14 DAY TRIAL // The race between Microsoft and Google continues, this time with a move made by the latter that’s supposed to bring in more customers looking for a more affordable productivity suite.
It’s not a secret that Microsoft has been pushing hard for Office 365 subscriptions in the last couple of years, and so far the plan seems to be working very well, but Google, which is also betting big on this side of the business, is now targeting Redmond’s very own customers with a very special offer.
SFGate is reporting that a new campaign involving Google for Work is offering companies and governments currently using Office 365 the chance to switch sides without paying a single cent until their Microsoft subscription comes to an end.
Basically, if your organization still has two years of subscription for Microsoft Office, you can move to Google for Work and the search company will let you use their productivity solutions without paying a single cent in the next 24 months. Afterwards, you can negotiate special deals which Google plans to have at least the same price as Microsoft’s Office 365.
Currently limited to the United States
For the moment, Google’s new offer is limited to the United States and runs for the next six months, but according to the aforementioned source, the company is already planning to bring it in other countries in the coming weeks.
There’s also a catch, though: if your organization has more than 3,000 users, you won’t be able to switch to Google for Work without paying for the productivity services. But yet, this is still a very appealing offer, because it’s estimated that Google would cut its revenues by up to $360,000 (320,000 Euro) per year in the case of a company with 3,000 employees switching from Office 365 to its own services.
And as if that wasn’t enough, Google also plans to pay approximately $75,000 (69,000 Euros) to companies making the change from Office 365 in order to make the transition more affordable.
Obviously, Microsoft just can’t sit and watch customers jumping ship, so expect the Redmond-based software giant to offer an answer anytime soon. Office is currently the company’s number one cash cow, with revenues of $23.5 billion (19.5 billion Euro) reported for FY2014.