Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace: How Does Your Organisation Actually Work?

Both are complete suites

Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace both give you email on your own domain, calendars, file storage, documents, video meetings and security tools. So the question isn't "which is better". It's "how do your people work with files, and who do they send them to?"

Plan prices and features change often. Check the official sites or get a quote before deciding.

Function by function

What changed in 2025–2026

Both suites have shifted, so older comparisons are out of date:

• Google Workspace has included Gemini in its Business and Enterprise plans since January 2025, and raised plan prices at the same time. Business Starter gets Gemini in Gmail and the Gemini app; Business Standard and above also get it inside Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet.
• Microsoft 365 Business plans changed in July 2026: list prices went up on most plans, mailboxes grew from 50 GB to 100 GB, and Copilot Chat is included for work accounts. The full Microsoft 365 Copilot, working inside your own files and mail, is still a paid add-on or a separate "with Copilot" bundle.
• Microsoft's Business plans are for up to 300 users. Above that you move to Enterprise plans.
• In some regions Microsoft sells suites with and without Teams. If you need Teams, check that the quote includes it.

Storage is where the plans differ most:

Business Basic gives Office on web and mobile only. Business Standard adds the installable desktop apps. Business Premium adds Intune device management and Defender for Business security on top.

Microsoft 365 usually fits better when...

Accounting and finance live in advanced Excel: macros, Power Query, files tens of MB in size. Google Sheets does a lot, but not all of that. Another case we see often in Laos: government offices, banks and partners send Word documents with complex layouts and Lao fonts that have to open without breaking. And if you already run Windows PCs and Active Directory, Entra ID and Intune slot in easily and give you fine-grained device control.

Google Workspace usually fits better when...

Your team works in the browser and several people edit the same document at once. You're a newer organisation with no Windows legacy and you want admin to stay simple. You use Chromebooks or a mix of devices. You're a school already on Google Classroom.

Lao text, fonts and documents

Lao script works in both suites, but formatting is where trouble starts. Many Lao offices write in Phetsarath OT. Windows doesn't ship it, so install it on every PC from day one or Word will substitute another font and shift the layout. Google Docs offers Phetsarath through its font list, yet a Word file with tables, text boxes and tracked changes can still move around when converted to a Google Doc. If you must send Word files back and forth, keep them as .docx and edit them in Word, even on Workspace. Sorting and searching Lao text also behave better when everyone types in Unicode with the same keyboard layout, rather than older non-Unicode fonts.

Security: switch these on whichever you choose

1. MFA on every account, admins above all.
2. SPF, DKIM and DMARC on your domain to cut down spoofing.
3. Limits on sharing files outside the organisation.
4. A separate backup. Sync and the recycle bin are not backup. Both providers work on "shared responsibility": your data is your job.
5. At least two emergency (break-glass) admin accounts.

Migration: a 60-user example

The first thing we ask every time: who holds the login for your domain's DNS? In many organisations the domain was registered by an old web contractor or by someone who has since left. Tracking that login down sometimes takes longer than moving all the mail.

• Legacy mail 60 × 5 GB = 300 GB. At a fully used 50 Mbps upload: 300,000 × 8 ÷ 50 = 48,000 seconds ≈ 13 hours. In practice much longer, because migration tools are throttled. Start copying old mail 1–2 weeks before switching MX
• Switch the MX records over a weekend, then sync what's left
• Train staff in Lao and prepare a one-page guide for setting up phones

Check your line speed before planning with our bandwidth calculator.

Mixing plans: a 60-person example

Nobody needs the top plan for everyone. A typical split we'd propose for a 60-person company on Microsoft 365:

On Google Workspace the same company would usually put most people on Business Standard. Starter's 30 GB per user fills up quickly once photos, scanned documents and Meet recordings pile up, and the pool is shared, so one heavy user eats space for others.

Working over Lao internet

Both suites work well on ordinary office fiber. Settle three things before rollout. Turn on Outlook cached mode or Gmail offline so mail can still be read during an outage. Tell OneDrive or Drive for desktop which folders to keep offline, instead of syncing every shared folder to every laptop. And keep the first full sync of large file libraries for evenings or weekends, so it doesn't slow the whole office.

Can you run both?

Yes, if there's a real reason. A domain's MX points to one system (unless you set up special routing). Two suites means two bills and two places to manage.

Switching later: what it really involves

Neither choice is permanent, but leaving is more work than joining. Mail moves cleanly with standard migration tools. Files are harder. Native Google Docs, Sheets and Slides have to be converted to Office formats, and complex spreadsheets with Apps Script or Office files with macros don't convert at all. Sharing permissions don't map one-to-one between shared drives and SharePoint sites, so someone has to rebuild who sees what. Chat history and meeting recordings usually stay behind or move as archives.

For a 60-person organization, plan two to four weeks of preparation and one weekend for the cut-over. That is the main reason to choose carefully now and pilot first.

Four things we see a lot

1. Staff doing company business on personal Gmail or Hotmail. When they leave, the customers and documents leave too.
2. MFA not turned on.
3. Top-tier plans for everyone when many people only need email. Plans can be mixed.
4. The only admin account sitting with the vendor.

What we'd suggest

Choose based on your files and your main partners. If your world is Excel and Word going back and forth with government offices, start with Microsoft 365. If the team mostly co-edits in the browser, Google Workspace may be simpler. Pilot with 5–10 people for 2–4 weeks before moving everyone. Make sure your organisation always owns the admin accounts and the domain. And if the internet is shaky, turn on offline modes and think about a backup line.

Before you decide, send us your domain name. We'll check your current DNS, MX and SPF/DKIM/DMARC records and tell you what's likely to get in the way of a migration.