not all clouds are created equal - lp.google-mkto.com · air®), some of rameed’s colleagues...

Not all clouds are created equal: a comparison of Google Docs and Microsoft Word Online October 2016

See REAL-TIME CHANGES

in up to

96%

LESS TIMEwith Google DocsEXPERIENCE

FEWER ERRORS

88%

LOWER ERROR RATESwith Google Docs1

Not all clouds are created equalA comparison of Google Docs and Microsoft Word Online

In today’s competitive marketplace, timely collaboration is essential for success. Working together ensures that your products incorporate the best ideas from your team—and using a tool that lets you exchange content quickly is crucial. It facilitates the collaborative process and can help you beat your competition to the punch. Both Google and Microsoft® claim to offer real-time editing functionality with G Suite and Microsoft Office 365®.

But what does “real time” actually look like to the people using these products?

Here at Principled Technologies, we investigated how well Google Docs™ and Microsoft Word Online really work so that customers can be better informed when choosing a collaboration solution.

A Principled Technologies report: Hands-on testing. Real-world results.

Not all clouds are created equal: a comparison of Google Docs and Microsoft Word Online October 2016 | 2

Share a document via email in up to

55%less time

with Google Docs Safari on OS X laptops3.1 sec 1.9 sec

Chrome on OS X laptops2.0 sec3.7 sec

Edge on Windows 10 laptops2.5 sec3.4 sec

Chrome on Windows 10 laptops2.1 sec4.8 sec

Create a new document in up to

48%less time

with Google DocsSafari® on an OS X laptop

3.6 sec 2.2 sec

Chrome on an OS X® laptop2.4 sec3.9 sec

Edge™ on a Windows 10 laptop3.2 sec5.8 sec

Chrome™ on a Windows® 10 laptop2.0 sec3.9 sec

Word Online Google Docs

On your mark, get set, GO!In the Principled Technologies client test environment, we conducted a series of hands-on experiments using laptop computers and smartphones running multiple operating systems, browsers, and apps. Through these tests, we found that Google Docs provided a faster collaboration experience with fewer errors than Microsoft Word Online. Less time waiting and figuring out workarounds for technical roadblocks translates to more time for your team to work creatively and solve problems.

The clock is ticking…As the following scenarios illustrate, when Google Docs helps you and your colleagues accomplish real-time editing tasks faster than Microsoft Word Online, collaborating is easier.

Get stronger proposals out the doorRameed works for a large research corporation. He’s coordinating a proposal-writing effort with colleagues at three different sites. Some sections of the proposal have a single author and others are joint efforts between two or more team members. All of the contributors use Google Docs regularly as part of G Suite.

Rameed initiates the project by creating a new document and then sharing it with his collaborators via email. As the data below shows, regardless of the operating system, browser, or device he used, Rameed would be able to complete these two tasks more quickly with Google Docs than with the Word Online component of Microsoft Office 365—which would take up to twice as long.


Display an inserted 58KB table in up to

31%less time

with Google Docs

Display an inserted 2MB image in up to

38%less time

with Google Docs

Chrome on Windows 10 laptops6.1 sec 3.8 sec

Edge on Windows 10 laptops4.1 sec6.5 sec

Chrome on OS X laptops6.0 sec 4.3 sec

6.0 sec

Safari on OS X laptops4.1 sec


Safari on OS X laptops2.4 sec 2.4 sec



Edge on Windows 10 laptops2.7 sec 1.9 sec

As soon as Rameed’s colleagues are granted edit rights to the document, they can begin to use the real-time editing capabilities of Google Docs. As they prepare their sections of the proposal, they insert text, tables, and images into the master file.

Our results show what would happen when the proposal authors inserted a 2MB image, about the size of an average smartphone photo, into the doc. The time elapsed between when person A inserts an image and when person B on a different system is able to see it was shorter with Google Docs on all four operating system (OS)/browser combinations—up to 38 percent shorter.

As the data below shows, the time elapsed when inserting a 58KB table was shorter with Google Docs on three of the four OS/browser combinations we tested—and the same on the fourth.

