What does the switch from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 look like?

Five phases over 4–8 weeks for most SMBs: discovery (audit your Google tenant, mailboxes, shared drives, domain configuration); design (target Microsoft 365 tenant with security baseline); pilot (5–10 users live on Microsoft 365 with mail coexistence); cutover (staged migration in evening batches with calendar and contact sync); and hypercare (training, troubleshooting and adoption support). Users keep working in Gmail until their batch cuts over, then they're in Outlook the next morning with all their email, calendar and contacts intact.

Can we keep our Google Drive data?

Yes — and we migrate it into OneDrive (personal files) and SharePoint (shared drives) preserving folder structure, modified dates, version history where possible, and the closest equivalent permission model. Shared Drives map cleanly to SharePoint sites. We also typically run a 30-day overlap period where Google Drive stays read-only so users can grab anything that slipped through, before the Google tenant is decommissioned.

Will we lose any email, calendar items or contacts?

No. Mail (including labels mapped to Outlook folders), calendar (including recurring meetings and delegations), contacts, and Gmail filters mapped to Outlook rules are all migrated. Mail coexistence during cutover means anything sent during the migration window is delivered correctly to either platform — no bounces, no lost messages.

How does Microsoft 365 pricing compare to Google Workspace?

On headline price, Microsoft 365 Business Standard is comparable to Google Workspace Business Standard ($AUD per user per month). The real difference is value: Business Premium includes Defender, Intune and Entra ID P1 — capabilities you'd need third-party tools to get on Google. For most Australian SMBs, switching is cost-neutral on licensing and significantly cheaper on the security stack.

What about our existing custom domain and email addresses?

Your domain comes with you — we update MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records as part of cutover, with overlap windows to prevent delivery issues. All existing email addresses are preserved; users sign into Outlook with the same address they used in Gmail.

Do we need to retrain everyone on the new tools?

We include user training and adoption support in every migration — short live sessions, on-demand video, and floor-walking during cutover week. Outlook, Teams and OneDrive are intuitive enough that most users are comfortable within a fortnight; admin staff and power users get more targeted training on the deeper features.

How long does the whole switch take?

For a 25–100-user organisation, end-to-end is typically 4–8 weeks: 1–2 weeks discovery and design, 1 week pilot, 2–4 weeks production cutover in batches, then 2 weeks hypercare. Larger or more complex environments (300+ users, multiple domains, regulated industries) run longer.

Switch to Microsoft 365 · Mycelium 365

Replace Google Workspace with Microsoft 365 and unlock enterprise security, compliance, and productivity tools purpose-built for Australian businesses.

Switching from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 is the most common email and productivity migration we run for Australian businesses — typically driven by tightening security expectations, cyber-insurance requirements that Google can't easily satisfy, or hitting the limits of what Workspace can do for compliance, endpoint management and document-heavy work. Mycelium 365 handles the full switch end-to-end: domain, mailboxes, calendars, contacts, Drive content, security baseline, devices and adoption — with mail coexistence during cutover so nothing bounces.

Who this is for

Australian SMBs and mid-market organisations on Google Workspace who need stronger security and compliance tooling, full desktop Office apps for accountants/lawyers/analysts, proper management for mixed Windows and Mac fleets, or are preparing for Copilot and Power Platform adoption. Particularly relevant for regulated industries (legal, finance, healthcare) and any business whose insurer or major customer is asking for Essential Eight, ISO 27001 or IRAP-aligned controls.

Why Businesses Are Switching to Microsoft 365

Superior Threat Protection

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 and Defender for Endpoint deliver enterprise EDR, safe attachments and anti-phishing as part of Business Premium — capabilities that cost extra (or aren't available) on Google Workspace.

Full Desktop Applications

Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint as proper desktop apps with offline support and Excel macros — still the standard for accountants, lawyers and analysts working with complex documents.

Unified Endpoint Management

Microsoft Intune manages Windows, macOS, iOS and Android from one console with full configuration and compliance enforcement. Google MDM doesn't come close on Windows or Mac.

Australian Compliance Tooling

Microsoft Purview gives you DLP, eDiscovery, retention, sensitivity labels and audit evidence aligned to the ACSC Essential Eight, IRAP and ISO 27001 — out of the box.

Power Platform Included

Power Automate, Power Apps, Power BI and Copilot Studio are included with most Microsoft 365 licences. Building workflow automation, internal apps and BI dashboards doesn't need a separate vendor or platform.

