher-tier plans offer more storage than Microsoft 365’s equivalent plans: 2 TB or 5 TB per user for Business Standard or Business Plus plans respectively, compared to 1 TB per user for Business Standard or Business Premium plans.
It’s essential to note how each platform manages its storage differs too. Take Microsoft 365; it teams up with OneDrive to offer cloud storage and ensure your files are synchronized across different devices for effortless access and sharing. Microsoft 365 has robust file versioning and backup capabilities so that your data is never lost.
On the other hand, Google Workspace leverages Google Drive, celebrated for its intuitive interface and smooth tie-in with the rest of Google’s app ecosystem. Google Drive supports real-time collaboration, meaning multiple team members can work on the same document simultaneously. This flexibility could benefit teams working together closely, regardless of geographical location. Nonetheless, the two can be put together to benefit your company’s productivity.
Email
Both Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace use their own email clients: Outlook for Microsoft 365 and Gmail for Google Workspace. Outlook has more advanced features such as scheduling assistant, shared calendars, task management, and offline access. Gmail has a simpler interface and integrates well with other Google apps such as Calendar, Meet, and Chat. Both email clients offer spam filtering, encryption, archiving, and data loss prevention.
In addition to the mentioned features, Outlook and Gmail have unique advantages.
Outlook’s integration with Microsoft tools like Teams and OneDrive facilitates collaboration and scheduling, which is ideal for a corporate environment. Gmail, meanwhile, excels in search and sorting features, thanks to Google’s search technology. It offers features like ‘nudges’ for email follow-ups, intelligent replies, and a ‘priority inbox’ that helps manage emails by learning user habits.
Ultimately, the choice between the two platforms hinges on individual preferences and business needs.
Productivity Apps
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace both offer a suite of productivity apps that include word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, note-taking, and form creation tools. The Microsoft 365 apps are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Forms; Google Workspace’s apps are Docs, Sheets, Slides, Keep, and Forms. Microsoft 365’s apps have more functionality and formatting options than Google Workspace’s apps, but they also require more bandwidth and processing power to run smoothly. Google Workspace’s apps are cloud-native and can run on any device with a web browser. Both suites allow real-time collaboration, version history, and offline access.
Communication and Collaboration
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace both offer communication and collaboration tools that include video conferencing, instant messaging, team chat, and project management. Microsoft 365’s tools are Teams, Skype, Yammer, and Planner; Google Workspace’s tools are Meet, Chat, Groups, and Currents. Teams has more features than Meet such as breakout rooms, polls, whiteboard, and live captions, but Meet has a simpler interface and can accommodate up to 250 participants per call compared to Teams’ limit of 100 participants. Chat and Yammer are similar in functionality to team chat platforms that integrate with other apps; Groups and Currents are similar in functionality to social networking platforms that allow users to create communities and share content.
Security
Both Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace have strong security measures in place to protect their users’ data from unauthorized access or loss. They both use encryption at rest and in transit; they both offer multi-factor authentication; they both comply with various industry standards such as GDPR; HIPAA; ISO; etc.. However; there are some differences in how they handle security updates; backups; recovery; etc. For example; Microsoft 365 allows users to control when they receive security updates; while Google Workspace applies them automatically without user intervention. Microsoft 365 also provides more granular backup options such as item-level restore; while Google Workspace relies on its version history feature for restoring files.
Conclusion
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are both powerful cloud-based solutions that can help businesses improve their productivity; efficiency; and collaboration. However; they have different strengths and weaknesses depending on the needs and preferences of each business. Therefore; it is important to compare them carefully before choosing one over the other.
MTN Group and Microsoft are announcing a new partnership that will see them support customers across governments and organizations accelerate value creation and drive Africa’s economic growth using Microsoft platform solutions.
The agreement centers on transforming and modernizing MTN’s communications and technology infrastructure together with harnessing capabilities and building the largest and most valuable platform business with a clear focus on Africa.