When you’re waiting for a colleague’s changes to appear in a document you’re editing simultaneously, every second of delay makes a noticeable difference. Being able to see each other’s real-time edits more quickly with Google Docs can make the collaboration process much more fluid and useful.

Note that Word Online did not allow us to upload larger, hi-res images, while Google Docs did. We’ll discuss this more in our section on errors.


Our results show that when using a native browser (e.g. Edge on a Windows 10 notebook and Safari on a MacBook Air®), some of Rameed’s colleagues would encounter problems when attempting to enter 100 KB of text (roughly 50 pages).2

In our tests, we had no issues inserting this text block using Chrome on Windows 10 and OS X. Both Google Docs and Word Online completed the task, with Google Docs taking up to 55 percent less time to display the text.

Word Online consistently produced errors using the Edge browser on Windows 10 and couldn’t complete the task, while Google Docs was successful. We saw the opposite with Safari on OS X—Word Online was successful where Google Docs wasn't. This surprised us, because we had no problem inserting much larger amounts of text in Google Docs on Safari, as our results on page 6 show.

Display 100KB of inserted text in up to

55%less time

with Google Docs Safari on OS X laptopserror11.3 sec !


Edge on Windows 10 laptopserror ! 6.3 sec


When every second countsStephanie, a sales rep, is building a relationship with a large company she's hoping to close a deal with. As she presents her business strategy, her colleague, Jonathan, follows along in the Google Doc. He realizes that the CEO's name is misspelled on the second page. Jonathan is able to quickly fix the error before Stephanie scrolls to that point in her presentation, narrowly avoiding an awkward moment!


Share a document via email on mobile devices in up to

76%less time

with Google Docs

iOS app to iOS app

9.4 sec 2.9 sec

2.3 sec10.0 sec

Android™ app to Android app


Keep everyone on the same pageDylan, a press secretary, spends most days dashing from one event to another. He frequently uses Google Docs on his Android phone to work on speeches and press releases. As Dylan inserts text and images into these materials, his coworkers see his changes up to 30 seconds sooner than they would had they been using Word Online.

As our testing shows, a paragraph that Dylan inserts using Google Docs on his phone shows up for his colleagues in about a second, compared to almost half a minute on Word Online. Images he inserts also show up in a fraction of the time.

Display an inserted paragraph in up to

96%less time

with Google DocsAndroid app to Safari on an OS X laptop

27.3 sec 1.1 sec

Android app to Chrome on an OS X laptop1.0 sec27.6 sec

Android app to Edge on a Windows 10 laptop1.1 sec27.6 sec

Android app to Chrome on a Windows 10 laptop1.0 sec31.3 sec


81%less time

with Google Docs Android app to Safari on an OS X laptop28.8 sec 5.3 sec





41%less time

with Google DocsAndroid app to Safari on an OS X laptop

54.2 sec 31.6 sec






When errors happenWhen collaborating with colleagues, faster is better, but functionality is also crucial. As we mentioned earlier, our testing revealed a number of tasks that Google Docs could handle but Word Online could not.

The data below shows that Google Docs let us insert very large amounts of text with all four OS/browser combinations on laptops; Word Online did not. As the third table shows, on every platform we tested, Google Docs let us insert a very large image and Word Online didn’t.

Insert 500 KB of text

Safari on OS X laptops

Chrome on OS X laptops

Edge on Windows 10 laptops

Chrome on Windows 10 laptops


!

!

!

!

Insert 1 MB of text






!

!

!

!

Insert a 22MB image






!

!

!

!


Conclusion: Real-time editing should solve more problems than it creates Online collaboration solutions are a fantastic way for colleagues to work together—assuming the tools are speedy. When you’re collaborating in real time on a document, even minor lags are noticeable and can take much longer than a few seconds to resolve. Delays annoy and frustrate everyone and can leave workers wondering if they’d be better off doing things the ”old-fashioned” way—taking turns editing and emailing the file around.

