Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace for Irish Businesses

The short version

If your business has existing Windows infrastructure, integrates with accounting software, or needs the full Microsoft stack (Teams, SharePoint, Intune, Azure AD), go with Microsoft 365. If you're a newer company, mostly remote, and want simplicity over integration depth, Google Workspace is faster to set up and lower maintenance.

Neither is objectively better. The question is which one fits your team's existing habits and your IT environment.

Pricing (Ireland, 2025)

Prices change, check the Microsoft and Google websites for current Irish euro pricing. Both offer annual and monthly billing, with annual being ~15% cheaper.

The desktop apps question

The single most common reason businesses choose Microsoft 365 over Google Workspace is the desktop versions of Office. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook installed locally. If your staff work with large Excel models, complex Word documents, or need Outlook for calendar integration with on-premise Exchange, the desktop apps matter.

Google Workspace has no desktop apps. Docs, Sheets, and Slides are browser-based only. For most light-to-medium business use this is fine. For power users, financial analysts, legal teams, engineers, the limitations of browser-based spreadsheets and word processing become apparent quickly.

Security and compliance

Both platforms are GDPR-compliant and have EU data residency options. Both support MFA, SSO, and mobile device management.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium adds Defender for Business (endpoint protection), Intune (device management), and Azure AD P1 features like Conditional Access. For Irish businesses with compliance requirements or a distributed workforce on unmanaged devices, Premium is meaningfully more secure than the lower tiers.

Google Workspace's security model is strong but has fewer enterprise controls at the lower tiers. Google Vault (for legal hold and eDiscovery) requires Business Plus or Enterprise.

Integration with Irish business software

This is where Microsoft often wins for established businesses. Sage, Xero, and most Irish accountancy software integrate tightly with Microsoft. Most Windows-based line-of-business applications (from HR systems to construction management software) assume Active Directory for authentication, which maps directly to Azure AD in Microsoft 365.

Google Workspace integrates well with modern SaaS tools and has a strong Zapier/API ecosystem. If your stack is mostly browser-based SaaS, Google works equally well.

Migration considerations

Moving from one platform to the other is a significant project, email migration, contact and calendar migration, file migration from OneDrive to Drive or vice versa, and retraining staff. RAIT recommends choosing carefully upfront and not switching unless there's a compelling reason. The disruption is rarely worth it for incremental gains.