# Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace: Security Compared

Source : https://cybercaribou.com/en/comparisons/microsoft-365-vs-google-workspace-security · Cyber Caribou

> Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Premium vs Google Workspace Business Standard and Plus: access, devices, DLP, archiving and Canadian data residency.

Most small businesses pick Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace for comfort, not security. The bookkeeper won't give up Excel, or the team already lives in Gmail and Chrome. Security comes later, usually when a cyber insurance questionnaire lands or something goes wrong.

Here's the thing: on security, the biggest gap isn't between Microsoft and Google. It's between plan tiers. Putting Business Premium up against Google Workspace Business Standard compares a security bundle with a productivity bundle. So we lined up two plans from each vendor at similar price points.

We compared nine criteria that matter to a Canadian SMB: data location, authentication, conditional access, device management, endpoint protection, email security, DLP, archiving and audit logs. Every value comes from Microsoft's and Google's official pages, checked in October 2026. Prices are in Canadian dollars before tax and can change. This comparison is not sponsored.

## Identity and access: where the gap is widest

All four plans let you enforce multi-factor authentication, including security keys and passkeys, the methods that stand up to phishing. Google even lets admins require a security key or passkey as the only allowed 2-Step Verification method.

The difference is context. Business Premium includes Entra ID P1, which means Conditional Access: block sign-ins from unmanaged devices, require stronger MFA for admins, or shut out countries where you have no staff. Business Standard is limited to security defaults, which are free but one-size-fits-all.

Google's equivalent, Context-Aware Access, isn't available in any Business edition. You need an Enterprise edition, which is priced through sales. For a Mississauga accounting firm that wants to stop staff opening client files on a personal laptop, that's a deal-breaker.

## Devices and endpoints

Business Premium is the only plan of the four that includes endpoint protection: Defender for Business, with vulnerability management, plus Intune Plan 1 to manage laptops and phones. Business Standard gets basic mobile management, and Defender for Business can be bought separately.

Google Workspace Business Plus offers advanced endpoint management for mobile devices: strong passcode enforcement, security policies and Android work profiles. Business Standard stops at fundamental management. None of the Google plans compared here includes antivirus or EDR for computers, so you'll need to buy one, which means another vendor and another console.

## Email, data and archiving

Both vendors filter spam and malware on every plan. Google adds attachment sandboxing from Business Standard up. Microsoft keeps Defender for Office 365 Plan 1, which also scans attachments and links, for Business Premium. Whichever you choose, set up [SPF, DKIM and DMARC](https://cybercaribou.com/en/blog/spf-dkim-dmarc-explained): no plan does it for you.

To stop a social insurance number or a credit card number from leaving by email, only Business Premium includes data loss prevention (DLP) and sensitivity labels. With Google, DLP for Gmail and Drive is reserved for Enterprise editions.

On retention, Business Plus has a real advantage with Vault, which lets you retain, archive and search data, including for litigation. Business Premium gives each user an archive of up to 1.5 TB, plus litigation hold.

## Where does your data live?

Clients and insurers ask this more and more. In its Product Terms, Microsoft commits to storing Exchange mailbox content, SharePoint and OneDrive files and Teams chats at rest in Canada for tenants provisioned in Canada. Its Canadian datacentres are in Quebec City and Toronto.

Google Workspace lets you pick a data region from Business Standard up, but the only options are the United States, Europe or no preference. If you've promised a client Canadian hosting in writing, that rules Google out.

One nuance for firms with Quebec clients: 'in Canada' doesn't mean 'in Quebec'. Quebec's Law 25 requires a privacy impact assessment before personal information is communicated outside the province. Confirm your approach with legal counsel.