In our testing, collaborating on a document using Google Docs was largely a smooth and seamless experience, with changes one user made showing up very quickly for other users. When we attempted the same editing tasks using Microsoft tools, we encountered much longer wait times—up to 30 times as long. We also ran into far more situations where Microsoft couldn’t handle the amount of text or the size of the image; Word Online produced error messages in over 22 percent of our test runs. These delays and roadblocks could be disruptive to the collaborative experience and could even make workers reluctant to use the tools.

Want to try out the tests yourself? Follow the methodologies at the end of this report.

This is the first report in our five-part series that examines the performance of collaboration and productivity tools from G Suite and Microsoft Office 365. Read the entire series for a complete picture of how the cloud you choose can affect your business.

Additional reports in the “Not all clouds are created equal” series:

A comparison of Google Drive™, Microsoft OneDrive® for Business, and SharePoint® Online

A comparison of Google Hangouts™ and Skype™ for Business

A comparison of Gmail™ and Outlook®

A comparison of Google Sites™ and Microsoft SharePoint Online

1 We calculated error rates based on the total number of runs for all the tasks on laptops included in the report. We did not encounter any errors on mobile devices.

2 We report an error if we were unable to complete the task on three consecutive runs.

http://facts.pt/pXCZuf

http://facts.pt/gh24hC

http://facts.pt/MnjwGU

http://facts.pt/Kwn98T


On June 9, 2016, we finalized the hardware and software configurations we tested. Updates for current and recently released hardware and software appear often, so unavoidably these configurations may not represent the latest versions available when this report appears. For older systems, we chose configurations representative of typical purchases of those systems. We concluded hands-on testing on June 13, 2016.

On September 29, 2016, Google rebranded Google Apps for Work as “G Suite.” We completed our testing prior to that rebranding.

Appendix A – What we testedThe table below shows the system information for the mobile devices we tested.

System Apple® iPhone® 6s Plus Google Nexus™ 6P

Processor

Vendor Apple Qualcomm®

Model number A9 + M9 coprocessor Snapdragon™ 810

Core frequency 1.85 GHz 1.95 GHz + 1.55 GHz

Number of cores 2 8 (4 + 4)

Memory

Amount 2 GB (built-in onboard) 3 GB (built-in onboard)

Type LPDDR4 LPDDR4

Graphics

Vendor Imagination Technologies® Qualcomm

Model number PowerVR® GT7600 Adreno™ 430

Storage

Amount 64 GB 64 GB

Type NAND Flash NAND Flash

Connectivity

Wireless internet 802.11ac (802.11a/b/g/n compatible) 802.11ac (802.11a/b/g/n compatible)

Cellular LTE Advanced LTE Advanced

Bluetooth 4.2 4.2

Battery

Type Lithium-polymer Lithium-polymer

Size Integrated Integrated

Rated capacity 10.45 Wh 13.11 Wh

Display

Size 5.5” 5.7”

Type LED-backlit widescreen Multi-Touch AMOLED widescreen Multi-Touch

Resolution 1080 x 1920 1440 x 2560



Camera

Front-facing 5MP 720p FaceTime® HD 8MP

Rear-facing 12MP iSight® 12.3MP

Operating system

Vendor Apple Google

Name iOS Android

Build number or version 9.3.2 6.0.1

Dimensions

Height 6.23” 6.27”

Width 3.07” 3.06”

Depth 0.29” 0.28”

Weight 6.77 oz. 6.27 oz.

The table below shows the system information for the laptops we tested.