“We are delighted to be partnering with Microsoft – a company with the strength and scale to complement MTN’s capabilities and to support our Ambition 2025 strategy,” said Group Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer Chika Ekeji. “Together we will use the power of technology and connectivity to innovate and accelerate the digitalization and development of the continent.”
The two companies will develop joint go-to-market plans across the markets where MTN operates. To serve the digital transformation ambitions of African enterprise customers. Microsoft will skill up MTN Group resources to drive focused selling of Microsoft’s products and cloud services in Africa.
“Our valuable, longstanding partnership with MTN will play a pivotal role in Africa’s digital transformation, and we are proud to continue building on that decade-long collaboration with our newest venture. We recognize the potential that Africa holds to stand among the leaders of the digital world, and we are committed to maximizing our partnerships to deliver infrastructure that accelerates this transformation and enables a connected, digital-first continent,” says Samer Abu-Latif, Corporate Vice-President and President of Microsoft Middle East and Africa.
The partnership also includes ongoing knowledge-sharing, innovation, and growth opportunities. Joint initiatives will be in areas such as digital education, micro-SME digitization, fintech, and gaming. To create shared value and extend digital and financial inclusion across Africa.
“Our partnership with MTN will empower and enable the future growth of Africa through the joint development of innovative solutions; a dedicated focus on digital skilling and education; robust go-to-market strategy transformation; and the advancement of SMMEs and industries to compete on the global digital stage”
The parties will also execute a carrier agreement that will position MTN as a major provider of terrestrial connectivity to support Microsoft’s Africa-based expansion plans.
The companies believe that digital transformation presents an opportunity for the continent to leap ahead and benefit from widespread socio-economic growth. Particularly when leveraging the power of the cloud.
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Every good work done deserves an acknowledgement or reward and Microsoft recognizes technology experts who passionately share their knowledge with their community by honouring them with the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award. The MVP award spans over 100 contribution areas in 11 award categories across developer and IT Pro products and services technology areas including open source.
The Microsoft MVP global community has over 4,000 technical experts and community leaders across 90 countries who support in the advancement and adoption of Microsoft technologies. Out of which 56 recipients are awarded in nine African countries. South Africa and Nigeria record the highest number of MVPs with 16 each, followed by Ghana with 8. Egypt has 5, 4 in Morocco, Mauritius and Tunisia with 2 each and Senegal, Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire with 1 MVP each.
Before the year 2019, even though there were Microsoft MVPs in Africa and the Middle East region, there weren’t any from Ghana. This however changed when Abou Conde founder of the Microsoft User Group Ghana community got awarded in the Azure category. The situation has improved over the past few years with Microsoft turning its focus and commitment towards Africa. The number of award recipients in Africa has since increased from 32 to 56. Ghana now has eight Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals across five award categories. Microsoft Azure, AI, Business Applications, Data Platform, Developer Technologies and Office Apps & Services.
Here below are Ghana’s Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals passionately sharing their knowledge with the community. Read on to get to know them, and follow and contact them on their channels.
Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals Ghana
Abou CONDE – Award category: Microsoft Azure
Abou is a Senior Cloud & Infra Security Consultant in Avanade’s Security Talent Community based in Paris, France. He was awarded the first MVP in 2019 before moving to France in August 2021 to join METSYS as a System Architect and then Avanade. He lived and worked in Ghana as a Senior Cloud Platform and Infrastructure Consultant at Axxend. He also worked with GITS and IPMC. He became the first-ever Microsoft MVP in Ghana and Microsoft Azure MVP in West Africa.
He is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert in Cloud Platform and Infrastructure, Microsoft Certified Solution Associate in Microsoft Azure Security, and Microsoft 365 Security. He is also an expert in cloud solutions architecture, including the IaaS, PaaS, and hybrid cloud scenarios, migrations/deployments, systems administration, and virtualization.
Abou is the Founder of Microsoft User Group Ghana Community (MUGGH), Speaker, and Blogger. He is a frequent speaker and organizer at various Microsoft Azure, Cybersecurity, Microsoft 365, Windows Server Events, and other User Group conferences.
