From Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace: a high-tech company switches, Intune and Entra ID stay
A high-tech company with around 800 employees moves email, files and collaboration from Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace. Entra ID remains the central sign-in, and the Windows devices stay in Intune. The project plan allows around four months from the inventory to the last migration wave.
- Companies on Microsoft 365 that are reassessing licence costs and platform
- IT teams that don't want to rebuild sign-in and device management
- Organisations with research, development and production across several sites
Why does a high-tech company move away from Microsoft 365?
The company has worked with Microsoft 365 for years: Exchange for email, Teams for meetings, SharePoint and OneDrive for project data. With the price increase in July 2026 (according to Microsoft), the renewal is due, and management has the platform reassessed.
Price alone isn't the deciding factor. The goal is an environment in which research, development and production can work together more easily. At the same time, nothing that works well today should be rebuilt.
The file storage has grown over the years.
SharePoint holds hundreds of project sites with inconsistent permissions, many of them orphaned. A 1:1 copy would only carry the clutter over to a new platform.
Sign-in and devices are to stay.
Entra ID is connected to other business applications, and all Windows devices are managed via Intune. A switch is only an option if both keep running unchanged.
Project profile
How does the switch work?
The migration is planned as a move in waves, not a big bang. A target picture for storage and permissions is created first, so that the data arrives tidied up in Google Drive.
Entra ID is connected as the identity provider: employees sign in as usual, and users and groups are created automatically in Google Workspace. Intune keeps managing the devices unchanged.
Inventory
Mailboxes, data volumes, SharePoint sites and permissions are captured, orphaned areas flagged. Result: a wave plan by department. Three weeks.
Target picture and connection
Shared drives and permission concept, single sign-on via Entra ID, automatic provisioning of users and groups. Two weeks.
Pilot
Around 50 employees from IT, development and administration work productively in Google Workspace. Four weeks.
Migration in waves
Email, calendars and files department by department, coexistence for free/busy times, switch of mail delivery after the last wave. Around seven weeks.
Adoption and operations
Role-based training, a contact person in every department, then operations as a managed service.
Which technology is used?
Google Workspace Enterprise
Email, calendar, Drive, Meet and Chat for all employees; the Business editions are limited to 300 users.
Gemini in Google Workspace
AI assistance in Gmail, Docs, Meet and Drive without an add-on licence.
Microsoft Entra ID
Remains the identity provider: single sign-on and automatic provisioning of users and groups.
Microsoft Intune
Keeps managing the Windows devices unchanged.
Google Workspace Migrate
Transfers email, calendars, contacts and files from Exchange Online, OneDrive and SharePoint.
In Google Workspace Enterprise, data at rest can be pinned to Europe using a data region.
How can progress be measured after four months?
Starting point
- SharePoint structure that has grown over time, with inconsistent permissions
- Rising licence costs after the 2026 Microsoft price increase
- Collaboration across departments with many media breaks
- Entra ID and Intune are a given and should stay
Measures after four months
- All mailboxes and project data are migrated, and mail delivery runs via Google Workspace
- Tidy storage: shared drives with a documented permission concept instead of orphaned project sites
- Sign-in and device management continue unchanged via Entra ID and Intune
Find out in 30 minutes what your switch could look like
- Assessment of your starting point
- Rough estimate of scope and duration
- Next steps