System Apple 13” MacBook Air (Early 2015) Lenovo™ ThinkPad® X1 Carbon

Processor

Vendor Intel® Intel

Model number Core™ i5-5250U Core i7-6600U

Core frequency 1.6GHz (up to 2.7GHz Turbo Boost) 2.6GHz (up to 3.4GHz Turbo Boost)

Number of cores 2 2

Cache 3MB L3 4MB L3

Memory


Type LPDDR3 LPDDR3

Speed 1600 MHz 1866 MHz

Integrated graphics

Vendor Intel Intel

Model number HD Graphics 6000 HD Graphics 520

Storage

Amount 256 GB 256 GB

Type PCIe-based flash PCIe NVMe™ SSD



Connectivity/expansion


Bluetooth 4.0 4.1

USB 2 x 3.0 3 x 3.0

Thunderbolt 2 x 2 N/A

Video N/A 1 x HDMI®, 1x Mini DisplayPort

Battery


Size Integrated 4-cell

Rated capacity 54 Wh 52 Wh

Display

Size 13.3” 14”

Type LED-backlit glossy widescreen display LED IPS

Resolution 1440 x 900 1920 x 1080

Touchscreen No No

Operating system

Vendor Apple Microsoft

Name OS X El Capitan Windows 10 Pro

Build number or version 10.11.4 1511, OS Build 10586.318

Camera

Front-facing 720p FaceTime HD 720p

Dimensions

Height 0.11” to 0.6” 0.6”

Width 12.8” 13.1”

Depth 8.94” 9.00”

Weight 2.96 lb. 2.58 lb.


Appendix B – How we testedAbout our testingNetwork infrastructureWe used two of each device under test. We connected the two devices in each pair to separate wireless networks. The devices were connected to the 5GHz band of identical, 802.11ac-based TP-Link AC1750 wireless routers. We configured each router identically but set them to use different channels, to ensure minimum traffic from nearby networks.

Devices• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Windows 10)• Apple 13” MacBook Air (OS X El Capitan)• Google Nexus 6P (Android 6.0.1)• Apple iPhone 6s Plus (iOS 9.3)

OS and browser versions• OS X El Capitan

• Chrome 51.0.2704.84• Safari 9.1.1

• Windows 10• Chrome 51.0.2704.84• Edge 25.10586.0.0

• Android 6.0.1• iOS 9.3.2

File corpus (sizes are approximate)• Word document:

• SampleDoc.docx (1.25 MB)• Table:

• SampleTable.docx (58 KB)• Text files:

• Text-100KB.txt (100 KB)• Text-500KB.txt (500 KB)• Text-1MB.txt (1 MB)

• Image files:• Image-2MB.jpg (2 MB)• Image-22MB.png (22 MB)


Test practices

• We ran comparable tests at approximately the same time of day to account for variation in bandwidth performance over the course of the day.

• We ran each test between two laptops or phones of the same model and using the same browser (when applicable) with different users on isolated networks. On Windows 10, we ran the tests in both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. On OS X, we ran the tests in both Google Chrome and Safari.

• On mobile devices, we closed relevant apps and removed them from memory before each test run to ensure consistent behavior.

• We assumed that all necessary users had logged into the respective services prior to testing.• We assumed that push notifications were enabled for the Gmail and Outlook apps on both Android

and iOS.• All tests were run on a 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up connection.

Performing tasks using browser-based interface on Windows and OS X laptopsCreating a new document1. In a browser, navigate to the directory listing page for the cloud storage solution under test.2. Click New, and prepare the stopwatch.3. Simultaneously start the stopwatch and click NewGoogle Docs (in Google Drive) or NewWord document (in OneDrive for Business).4. When the new document fully loads and is editable, stop the stopwatch.5. Record the result.

Syncing between users/devices during real-time collaboration in a shared document 1. In a browser on Laptop 1, open the existing SampleDoc.docx file in the online editor.2. In Google Docs, click Share, enter the email address of the user with whom you will collaborate, and click Done. In Word Online, enter

the email address of the user with whom you will collaborate, and click Share.3. On Laptop 2 (the same model as Laptop 1), open the same browser being used in Laptop 1, and open the shared document from email

or the cloud storage solution’s browser-based interface.4. Once both users have the same document open in the online editor, have the user on Laptop 1 prepare the material under test

as follows:a. For tests that require inserting text, open the relevant text file and copy all of the text to the clipboard.b. For tests that require inserting images, click InsertImage (in Google Docs) or InsertPicture (in Word Online).c. For the test that requires inserting a table, open the SampleDoc.docx file and copy the entire calendar table to the clipboard.

