O.365 (E3/E5 + EMS – Enterprise Mobility + Security), GSuite

Familiarity with Microsoft Office 365 plans (E3 and E5) and Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) suite, as well as Google Workspace (formerly GSuite).

Microsoft Office 365 Plans (E3 and E5)

Microsoft Office 365 is a suite of productivity and collaboration tools. The E3 and E5 plans are part of the enterprise offerings, providing different levels of functionality and services.

Office 365 E3

  • Core Services: Includes all Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access) and services (Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams).
  • Email and Calendaring: 100 GB mailbox and custom email domains using Exchange.
  • File Storage and Sharing: 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user.
  • Collaboration Tools: SharePoint for intranet and team sites, and Teams for chat, meetings, and collaboration.
  • Security and Compliance: Information protection (DLP, eDiscovery), message encryption, and basic security management.
  • Device Management: Basic mobile device management (MDM) capabilities.

Office 365 E5

  • All E3 Features: Includes everything in E3, plus additional advanced features.
  • Advanced Security: Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), and security analytics.
  • Advanced Compliance: Advanced eDiscovery, Customer Lockbox, and Privileged Access Management.
  • Analytics Tools: Power BI Pro for data visualization and analytics.
  • Voice Capabilities: Phone System and Audio Conferencing for enterprise voice services through Teams.

Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS)

EMS is a suite designed to help protect and secure an organization’s data and improve workforce productivity. It includes:

  1. Azure Active Directory Premium: Identity and access management, single sign-on (SSO), and multifactor authentication (MFA).
  2. Microsoft Intune: Mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM).
  3. Azure Information Protection: Data classification, labeling, and protection.
  4. Microsoft Cloud App Security: Cloud access security broker (CASB) for monitoring and controlling access to cloud apps.
  5. Advanced Threat Analytics: Detects and investigates advanced threats, compromised identities, and malicious insider actions.

Google Workspace (formerly GSuite)

Google Workspace is a collection of cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools. Key features and plans include:

Core Services

  • Gmail: Professional email with custom domain support.
  • Google Drive: Cloud storage and file sharing.
  • Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides: Web-based productivity apps for document creation, spreadsheets, and presentations.
  • Google Meet: Video conferencing and online meetings.
  • Google Calendar: Shared calendars for scheduling.
  • Google Chat: Team messaging and collaboration.
  • Google Keep: Note-taking and task management.

Plans

  • Business Starter: Basic productivity tools, 30 GB cloud storage per user.
  • Business Standard: Enhanced collaboration tools, 2 TB cloud storage per user, more advanced security and management controls.
  • Business Plus: Additional security and management features, 5 TB cloud storage per user.
  • Enterprise: Advanced security, management, and compliance features, unlimited cloud storage (or 1 TB per user if fewer than 5 users).

Comparison and Usage

  • Office 365 is ideal for organizations heavily reliant on Microsoft applications and needing advanced enterprise features, security, and compliance capabilities.
  • EMS enhances security and device management for Office 365 users, integrating deeply with the Microsoft ecosystem.
  • Google Workspace is suitable for organizations seeking a cloud-native solution with seamless collaboration features, particularly those who prefer Google’s ecosystem.

How to Implement

  1. Assessment: Evaluate the needs of your organization, considering factors such as user count, required features, security needs, and budget.
  2. Plan Selection: Choose the appropriate plans that align with your organization’s requirements.
  3. Deployment: Implement the chosen suite, ensuring proper configuration of user accounts, security settings, and integration with existing systems.
  4. Training: Provide training for users to maximize the benefits of the new tools.
  5. Management and Support: Continuously manage and support the deployed solutions, ensuring updates and security patches are applied and users have access to necessary resources.

Both Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace offer powerful tools for productivity and collaboration, with distinct advantages depending on organizational needs and existing infrastructure.

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