Cloud-based productivity tools are being used by a growing number of small and medium-sized businesses. Given how simple these platforms are to use and how many different ways to collaborate, it's easy to see why they're so popular, especially when distributed via managed IT services. Many variables must be examined while deciding on the best business productivity package for your corporation. Among these are features such as usability, scalability, and design. Finally, there's the issue of safety.

It's tempting to overlook security when picking between Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace, but it should never be disregarded when determining which platform to employ. Now is the time to go further into all of the security controls, features, and capabilities they have to offer.

Encryption of email

Email has become an essential part of our daily lives due to its widespread use in a variety of businesses. It's also an excellent approach for hackers to gain access to your network. Email security is becoming increasingly important due to the expanding amount of cyber threats, such as social engineering attacks, that target organizations of all sizes through email.

Phishing emails, for example, have increased by 600 percent since the beginning of 2020 and show no signs of slowing down. If you fall victim to a phishing scam, your company's network may be attacked, and your personal information will be stolen. You don't want to be in this situation, therefore make email security a high priority while looking for a corporate productivity suite.

Google Workspace uses Gmail for email, but Microsoft 365 provides Outlook as part of its service. Although we've previously discussed the similarities and differences between the two, it's time to examine how well they can safeguard your company's email accounts.

Google Docs and Sheets

When you utilize Google Workspace in conjunction with Gmail, you can avoid phishing and spam attempts 99.9% of the time. Untrustworthy emails are detected automatically and sent to your spam folder.

Gmail's Password Alert extension identifies when users use their Google password to check in to questionable websites, allowing IT managers to assist users in avoiding phishing attempts.
Administrators may create custom rules to protect against phishing and malware and potentially hazardous links and attachments while receiving emails. Administrators have several alternatives when danger is discovered, depending on the severity of the threat.

As part of the Enterprise plans, administrators can set up rules that require email addresses to be encrypted with S/MIME. For enterprises and individuals exposed to targeted assaults, the Advanced Protection Program includes measures such as enforcing security keys, barring untrusted applications, and boosting email screening.

Microsoft Office 365

Exchange Online Protection, which is included in all Microsoft commercial subscriptions, is supported by Outlook for email security. Your business email is protected against spam, malware, and other known risks with near real-time reporting and message monitoring, enabling you to know the status of each email right away.

You may send encrypted and rights-protected messages to anybody inside and outside your organization, as well as an encrypted email to anyone, independent of their email address, using Microsoft 365 Enterprise's Office 365 Message Encryption. TLS (Transport Layer Security) is a security layer that may be used alongside Message Encryption.

End-users may now manage their Message Encryption by controlling it, encrypting it, and utilizing rights management templates.

Confidentiality and data security

Regardless of size, an organization or a startup must secure its intellectual property, internal data, and customer data, all of which are referred to as "sensitive data." Security and privacy are crucial for organizations for many reasons: preventing data breaches, protecting customers' privacy, and increasing brand image and value are just a few of the many reasons businesses must keep their data safe and secure.

As a result, companies such as Google and Microsoft make considerable efforts to guarantee that the sensitive information entrusted to them remains confidential. Let's see what we can find out about what they're up to.

It's critical to note that these issues do not apply to commercial and enterprise accounts, mainly regarding Google's recent privacy scandal.

Google Workspace provides encryption on many layers to safeguard your data from unwanted access. Administrators can configure a data loss prevention policy (DLP) for Gmail and Drive in Google Workspace to secure sensitive data. Once the policy is in place, administrators may quickly audit critical information-containing files and set up rules to warn or ban users from sharing them. The following is the policy:

Google Vault is an essential tool in the arsenals of Google's Business Plus and Enterprise plans. Google Workspace may be stored, searched for, and exported using Vault, an information governance platform. You may configure Vault to keep data for a certain period before destroying it if you no longer require it. You may also restrict who has access to Vault, ensuring that only those with a genuine business need have access.

Privacy

Microsoft 365 is also not a slouch for data security and privacy. Confidential information may be jeopardized when your employees communicate with outsiders inside and outside the firm. Microsoft's Information Protection solution includes sensitivity labels to help secure sensitive data from unauthorized access.

While we're talking about Microsoft Information Protection, it's a tool for detecting and securing your company's most sensitive data. The Data Loss Prevention policy enables you to identify, monitor automatically, and secure critical information about your users.

With Microsoft Defender for Office 365, you'll be better protected against today's most sophisticated attacks. Microsoft Defender simplifies removing corporate data from lost or stolen devices, prevents unapproved programs from duplicating or storing company data, and governs who has access to company data.

Compliance

Businesses are usually obligated to comply with legal and regulatory requirements for data security to preserve and maintain the privacy of their sensitive information. Fines and penalties for noncompliance may be so severe that enterprises are forced to close their doors if the expense of releasing the data does not justify it.

Because standards apply to all data, including digital data, organizations are afraid that selecting a corporate productivity suite could jeopardize their compliance. Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are required to fulfill a variety of compliance certifications and legislation.

To meet these criteria, Google provides security through third-party audits, certifications, documentation, and legal duties.

The Microsoft 365 Data Abuse and Noncompliance Warnings are available in the company's overall compliance strategy, which is part of the Microsoft 365 compliance center. Their rules are just as stringent as Google's:

Type II & SOC2 Type II user verification

Your network's security is only as good as its weakest link, usually the people who utilize it. As a result of the rise of remote work, many employees increasingly connect to business networks from various devices and places.

Cyber thieves can access your network by gaining login credentials and utilizing them to gain access to your company's network. If you want to make your network secure, you must ensure that only authorized users have access to specified areas of it. Any corporate productivity tool that requires user identification should be used.

As a result, many companies that use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 don't provide all of their employees' access to all applications; some require email, spreadsheets, or a combination of apps. Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 both have their methods for ensuring that employees have secure access to the apps they need to do their jobs:

Google Workspace requires two-factor authentication for all users from the start, which can aid in the detection of illegal logins. When selecting whether to use a mobile device, an employee ID, or a recovery email for login permission, Google examines various security concerns. Suspicious logins are reported to IT administrators to put further security measures in place to protect the user's account.

Administrators can apply strict password policies for all users, mandating passwords of a specified difficulty, the amount and frequency of characters, and the frequency with which passwords must be updated. Administrators can also change a user's password.

Microsoft 365's multi-factor authentication is a powerful tool for protecting user accounts. To authenticate a user's identity, they must have the Microsoft Authenticator software on their mobile device, as well as an email, password, and SMS code.

The same password rules and password reset options are accessible in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.

The capacity to persevere or inability to persevere

When comparing G Suite with Office 365, keeping standards in mind is critical. While the user-friendliness of G Suite may appeal to some, it pales in contrast to the comprehensiveness of Office 365. Office 365 is the most powerful productivity suite on the market today, as well as the industry standard. G Suite may be a better solution for small businesses that want the most basic services. Office 365, on the other hand, is suited for small and medium-sized organizations.

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