Google Workspace + EDR + MDM vs Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Microsoft 365 Business Premium puts email, device management and endpoint security into one licence at $22 per user. The same coverage can be built from Google Workspace, a dedicated EDR and a cross platform MDM instead. NetNXT deploys and manages both, across Windows, Mac and Linux fleets.
Which one is right depends on what your team actually works on. If your fleet is all Windows, the Microsoft bundle is hard to beat. If you run Macs, Linux machines or a mix of both, this page shows exactly where the bundle falls short and what it costs to close the gap.
How to Choose Between Google Workspace + EDR + MDM and Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Four things decide this in almost every evaluation we run. Work through them in order and the answer usually becomes obvious before you look at price.
Start with your device mix, not your email preference
What your people work on predicts the answer better than anything else.
- Mostly Windows, one office: Microsoft 365 Business Premium fits well. Microsoft Intune and Microsoft Defender for Business were built for that environment first.
- Mac and Windows mixed, or any Linux: Intune manages Macs, but with far less depth than Windows. Linux servers are not covered by the bundle at all.
- Design, dev or creative teams: a dedicated MDM and EDR treat macOS and Linux as first class instead of as a secondary agent.
Decide how deep your security bar really is
Included and sufficient are two different tests. Check the bundle against the control you are audited on.
- Baseline protection is enough: Microsoft Defender for Business gives you next gen antivirus, basic EDR, attack surface reduction and vulnerability management in the licence. Strong value for a small IT team.
- You need best of breed detection: a specialist EDR adds behavioural AI detection, one click ransomware rollback and threat hunting, with stronger Mac coverage than Defender.
- You want defence in depth: keeping your productivity vendor and your security vendor separate means one platform issue does not take out both layers.
Check what each licence tier actually includes
Most surprises in this comparison come from tier boundaries, on both sides.
- On Google: Business Standard includes Gmail, Drive with 2 TB pooled per user and Gemini across all apps. Endpoint management is at the fundamental level, and Google Vault for legal hold and eDiscovery starts at Business Plus.
- On Microsoft: Business Premium includes Microsoft Entra ID P1, Intune and Defender for Business, and now adds Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1. Microsoft 365 Copilot is a paid add on at around $21 per user per month.
- On both: the business tiers cap at 300 users. Past that you move to Enterprise on either side, which changes your cost base, so model it early if you are growing fast.
Be honest about who will run it day to day
Licences are the cheap part. Configuration, tuning and response are where the real cost and risk sit.
- One vendor, one bill, one console is a real advantage. That is Business Premium's strongest argument and we say so to clients regularly.
- Multiple tools only pay off when someone owns them. Policy design, alert triage and rollback decisions need an owner. Unmanaged, a best of breed stack performs worse than a well configured bundle.
- Where NetNXT fits: we run the multi vendor stack as one managed service, so your team never learns four consoles. We deploy and support Business Premium with the same rigour, if that is the better fit for your environment.
Feature Comparison: What You Get in Each Stack
Capability by capability, at the tiers most SMB and mid market buyers evaluate. Gaps are marked on both sides so you can see exactly where each stack needs a top up. NetNXT deploys and supports both columns below.
| Capability | Multi-vendor stack Google Workspace + EDR + MDMBusiness Standard tier | Single-vendor bundle Microsoft 365 Business PremiumBusiness Premium tier |
|---|---|---|
| Business email and calendar | Gmail and Google CalendarFull featured business mail and shared calendars. Mailbox migration effort applies when moving from Exchange. | Exchange Online50 GB mailbox per user, rising to 100 GB from August 2026, with Outlook on desktop and web. |
| Office and productivity apps | Docs, Sheets and Slides, web firstWorks offline in Chrome but there is no installed desktop suite. Heavy Excel users may struggle. Some firms keep a handful of apps only Microsoft 365 licences alongside. | Desktop Office plus webInstalled Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. Still the strongest option for complex spreadsheets and macros. |
| Cloud storage | 2 TB pooled per user on DriveTwice the storage and pooled across the organisation, so heavy users can draw more without buying add ons. | 1 TB OneDrive per userPlus SharePoint team sites. Fixed per user allocation rather than pooled. |
| Video conferencing | Google Meet, 150 participantsRecording to Drive included. Enough for typical SMB meetings and training sessions. | Microsoft Teams, 300 participantsLarger meeting capacity and deeper chat and channel collaboration built in. |
| Identity, SSO and MFA | Google identity plus JumpCloudMFA, SSO to SAML apps and security keys. Context aware access is limited at Business Standard, so we add the JumpCloud Device and Identity tier when you need conditional access parity. | Microsoft Entra ID P1Conditional access, SSO, MFA and self service password reset. The benchmark for Windows centric identity. |
| Device management for Windows | JumpCloud MDMFull Windows policy control, patching, software deployment and remote assist from one console. | Microsoft IntuneMature and deeply integrated with Entra ID. The strongest Windows management on the market. |
| Device management for macOS | Mac first MDMZero touch enrolment, full policy enforcement and patching for Macs, treated the same as Windows rather than as an afterthought. | Intune, limited on MacMac support exists but policy depth is noticeably narrower than Windows. This is the most common pain point we hear from mixed fleet teams. |
| Endpoint security and EDR | SentinelOne Singularity CompleteAutonomous AI detection and response, one click ransomware rollback and threat hunting, with support across Windows, macOS and 13 plus Linux distributions. | Microsoft Defender for BusinessEndpoint protection with basic EDR included in the licence. Windows coverage is deepest. Detection maturity on macOS and Linux is generally rated behind specialist vendors. |
| Data loss prevention | Safetica endpoint DLPControls USB and removable media, printing, screenshots, cloud uploads and email on both Mac and Windows. Broader than the basic Microsoft 365 policies and not tied to one SaaS platform. | Basic Purview DLPCovers Exchange email and Office documents. Advanced endpoint DLP for removable media and third party cloud apps needs the Microsoft Purview add on at around $10 per user. |
| Email security and anti phishing | Gmail built in protectionSpam and phishing filtering rated best in class out of the box. Advanced attachment sandboxing sits in higher Google tiers. | Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1Safe Links, Safe Attachments and anti phishing policies, now included in Business Premium. Powerful once configured properly. |
| Archiving and eDiscovery | Not in Business StandardGoogle Vault starts at Business Plus. If you have a legal hold or eDiscovery requirement, we price that tier in rather than leaving the gap open. | IncludedLitigation hold and basic retention through Microsoft Purview. A clear win for the bundle if legal hold is a standing requirement. |
| AI assistant | Gemini includedAvailable across Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet at no extra cost on Business Standard. | Copilot not includedMicrosoft 365 Copilot Business is sold separately at around $21 per user per month, which nearly doubles the licence cost if you want it. |
Plan contents reflect what each vendor publishes at the time of writing. Both revise their tiers periodically, so we confirm current entitlements during your assessment.
