TLDR: Small to medium-sized businesses face cyber threats like malware and phishing. Google Workspace and Microsoft Security offer tools to defend against these threats.
Small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) must defend themselves against cyber threats such as malware and phishing. Both Google Workspace and Microsoft Security offer a variety of tools and strategies to address these needs. Google Workspace provides robust, automated, AI-driven protections, along with ChromeOS security. Meanwhile, Microsoft Security offers a broad suite of tools with a focus on email and collaboration security. SMBs can use these platforms to implement strong defenses, including enhanced safe browsing, login protections, and comprehensive security tools to protect against various cyber attacks. By utilizing the features offered by these providers, SMBs can significantly reduce their risk of becoming victims of malware and phishing attacks.
Google Workspace
- AI-Powered Threat Defense automatically blocks the vast majority of threats, reducing the workload on IT teams and providing significant protection, especially for SMBs that may not have dedicated security staff.
- Enhanced Safe Browsing in Gmail and Chrome adds an extra layer of security to protect users from malicious content.
- ChromeOS Security provides a strong defense against malware and ransomware with features including a read-only OS and blocked executables that prevent malware from running. The fact that ChromeOS has had zero reported ransomware attacks and has never had a virus can be a key benefit for SMBs looking for a low-maintenance and secure endpoint solution.
- Login Protections such as 2-step verification (2SV), session length, and passkeys can prevent unauthorized access.
- Security Tools like the security dashboard and security investigation tool provide insights and help SMBs respond to threats.
Microsoft Security
- Microsoft Defender for Office 365: Protects email and Microsoft Teams from threats like phishing, business email compromise, and ransomware.
- Microsoft Defender XDR: An extended detection and response solution that offers protection across multiple platforms and devices.
- Microsoft Entra ID: Protects access to data and apps with single sign-on, multifactor authentication, and conditional access.
- Multifactor Authentication: Safeguards access and protects user accounts from unauthorized access.
- Internal Email Protection: Limits the impact of phishing attacks.
- Cyberattack Simulation Training: Simulates phishing attacks to train users and help them identify and avoid threats.
- Email and Collaboration Security: Prevents, detects, and remediates phishing attacks targeting email communication.
Both platforms offer a range of features designed to protect against common cyber threats.. Google Workspace is particularly strong in automated AI-driven protections and ChromeOS security, whereas Microsoft Security offers a broader suite of tools focusing on email and collaboration security. SMBs should assess their specific needs and the infrastructure they currently use to decide which platform or combination of platforms would best protect them.
Source: GWS Blog, Microsoft Security.
