"There’s a new confidential mode for setting expiration dates on emails, for example, and you can even block recipients from forwarding, copying, downloading, or printing particular messages. It’s the same information rights management (IRM) that Microsoft originally introduced in Outlook back in 2007.
"Google is also adding improved email phishing detection, two-factor authentication to protect emails, and even the ability to use a more robust offline mode so travelling business users can simply use their regular Gmail tab in a browser without having to worry about connectivity. The biggest visual changes are also aimed at improving productivity for business users in Gmail. There’s a new sidebar which means you can look at calendar appointments side-by-side with emails, and even new quick hover buttons to delete or archive messages without needing to open them.
"...Microsoft is aiming to get two-thirds of its Office business customers over to the cloud (from standalone Exchange and Outlook) over the next 15 months so Google has a major battle ahead for big business. It’s not going to be quick or easy, but Google does have some important advantages over Microsoft. 1.4 billion people are using Gmail, compared to 400 million on Microsoft’s Outlook.com service. Google’s G Suite also dominates in education in the US, alongside Chromebooks, and it has made some impressive inroads in small businesses. Google also has the obvious advantage of its Android platform without Microsoft’s hefty legacy support issues, and of being web-first with its products. All of these advantages should make it easier for Google to entice the next generation of workers and businesses over to G Suite.
"Google might never fully catch Microsoft in enterprise and big business, but that doesn’t really matter. This latest battle is good news for all users of Office 365 or G Suite. It’s the competition that has forced Microsoft to make some changes to Office 365 and Outlook.com to improve its own software and services. Likewise, Google is now improving its own products for businesses. Everyone wins when there’s solid competition, and the war between G Suite and Office 365 is definitely getting a whole lot more interesting."
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