## How to choose

1. **Start with your non-negotiables.** Canadian hosting required by contract: Microsoft 365. Team already all-in on Google: stay and move up a tier rather than migrate.
2. **Compare like with like.** If you handle personal information, the real match-up is Business Premium against Business Plus, plus the cost of endpoint protection and, if needed, a Google Enterprise edition.
3. **Count the total cost.** A cheaper plan that needs a separate antivirus, archiving tool and extra console isn't always cheaper.
4. **Plan for configuration.** Included features protect nothing until they're turned on. Our [Microsoft 365 security audit](https://cybercaribou.com/en/blog/microsoft-365-security-audit) and [Google Workspace security audit](https://cybercaribou.com/en/blog/google-workspace-security-audit) guides list the settings to check.

Still deciding, or already committed and want to know whether your settings hold up? Our [Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace audit](https://cybercaribou.com/en/services/microsoft-365-google-workspace-audit) reviews your configuration and gives you a prioritized action plan.

## FAQ

**Can Google Workspace data be stored in Canada?**
Not with standard data regions. According to Google's official help, the options are the United States, the European Union or 'No preference'. Business Standard and Business Plus let you set a single region for the whole organization. If Canadian hosting is a contractual requirement, Microsoft 365 offers it for tenants provisioned in Canada.

**Does Quebec's Law 25 require data to stay in Quebec?**
No, the law doesn't require local hosting. But section 17 requires a privacy impact assessment before personal information is communicated outside Quebec, which covers a data centre in Toronto or the US. If Law 25 applies to your business, document that assessment and confirm your approach with legal counsel.

**Are Microsoft's security defaults enough?**
They're free and they require MFA registration, MFA for administrators and block legacy authentication protocols. That's a sound baseline for Business Standard. Microsoft notes that security defaults are probably not right for organizations with Entra ID P1, as in Business Premium, where Conditional Access allows more precise rules.

**Can we add protections without switching plans?**
Partly. Microsoft sells Defender for Business on its own (CA$4.10 per user per month, annual commitment, per the official site in October 2026), and Exchange Online Archiving can be added to Business Standard. With Google, Context-Aware Access and DLP require an Enterprise edition, which is priced on request.

## Sources

- [Microsoft: Compare Microsoft 365 business plans (Canada)](https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/microsoft-365/business/compare-all-microsoft-365-business-products)
- [Microsoft: Microsoft 365 Business Standard (Canada)](https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/microsoft-365/business/microsoft-365-business-standard)
- [Microsoft: Microsoft 365 Business Premium (Canada)](https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/microsoft-365/business/microsoft-365-business-premium)
- [Microsoft Learn: What is Conditional Access? (license requirements)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/conditional-access/overview)
- [Microsoft Learn: Security defaults in Microsoft Entra ID](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/fundamentals/security-defaults)
- [Microsoft Learn: Passkeys (FIDO2) in Microsoft Entra ID](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/authentication/how-to-authentication-passkeys-fido2)
- [Microsoft Learn: Overview of Basic Mobility and Security](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/security-and-compliance/m365b-devices-basic-mobility-security-overview)
- [Microsoft Learn: What is Microsoft Defender for Business?](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-business/mdb-overview)
- [Microsoft Learn: Exchange Online Archiving service description](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/servicedescriptions/exchange-online-archiving-service-description/exchange-online-archiving-service-description)
- [Microsoft Learn: Data residency commitments in the Product Terms](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/m365-dr-product-terms)
- [Microsoft Learn: Microsoft 365 datacenter locations](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/m365-dr-datacenter-locations)
- [Google Workspace: Pricing (Canada)](https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_ca/pricing.html)
- [Google Workspace Help: Compare Business editions](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/getting-started/editions/compare-business-editions)
- [Google Workspace Help: Choose a geographic location for your data](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/compliance/choose-a-geographic-location-for-your-data)
- [Google Workspace Help: Google Workspace Data Regions (supported editions)](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/compliance/data-covered-by-data-regions)
- [Google Workspace Help: About DLP for Drive](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/security/about-dlp-for-drive)
- [Google Workspace Help: Protect your business with Context-Aware Access](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/security/protect-your-business-with-context-aware-access)
- [Google Workspace Help: Deploy 2-Step Verification](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/security/deploy-2-step-verification)
- [LégisQuébec: Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (P-39.1), s. 17](https://www.legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/document/cs/P-39.1)