Copilot & Enterprise AI

Microsoft 365 Copilot is grounded in your Graph data (email, files, Teams, calendar) with enterprise data protection. The depth of integration across the productivity stack is currently unmatched.

Enterprise Scalability

Microsoft 365 scales from 5 to 500,000 users on the same platform, so you never outgrow your IT. The same Conditional Access policy that protects a 25-person firm protects a 25,000-person enterprise.

Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace

FeatureMicrosoft 365Google Workspace

Email & CalendarOutlook with enterprise features, shared mailboxes, delegate access, retention policies and litigation holdGmail with basic calendar sharing and limited shared mailbox functionality

File StorageOneDrive + SharePoint with granular permissions, sensitivity labels, retention and versioningGoogle Drive with limited access controls and basic sharing

Threat ProtectionMicrosoft Defender for Office 365 — safe links, safe attachments, anti-phishing, attack simulation, automated investigationBasic Gmail spam/phishing filtering; advanced threat protection requires add-ons

Endpoint SecurityMicrosoft Defender for Endpoint with EDR, ASR rules, vulnerability management and 24/7 SOC integrationNo native endpoint security — requires third-party EDR

Identity & Conditional AccessEntra ID with Conditional Access, phishing-resistant MFA, PIM and ITDRGoogle Identity with basic SSO and 2-Step Verification; limited conditional access

Device ManagementMicrosoft Intune managing Windows, macOS, iOS and Android with full configuration and complianceGoogle MDM limited to Chrome OS, Android and basic iOS controls

Compliance & eDiscoveryPurview compliance: DLP, eDiscovery, audit, retention, sensitivity labels, IRAP/ISO 27001/HIPAA toolingVault for retention and basic eDiscovery; significantly less granular policy control

Desktop Productivity AppsFull Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook desktop apps with offline support and macrosWeb-only Docs/Sheets/Slides with limited offline support and no macro equivalent

Collaboration & MeetingsMicrosoft Teams with channels, calling, meeting rooms, webinars and Copilot integrationGoogle Meet and Chat — capable, but more siloed from the document layer

Automation & Low-CodePower Platform — Power Automate, Power Apps, Power BI, Copilot Studio — included with most licencesAppSheet (limited equivalent) and Apps Script; no native BI platform

AI & CopilotMicrosoft 365 Copilot grounded in your Graph data across email, files, Teams, with enterprise data protectionGemini for Workspace — capable, but a smaller integrated ecosystem

Australian Data ResidencyData stored in Australian Microsoft data centres (Sydney/Melbourne) with IRAP-assessed services availableData location options limited; less granular Australian-specific compliance tooling

What the Switch Process Looks Like

Four to eight weeks end-to-end for most Australian SMBs, with mail coexistence during cutover so nothing bounces.

Discovery & Tenant Design

Audit your Google Workspace tenant — users, mailboxes, shared drives, groups, domain config, integrated apps. We design the Microsoft 365 target tenant with security baseline, Conditional Access, Intune and SharePoint architecture before touching anything.

Pilot Group

5–10 users (typically a mix of IT, leadership and a power user from each business area) move to Microsoft 365 first with mail coexistence enabled. They use it in anger for 1–2 weeks so any quirks specific to your environment are surfaced at small scale.

Drive & SharePoint Migration

Google Drive personal files migrated into OneDrive, Shared Drives mapped to SharePoint sites preserving folder structure, modified dates, version history and the closest equivalent permission model. Runs in the background ahead of mailbox cutover.

Mailbox Cutover in Batches

Mailboxes cut over in batches of 25–50 users in evening windows. Mail coexistence routes anything sent during the window to the right side; each user signs into Outlook the next morning with all email, calendar and contacts intact.

Domain & DNS Cutover

MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records updated with overlap windows so deliverability is preserved. Domain becomes authoritative on Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace is set read-only for a 30-day grace period.

Training & Hypercare

Live training sessions for Outlook, Teams and OneDrive, on-demand video for self-serve, and a 2–4 week elevated-support hypercare period. Adoption is measured and any laggards are coached individually.

Learn more about our migration methodology

New Microsoft 365 Tenant Setup

Starting fresh? We'll set up your Microsoft 365 tenant with best-practice security, compliance, and governance from day one.

Custom domain configuration and DNS setup

Microsoft Entra ID with Conditional Access policies

Microsoft Defender security baseline

Intune device enrolment and compliance policies

SharePoint Online site architecture

Teams governance and channel structure

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies

User onboarding and training sessions

Last Updated: 21 August 2026

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