The short answer
Pick the platform that matches how your team already works and the software you depend on. Switching later is possible, but it takes planning, so it's worth getting right.
When Microsoft 365 is the better fit
- Your team lives in desktop Excel, Word, and Outlook, or exchanges complex files with clients who do
- You run Windows computers and want to manage them centrally with the same accounts
- Industry software you rely on integrates with Outlook or Microsoft accounts
- You want Teams for chat, calls, and meetings in one place
When Google Workspace is the better fit
- Your team works mostly in the browser and on Chromebooks or Macs
- Several people edit the same documents at the same time
- You want a simpler admin console and fewer moving parts
- Your staff already know Gmail and Google Calendar
Security and compliance
Both platforms can be configured securely, and both offer business associate agreements for healthcare customers on eligible plans. The difference is usually in setup, not the platform. Whichever you choose:
- Turn on multi-factor authentication for every account
- Use business accounts, never personal ones, for company email and files
- Restrict external sharing and auto-forwarding to outside addresses
- Review admin roles so only a few people can change settings
- Add a backup, because built-in retention isn't the same thing
What switching involves
A migration covers mailboxes, calendars, contacts, shared files, and the shared addresses people forget about, like info@ or billing@. When we moved a multi-location healthcare practice from Exchange to Google Workspace, rebuilding twelve shared and group addresses and testing how replies routed was as important as moving the mail itself.
- Inventory every mailbox, shared address, and group
- Decide who owns each shared address after the move
- Migrate history, then switch mail delivery at a quiet time
- Test sending, receiving, and replying from every shared address
- Hand over admin documentation