Samuel Segbornya Kodzo Adranyi – Award Category: Microsoft Azure
Samuel is a Senior Software Engineer and Technical Lead with extensive experience and knowledge in most areas of application development, data analytics, internet of things, artificial intelligence, mixed reality and machine learning.
He is an early adopter, abreast with emerging technologies, trends, patterns and architectures with applicable skills in Cloud Development, SDLC, application life cycle management (ALM) and DevOps spanning over 15 years in all phases of small to large-scale software projects.
With a strong passion for problem-solving, he loves curating and mashing up technologies from IoT, AI, ML and programming to solve the most demanding, and complex challenges you throw at him. He has built, trained, managed and coordinated dedicated, capable and technical distributed offshore teams, especially in Africa and led them to deliver beyond expectations and world-class solutions.
Aside from his technical competencies, Samuel is a community leader, Blogger, Pod-caster and Streamer. He is the Co-Organizer for the Accra .NET User Group and the Organizer of the Accra Power Platform User Group. He has a weekly podcast that highlights Africans all over the world in Technology and streams 3 times a week on IoT (IoT Tuesday – Tuesdays), General Azure and Technology (Demystify Tech – Fridays) and Power Platform (Power Series – Sundays).
Frank Arkhurst Odoom – Award Category – Developer Technologies
Frank is a software consultant, a Managing Partner at Accede and the co-organizer of the Accra .NET User Group. He loves teaching software development and contributing to the open-source ecosystem.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of the .Net Foundation with the goal of creating a strong awareness and presence of open-source .NET technology in underserved communities. He also serves as the .Net Foundation Education Committee Chairperson.
Dawuda Iddrisu – Award Category – AI
Dawuda Iddrisu is a full-stack software developer and Chief Technology Officer at BezoMoney. He is a B.Sc. graduate in Information Technology and former president of the Computer Science Society of the University for Development Studies (UDS).
He is passionate about creating innovative products and changing lives with his soft and technical skills by organizing training programs and workshops. In 2019, while still at the university, he served as a Microsoft Gold Learn Ambassador and his activities as an ambassador earned him the outstanding Microsoft Student Partner EMEA Award.
He is also an ambassador at AI Gaming and a board member of the Global AI Community.
Bernard Obeng Boateng – Award Category – Office Apps & Services
Bernard is a Microsoft Certified Trainer, Financial Modeler and Data Analyst with over 10 years of work experience in Banking, Insurance and Business Development. He is a certified Microsoft Excel Expert skilled in Business Analytics, Dashboards and building Financial models for Budgeting, Business Valuation, Scenario Planning and Investments.
He runs the Finex Project, a pro bono student training outreach program for students in Microsoft Excel, Office Tools and Financial Modeling. Bernard provides consultancy services for SMEs (start-ups and existing ones) in Financial Management, Business Planning and Research.
He has an active audience of about 16,000 followers on his LinkedIn where he shares tips and tricks on Microsoft Excel and other Office Apps.
Eric Entsie – Award Category – Business Applications
Eric Entsie is a Chartered Accountant by profession and manager at the National Health Insurance Authority with a career objective to improve business work processes through the use of information technology.
He is also a Power Platform enthusiast and a Super User in the Power Apps Community Platform. He likes to contribute to the community by providing support to users.
Thomas Festus Cudjoe – Award Category – Data Platform
Festus is a Microsoft Certified Power BI Analyst, a Google Certified Data analyst, a Chartered Accountant, and a Chartered Global Management Accountant with professional qualifications from the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG) and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK (CIMA).
He is the founder and the lead trainer at FestMan Learning Hub, a Leading Edtech firm that provides premium Digital Skills Bootcamps in Data Science, Financial Modeling, Data Analytics, UX Design, and Digital Marketing.
Festus has trained over 1500 professionals in Data Analytics, Financial Modeling, Modern Excel, and Power BI over the past 5 years. He is passionate about technology and loves sharing his experience with others.