5. Simultaneously start the stopwatch and paste the text, insert the image, or insert the table at the very beginning of the document.6. When the text, image or table fully appears in the document open on Laptop 2, stop the stopwatch.7. Record the result.

Sharing a document via email 1. Prepare Laptop 2 by navigating to the browser-based email client for the platform under test, Gmail or Outlook Online.2. On Laptop 1, navigate to the directory listing page for cloud storage solution under test, and prepare the stopwatch.3. Right-click the document to share and click Share. Enter the email address of the account being used on Laptop 2. 4. Simultaneously start the stopwatch and click Done (in Google Docs) or Share (in OneDrive for Business). 5. When the email containing the invitation to the shared document arrives in the inbox on Laptop 2, stop the stopwatch.6. Record the result.


Principled Technologies is a registered trademark of Principled Technologies, Inc.All other product names are the trademarks of their respective owners.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES; LIMITATION OF LIABILITY:Principled Technologies, Inc. has made reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy and validity of its testing, however, Principled Technologies, Inc. specifically disclaims any warranty, expressed or implied, relating to the test results and analysis, their accuracy, completeness or quality, including any implied warranty of fitness for any particular purpose. All persons or entities relying on the results of any testing do so at their own risk, and agree that Principled Technologies, Inc., its employees and its subcontractors shall have no liability whatsoever from any claim of loss or damage on account of any alleged error or defect in any testing procedure or result.

In no event shall Principled Technologies, Inc. be liable for indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages in connection with its testing, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event shall Principled Technologies, Inc.’s liability, including for direct damages, exceed the amounts paid in connection with Principled Technologies, Inc.’s testing. Customer’s sole and exclusive remedies are as set forth herein.

This project was commissioned by Google.

PrincipledTechnologies®

Facts matter.®PrincipledTechnologies®

Facts matter.®

Performing tasks using native mobile apps on Android and iOS phonesSharing a document via email 1. On Phone 1, open the native cloud storage app under test (Google Drive or OneDrive), and make sure Phone 2 is on hand, as it will

receive the notification of the document being shared.2. Prepare the stopwatch, and select the document to be shared as follows:

a. In Google Drive for Android and iOS, touch the More options icon next to the file you wish to share, and select Add people. Enter the email address of the user on Phone 2, and touch the triangular share icon. Simultaneously start the stopwatch and click the OK button (Android) or Share button (iOS) in the confirmation modal dialog.

b. In OneDrive for Android, check the box next to the document to be shared, then touch the Share icon in the top bar. Touch the Invite people button. Enter the email address of the user on Phone 2. Simultaneously start the stopwatch and touch the triangular Send icon.

c. In OneDrive for iOS, do a long touch on the document to be shared, then touch the Share icon. Touch the Invite People button. Enter the email address of the user on Phone 2. Simultaneously start the stopwatch and touch the Add button.

3. When Phone 2 receives a notification of the email with the shared document link, stop the stopwatch.4. Record the result.

Performing tasks using native mobile apps on Android and iOS phones and browser-based interface on Windows and OS X laptopsSyncing between users/devices during real-time collaboration in a shared document1. On the Android phone, open the native cloud storage app under test, and navigate to the folder containing the document to be shared

with the laptop user.2. Share the document as follows:

a. In Google Drive, touch the More options icon next to the file you wish to share and select Add people. Enter the email address of the laptop user and touch the triangular Share icon. Click the OK button in the confirmation modal dialog.

b. In OneDrive, check the box next to the document to be shared, then touch the Share icon in the top bar. Touch the Invite people button. Enter the email address of the laptop user. Touch the triangular Send icon.

3. On the laptop, open the proper browser for the scenario being tested, and open the shared document from email or the cloud storage solution’s browser-based interface.

4. Once the laptop user has the shared document open in the online editor, have the Android user prepare the material under test as follows:a. For tests that require inserting text, copy the test paragraph from the existing document to the clipboard.b. For tests that require inserting images, click InsertImageFrom photos (Google Docs) or InsertPicturesPhotos (Word).

