Partners & Mobility: Recommending Microsoft or Google

• Partners & Mobility: Recommending Microsoft or Google

  Microsoft and Google are logical places to turn for businesses wishing to adopt a mobility platform.

  Solution providers helping their customers to navigate the mobility waters should not only know the ins and outs of Office 365 and Google Apps, but also their specific client’s makeup to determine the best choice.

  Our one-stop slide show offers a primer on the mobility pros and cons of Office 365 and Google Apps to lead you down the right path.

  Looking for more? Click here for our in-depth report on Microsoft vs. Google or here for our short video on this topic.

  **Source material by Jonathan Feldman**

  Follow senior online managing editor Craig Galbraith on Twitter.

• Partners & Mobility: Introduction

  

• Partners & Mobility: Going Mobile in the Enterprise

  

  Desktops haven’t exactly gone the way of the Dodo … yet. But more workers – Millennials, in particular – would just as soon cut ties to the ball and chain that is the desktop PC and run all of their applications on their phones and tablets. So in comes the enterprise mobility platform — but between Microsoft and Google, which one should partners recommend to their customers? It might vary from one business to another.

• Partners & Mobility: The Office 365 Opportunity

  

  You could argue that Microsoft got off to a slow start in the mobile arms race, but that’s changed dramatically. The software giant has built a mobile and cloud strategy around Office365, which the company recently described at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo as a once-in-a-generation migration opportunity for solution providers. Office365 connects rather easily to Android and iOS, without forcing employees to learn an entirely new set of applications.

• Partners & Mobility: Good News for Microsoft

  

• Partners & Mobility: The Windows 10 Factor

  

  Many offices will weigh the massive, global Windows 10 upgrade into their decision. Microsoft is pushing this as part of its Azure cloud strategy. IT pros tend to shiver in their boots when these upgrades come along, but the challenges and security risks posed by staying with older versions of Windows – or rebelling and leaving the platform entirely – can be worse. Following Redmond’s lead on all fronts might lead to the fewest headaches.

• Partners & Mobility: The Google Advantage

  

  One might argue, however, that the upside for Google is higher because a rapidly growing percentage of employees – 20somethings and 30somethings – are comfortable leaving desktop applications completely in the dust. Consider that, by 2018, half of the American workforce will consist of Millennials. Many of them have grown up, so to speak, on Google Docs, which they’ve been using for free. It’s this group that might just shape the decision.

• Partners & Mobility: Google Apps vs. Office 365 by the Numbers

  

• Partners & Mobility: More Comparisons

  

  No surprise that, based on slide 6, businesses using Microsoft Office are typically larger and their employees skew older. A BetterCloud study revealed that companies using Google Apps are saving 41 percent in costs over on-prem options, while businesses with Office365 save 27 percent.

   

  And both platforms offer significant productivity gains over on-prem options, with those using Google Apps having a slight advantage.

• Partners & Mobility: The Partner’s Approach

  

  So by now, you might have some idea of which platform might be best for a particular client. But go further:

  • Help the client with an end-user strategy. Offer a complete picture of devices that regularly access the network. Ask employees which platform they prefer and what challenges they have.
  • Encourage the customer to consider the productivity benefits that each platform has to offer.

• Partners & Mobility: Visit the Channel Partners Home Page

  
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• Partners & Mobility: Recommending Microsoft or Google

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