Small businesses need productivity tools for efficient functioning. These include file sharing, calendar, emails, spreadsheets and other software that can assist with remote collaboration, communication and data organisation. Usually, when a business is starting out, people go with Google – Gmail, Sheets and Google Drive are free and easy to set up and start collaborating. But is Google really the best IT strategy for small businesses?

Google Vs Office365 – Why choose Office365 Apps for small business?

More Functionality

Firstly Office 365 offers an in-built database – Microsoft Access and a publishing tool –Microsoft Publisher both of which are not available in Google. All businesses need to store customer, inventory, financial and other data to generate reports and gain insights. You will also need to publish professional brochures, documents and other marketing material as your business grows. Having all solutions on one platform reduces future spend and makes collaboration easier.

Offline Access

Secondly, Office 365 lets you install and work on a local machine – desktop, tablet or smart phone. This is much more convenient as you can work anywhere, anytime – even when disconnected from the Internet. Google requires an Internet connection, and limits functionality on a mobile browser. Google apps for mobile require different installations for each tool, while Office365 gives you all significant functionality within a single app.

Flexible and Affordable Plans

You can also get much more space from Microsoft (1 TB for OneDrive) compared to just 30GB free space from Google. Google lets you access more space for a hefty price on its single plan business license. Office 365 apps for business, on the other hand, come with a range of pricing plans, letting you cherry pick functionality based on your needs. This flexibility makes it much more affordable and attractive to small businesses.

Many hackers will target small businesses because they know that SMBs don’t have the resources to implement stringent security measures. Vulnerability comes due to both a lack of awareness of existing threats and a perception that the business is too small to be an appealing target. Cyber crime comes in various forms such as:

• Stray viruses slowing down your operations and affecting customer service.
• Competitors using worms to auto click excessively on your Google ads to drive up your ad spend without ROI.
• Network attacks that flood your network with fake customer packets so your server slows down for real customers or worse, shuts down.

Your small business IT support services should include a comprehensive risk assessment, prevention and detection system that can neutralise threats before any damage is done.

IT Cloud Solutions

Small businesses can use cloud computing to remove geographical barriers for greater collaboration. For example:

• Outsource low skilled work (data entry, virtual assistant) to reduce costs
• Collaborate with mentors, business coaches, executives, and other top talent from around the globe.
• Increase employee retention by letting employees work remotely.
• Launch in new markets more efficiently.

The sky is the limit if you can harness the power of cloud computing. A small business IT support service can assist you in selecting, installing, using and maintaining your IT cloud so that you can conduct your business safely and efficiently.

Small businesses play a crucial role in the Australian economy. They create new jobs, diversify available products and services, encourage competition and boost local markets. With many years of experience providing IT support to companies in Melbourne and Sydney, you can trust that your IT is in safe hands!