How Much Does Each Stack Cost Per User?
List pricing per user per month on an annual commitment — the plain arithmetic, core licence and fully loaded.
| Component | Google Workspace + EDR + MDM Multi-vendor stack | Microsoft 365 Business Premium Single-vendor bundle |
|---|---|---|
| Productivity and email licence | $14.00 Google Workspace Business Standard | $22.00 Includes EDR and MDM below at no extra cost |
| Endpoint security and EDR | $2.00 SentinelOne Singularity Complete | Included Microsoft Defender for Business |
| Device management and MDM | $7.00 JumpCloud, all operating systems | Included Microsoft Intune |
| Endpoint DLP | $3.00 Safetica or equivalent, optional | $10.00 Microsoft Purview add on, optional |
| AI assistant | Included Gemini across all apps | $21.00 Microsoft 365 Copilot Business add on, optional |
| Core licence total Email, EDR and MDM, per user per month | $23.00 | $22.00 |
| Total with endpoint DLP and AI assistant Add the two optional rows above, per user per month | $26.00 | $53.00 |
Treat this as a starting model, not a quote. List prices shift, volume and partner discounts apply, and your real number moves with user count, device mix and which components you keep or drop. Endpoint DLP and the AI assistant are priced separately because they are optional add ons on both sides. Add Google Vault for legal hold and the Google Workspace side moves up too. NetNXT builds your exact figure during the assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a Windows first company with a moderate security bar, often you should not — Business Premium is the right fit. The case changes with a mixed fleet. Defender for Business is deepest on Windows, thinner on macOS, and does not cover Linux. Intune follows the same pattern on device management. A specialist EDR and a Mac first MDM bring every device to the same standard, instead of strong protection on some and baseline on the rest.
No, and it's the most common misreading of the plan. Business Standard covers Gmail, Docs, 2 TB pooled storage, Meet for 150 people and Gemini. Endpoint management here is fundamental only — passcode enforcement and remote wipe, not full policy control. Advanced endpoint management, Vault and DLP all sit at Business Plus or above. That is why this stack adds a dedicated MDM and endpoint DLP rather than assuming the base plan covers them. Legal hold requirement? We price Business Plus in from the start.
Unmanaged, yes. Four consoles, four renewal dates and four support queues is real overhead, and a badly configured best of breed stack is less safe than a well configured bundle. NetNXT consolidates licensing, policy design, patching, alert triage and incident response into one managed service, whether you run the multi vendor stack or Business Premium. Your team sees one point of contact either way.
Yes. If your business runs on complex Excel models, macros, Access or deep SharePoint and Power Platform integration, Microsoft 365 is the better productivity fit. The more useful move then is adding a specialist EDR, a Mac capable MDM or endpoint DLP alongside Microsoft 365, not replacing it — you keep the apps the business depends on and close the gaps that matter for your device mix.
At the core licence, email plus EDR plus MDM, the two are close: $23 for Google Workspace with a dedicated EDR and MDM against $22 for Business Premium, which already bundles Defender and Intune. The gap opens with the add ons. Gemini is included free on Google Workspace, so adding endpoint DLP takes that stack to $26. On Microsoft, endpoint DLP through Purview and Copilot Business add $31 between them, taking the full bundle to $53. Which premium is worth paying depends on your compliance bar and how many people actually need an AI assistant.
A typical 100 user migration runs four to six weeks, phased so nobody loses email. Mail, calendar and contacts move on a staged cutover, OneDrive and SharePoint data moves to Drive with permissions mapped across, and EDR and MDM agents deploy quietly before the switch, so protection is already live on day one. Domain cutover happens in a planned weekend window, with your Microsoft tenant kept in read only mode afterwards.
Yes, and it's common. Finance teams and anyone living in complex spreadsheets often keep an apps only Microsoft 365 licence for desktop Excel while the rest of the company runs on Google Workspace. EDR, MDM and DLP are vendor agnostic, so protection stays the same regardless of which suite a user is on. It costs a little more per head and removes the biggest objection to moving.
It covers the endpoint and access controls those frameworks ask for, which is usually where audits get difficult. MDM gives you a verifiable device inventory with enforced encryption and patch status. EDR provides detection, response and an audit trail. Endpoint DLP addresses the removable media and cloud upload controls DPDP and ISO 27001 expect. What no licence gives you is documented policy and access reviews — that is people and process work, worth budgeting for separately.
Not Sure Which Stack Fits Your Business?
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