Whether you work in a small- or medium-sized business (SMB), the top hosted email services available for use today are Microsoft's Exchange Online (a component of Office 365) and Google's Gmail (a component of the enterprise platform, G Suite). Both of these productivity suites are cloud-based, accessible from computers or mobile devices, and are priced similarly.
Both products have their share of fans and critics, so which one is the ideal application for your enterprise?
Microsoft Exchange Online
This productivity suite comes in various monthly plans, all of which are affordable enough for businesses of all sizes. Each user will have up to 50 GB of mailbox storage, and everyone can send emails of up to 150 MB in size. Exchange Online will integrate with Outlook, whether it's the desktop app, the mobile device app, or the Web version. This gives users peace of mind since the latest versions of Outlook will be compatible with the last two versions of Exchange.
Exchange 365 features include:
- 24/7 web and phone support
- A web-accessible version of Outlook
- Enterprise-level secure remote access, with an option for multi-factor authentication
- Shared contacts and calendar
- Business class email with a 50 GB inbox for each user
- Personalized email domain address (name@companyname.com)
Security
Exchange 365 protects each inbox with top-notch anti-spam and anti-malware protection to address the risks facing today's enterprises. This app will keep data private so that it will not be used for ad retargeting, making Exchange compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and other compliance regulations. This makes the app an ideal choice for law firms and healthcare organizations, among others.
Sync contacts
Office 365 and its components are supported by FullContact, consistently syncing your Exchange contacts with those in iCloud and Google. Exchange users who activate FullContact can also utilize features such as scanning business cards, adding company information and social accounts to contacts, merging duplicates, and public updates. FullContact is also compatible with Exchange Server 2010, 2013, and 2016.
Google mail or Gmail
Gmail can be found in Google’s G Suite, but Enterprise Gmail is not offered a-la-carte like Microsoft Exchange. G Suite and Exchange have similar monthly subscription plans.
While some users claim that Google Apps offer better online collaboration and user experiences since it was designed with the internet in mind, there may be enterprises that will find Gmail's smaller 30 GB Inbox storage inadequate. More computer users are also more familiar with the Microsoft Office productivity suite, and a lot of business applications today can be integrated with Office.
Gmail features include:
- One account for numerous apps, reducing the number of times you sign in
- One sign-in has access for up to five email accounts
- Users can enable offline access to their documents on computers and mobile devices, and data will be synced when the user is online
- Remarkable data protection measures, automatic backups, and ad-free spam filters
- Personalized email domain address (name@companyname.com)
- Filters and labels for routing emails to various folders or send them to the Trash Bin
App integration
Users can now connect their existing email accounts (Outlook, Hotmail, Yahoo) to Gmail using Google Apps. This lets employees access inbox organization (e.g., the promotions, updates, and social sections) search functions and notifications, and Gmail's own spam protection solutions. Gmail is compatible with third-party email clients like Mozilla Thunderbird, Apple Mail, and Microsoft Outlook.
With one Gmail account, users can join a video conference, dial a phone number, or chat using Google Hangouts.
So which service is best for your business? Reputable managed IT services providers (MSPs) like Complete Technology suggest that employees and organizations that are used to Microsoft Office or have business applications that integrate with it should go with Exchange 365. Android mobile users and Google Apps fans are better off with Gmail.
The experts at Complete Technology can assist SMBs with its solutions for cloud and hosted resources. Our company redefines IT services for customers in Kansas City by letting them focus on their business, not IT distractions. Get in touch with us today for a free consultation to help you make the best business decisions.
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