Office 365 vs Google Docs From a Security Perspective

Numerous factors go into choosing a cloud platform for an organization. Among these, we can count things such as access, design, functionality, and, of course, security. As the business landscape becomes more digitized with every passing day, the threat of cybercrime is growing ever more real. By choosing a platform that will best suit the security needs of your organization, will go a long way in safeguarding your data and processes.

Among the most popular and widely used of these cloud platforms for business, we can consider Microsoft Office 365 and Google Docs, or officially known as Google G Suite. Of the two, Office 365 is older and more commonly used among businesses, providing the familiarity and ease of use of Windows apps. The G Suite, on the other hand, is newer and on an almost equal footing with Office 365 when it comes to security.  Each of them has its abilities and will probably be a better fit, depending on what you look for.

G Suite vs. Office 365 Security Features

Data Monitoring & Protection

Regarding data monitoring and protection, Google controls its entire hardware stack. It means that it can address and block security threats quickly. G Suite also offers full data encryption, while its machine learning capabilities help to detect threats more efficiently. When it comes to user data protection, G Suite focuses on malware threats in terms of infection prevention.

Office 365, on the other hand, offers an email filtering service that targets advanced spam and malware viruses. These include malicious URLs with various phishing traps and other similar infections. This platform is more focused on overall cloud security. Data encryption is also a top priority.

Compliance Management

Concerning compliance management, Google has strong user contracts that ensure their compliance environments are maintained.

That said, the platform is compliant with the following certifications:

Office 365, on the other hand, has over 900 controls built in its compliance framework. It helps the platform stay on top of every development and industry compliance standards. Besides, a team of compliance specialists track all of these regulations and helps build them into their programs.

Office 365 compliance certifications:

 

User Access

G Suite had faced some challenges in the past since it had a minimal set of security management features. And even if it has made some strides more recently, companies should still review G Suite’s user controls to make sure that it suits their respective industry. Nevertheless, admins can more easily manage user accounts, user permissions, and control access.

With Office 365, user control is built into every section. Admins have full control of security policies surrounding content sharing and external users. It allows them to create customized policy infrastructures with unique security demands based on their organization. If implemented correctly, this dramatically increases cloud security.

Automatic Updates

Regarding software and system updates, both the G Suite and Office 365 offer a seamless experience, automatically weeding out any weak security issues. Office 365 used to have a problem with this, but since it has become fully integrated into the cloud, this is no longer an issue.

Takeaway

When it comes to the bottom line, both the G Suite and Office 365 have well put together security infrastructures. And while both platforms can be useful for companies, there is one final point to consider - namely data privacy.

While Microsoft has made it clear that they will not scan user data and make it available to third parties for advertisement purposes, the same thing cannot be said about Google. And with Microsoft's years of experience in optimizing security strategies and patching up security vulnerabilities, it makes Office 365 a better candidate.

If you are interested in migrating to Office 365, Managed Solution is here to help.

We provide a hands-on discovery of the Microsoft Suite of products through a Customer Immersion Experience. We’d love to host a CIE on-site or at our headquarters for you to learn more.  We supply all the hardware and software for you to demo the tools interactively with a group. Contact us to learn more.

What Are the Security Features of Office 365?

With more and more companies embracing cloud computing, the long-held misconception that it isn't secure is fading away. If you are already using Office 365 or are intending to do so, know that it has numerous security features that can help you out.

And as cyber crime is evolving, Microsoft is continuously bringing in new features to bolster its users' safety. There is no such thing as being too safe when it comes to the digital environment and, for this reason; Microsoft Office 365 is a great choice to protect your organization and its data.

That said, there are several such features.

Advanced Threat Protection

Ransomware is at an all-time high, being spread by malicious links and various other email attachments. To make matters worse, these are becoming increasingly sophisticated and realistic, making it difficult even for the more tech-savvy among us to tell the difference.  The Advanced Threat Protection feature will significantly improve security by stopping those links and attachments from making it into the users' inboxes, in the first place.

It does this by opening them in a virtual environment, separate from your environment, and checks them for any malicious activity. It is done before they are sent to the inbox, and if there are threats discovered, they will not infect your system.

Outlook Email Encryption

Email interception is a preferred way for many cybercriminals to get their hands on sensitive information. But with Outlook's end-to-end encryption, hackers will have a much harder time intercepting emails.

The process works by requiring all non-Outlook recipients to choose between single-use passcode or re-authentication when opening an email from an Outlook sender. Outlook-to-Outlook email exchange, on the other hand, will not require any further action, regardless of device or operating system.

Azure Active Directory Identity Protection

Detecting a compromised account is nearly impossible until the damage is done. But the Azure Active Directory Identity Protection feature will be able to identify and prevent hackers from getting in, in the first place. The system uses machine learning  (ML) to understand the daily processes and activities of your organization, red flagging any unusual behavior.

It can detect multiple log-ins that happen in quick succession or from various locations. It also learns the usual times of log-ins, highlighting any deviations from that pattern. Once a threat is detected, the person attempting to log-in may be asked to perform multi-factor authentication, an ID verification, or prevent them from signing in altogether.

Mobile Device Management and Microsoft Intune

Mobile device management (MDM) is about controlling access to your company's data. The built-in MDM feature of Office 365 helps companies where employees are only able to access email from company-issued devices.

For a higher degree of control, however, and if your employees will be accessing more than email or using their devices, there is also the Microsoft Intune feature. It will give you a greater deal of control concerning how data is used on mobile devices. For instance, you can restrict the possibility to copy data from a managed to a non-managed app.

Takeaway

All of these features and others more will help ensure the safety of your organization against cybersecurity threats when using Office 365. If you want to learn more or know how to utilize them to their fullest effect, our specialized consultants are at your service.

We provide a hands-on discovery of the Microsoft Suite of products through a Customer Immersion Experience. We’d love to host a CIE on-site or at our headquarters for you to learn more.  We supply all the hardware and software for you to demo the tools interactively with a group. Contact us to learn more.