Shadrack Inusah – Award Category – Business Applications
Shadrack is a software developer, ex-Gold Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador (MLSA) and a member of the Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors Low Code No Code League. He is also a Power Platform Specialist with community-building experience, assisting experts and citizen developers.
Shadrack loves to network and help students learn and build to solve a technical world problem. He also likes to mentor students for the MLSA program in Africa.
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Microsoft Africa Development Center (ADC) is launching the 3rd season of its sponsored Game of Learners (GOL) student hackathon competition. The GOL initiative aims to improve digital and coding abilities among African university students. The Microsoft student hackathon participants will seek to find solutions that address the effects of climate change on the continent.
This year the 5-week hackathon’s objective is to propose solutions that reduce or reverse gas emissions and footprints, based on the theme Climate Change & Sustainability. Season 3 has a total of 8 teams made up of 5 participants from across East Africa participating. A Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador will lead each team and they will get mentorship and training from Microsoft.
The program’s main objective is to establish a fun, hands-on learning experience for students. It provides a virtual environment where students learn new technologies and build impactful solutions for their community. Overall, the program provides a platform for Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors to hone their leadership skills as Team Captains while leading and building impactful solutions with the learners.
The best project will collaborate with the Green Belt Movement to advance the winning solution. Weekly episodes of the GOL Show will be available online as the teams document their progress. Other winning categories are; people’s choice (project with most votes on DevPost), Best Media Presence (best video content) and Learners (highest team average points on Microsoft Learn).
”Part of our mission in ADC is solving Africa’s problems with Microsoft technology,” said ADC Managing Director Jack Ngare while making the announcement. “Africa is not immune to climate change challenges, and this is one of the issues we’d like to see tackled using Microsoft technology while also upskilling and enabling higher education tech enthusiasts in the region.”
Green Belt Movement’s Paul Thiong’o welcomed this year’s theme on climate change, noting that it’s in line with the organization’s vision to have a values-driven society of people who consciously work for continued improvement of their livelihoods and a greener, cleaner world.
“At the Green Belt Movement, we believe in empowering communities to take action against climate change, whose effects are already being felt across Africa. Our experience shows that when the communities understand the linkage between their actions, environment, and their livelihood situations, they are more likely to muster their energies and act for change. As a result, we are delighted to be a part of this noble initiative, which will see our young people contribute positively to ongoing efforts to address climate change challenges.”
“The GOL engages directly with students regardless of the higher education institution they come from. Born virtual, GOL is a program without borders. All GOL activities are supported by volunteers from Microsoft and partners as coaches, mentors, judges, speakers, and trainers,” Ngare explains, adding: “GOL is formed like a sports league, starting with a season, and followed by off-season clinics and exhibitions.”
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Telefónica is announcing the expansion of its global strategic relationship with Microsoft. It will focus on accelerating the creation of joint initiatives in the consumer market. By bringing solutions in areas such as gaming, connectivity, communications, secure access to data and new Living Apps to existing and new markets.
The company is looking to expand services for corporate and consumers with the new partnership. Chema Alonso, Chief Digital Officer at Telefónica made the announcement at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2022 taking place in Barcelona.
“We celebrate reaching a new level of collaboration in our strategic relationship with Microsoft to generate new opportunities and expand existing ones in the consumer, digital home and innovation space”.
Chema Alonso
Last year, it launched Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and the commercialization of Xbox consoles in Spain. It will be looking at bringing this service to other markets where it operates. Telefónica is looking to offer a monthly subscription of Microsoft 365 in markets where it has a presence. It also plans to bring access to select LinkedIn Learning content to its Movistar Plus+ television platform. Users will be able to connect to video conferences and make calls through Microsoft Teams using Movistar Home. Finally, Telefónica will run joint commercial and marketing initiatives on Surface devices in Telefónica’s markets in Europe.
The Chairman of Telefónica and GSMA, José María Álvarez-Pallete, notes the company has achieved important milestones in its collaboration with Microsoft. And is looking forward to working on new services based on their state of the art connectivity and the transformative power of AI.
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