Most people who quit M365 for Google do it out of spite, but there’s no ROI in that
Nor are you likely to save much by making the move, says Gartner
Domenico Scriva, a senior principal analyst at Gartner, explained to the firm's IT Symposium event in Australia that those switching from Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace are mostly driven by spite. However, he emphasized that this emotional move does not bring about a return on investment. Scriva stated that Google Workspace is less expensive than Microsoft's popular E5 bundle for Microsoft 365, but lacks telephony, security, business intelligence, and an operating system license.
After accounting for the necessary Google Workspace add-ons, such as Gemini AI, users will pay $2 more per month than the cost of Microsoft's suite.
Scriva suggested that Google Workspace could be more cost-effective when used alongside an Apple Mac or Chromebook. Mac users typically benefit from longer-lasting devices, while Chromebook owners save on hardware costs but face a shorter lifespan of their machines. These financial advantages must be weighed against the complexity of migrating between the two suites, as well as the costs associated with the migration process itself.
Scriva highlighted that dependencies within either ecosystem can complicate the migration process, and the need for user training is often overlooked.
He pointed out instances where Microsoft 365 users have used the prospect of migration as a bargaining chip during negotiations when renewing their contracts with Microsoft. Scriva warned that this tactic is ineffective if employed too late, as Microsoft is aware that a swift transition is not feasible. To avoid such issues, he advised starting migration preparations as soon as a three-year Microsoft 365 deal is signed. The process typically takes at least two years, so starting early is recommended.
Although Scriva believes that AI may soon transform productivity suites, he believes that the current 30-year-old status quo of these tools makes it difficult to identify a compelling reason for switching from one suite to another. AI is currently only in its third wave, with the potential to revolutionize the market by eliminating the need for individual apps like word processors or presentation graphics packages.
Written by urgent.news from The Register's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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