5. Simultaneously start the stopwatch and paste or insert the text or image at the very beginning of the document.6. When the text or image fully appears in the document open on the laptop, stop the stopwatch.7. Record the result.

Not all clouds are created equal: a comparison of Google Hangouts and Skype for Business October 2016

Not all clouds are created equalA comparison of Google Hangouts and Skype for Business

Face-to-face meetings facilitate a human connection not easily found in email or phone meetings. This connection allows teams to discuss strategy and share ideas in a way that’s more natural than over the phone or by email. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to get everyone in the same room, so video conferencing is often the next best thing to being there.

Here at Principled Technologies, we tried video chatting with both Google Hangouts™ and Skype™ for Business to see which provided a better experience.

Video sessions with Google Hangouts, a part of G Suite, were quick to join, and screen sharing took significantly less time than in Skype for Business. Meetings with the Microsoft® Office 365® offerings, Skype for Business and the Skype for Business Web App, involved longer wait times.

Read on to see which solution provided a better experience when the team couldn’t meet in one place.

JOIN & LEAVE VIDEO CALLS

in up to

71%

LESS TIME

with Google Hangouts

SHARED SCREENS

appear in as little as

1/5

THE TIME

with Google Hangouts


Not all clouds are created equal: a comparison of Google Hangouts and Skype for Business October 2016 | 2

Today’s workforce is on the moveKeeping in touch no matter where you are is a business necessity. Virtual meetings let your team members weigh in on important issues without a lot of back-and-forth email or the expense of travel.

How do you determine which video conferencing solution will support collaboration and which will hinder it?

We timed how long it took to join and leave video chats on laptops and smartphones running multiple operating systems, browsers, and apps. We used Google Hangouts and the Skype for Business Web App on laptops, and the Google Hangouts and Skype for Business mobile apps on smartphones. We also measured how quickly Google Hangouts started screen-sharing sessions compared to the Skype for Business Web App.

Google Hangouts was faster in 26 out of 28 tests. Less waiting gives your team more time to bounce ideas back and forth and move projects forward. It can also cut down on the frustration people feel when technology doesn’t move quickly enough.

The clock is ticking…

Wondering how video conferencing can make a difference for your business? Read below to explore real-world situations in which video meetings make connecting with others a seamless—or frustrating—experience.

The U.S. mobile worker population is expected to grow from 96.2 million in 2015 to 105.4 million by 2020—representing nearly three-quarters of the total U.S. workforce.1

Total U.S. workforce:

U.S. mobile worker population in 2015

U.S. mobile worker expected growth

from 2015 to 2020


Work from home and stay connected Sam is the business manager for a chain of stores that sells home goods. He’s working on the financial slides for the next shareholder meeting and schedules a dry run with his team before the big day. Unfortunately, his son gets sick that day and he has to work from home.

As our tests show, joining the meeting remotely on his Mac® using Google Hangouts takes under 3 seconds. That saves almost 5 seconds compared to using Skype for Business Web App on the same machine.

He clicks to share his screen within Google Hangouts, and everyone sees it within 2 seconds. Screen sharing with the Skype for Business Web App takes up to 12.4 seconds. Those extra 10 seconds can make a big difference when you’re trying to keep the attention of a room full of people who have other things to do.

Disconnecting with Google Hangouts also took less than half the time—which could prevent embarrassment when you think a call is over but (oops!) you’re still broadcasting to the group.

Join a video callin up to

62%less time

with Google Hangouts From Chrome on Windows 10 to Chrome on Windows 105.3 sec 3.7 sec

From Chrome on Windows 10 to Chrome on OS X3.9 sec7.9 sec

From Chrome on OS X to Chrome on Windows 103.1 sec6.7 sec

From Chrome™ on OS X® to Chrome on OS X2.9 sec7.7 sec

Start a screen-sharing session in up to

84%less time




From Chrome on OS X to Chrome on OS X1.9 sec12.4 sec

Hang up a video callin up to

68%less time




From Chrome on OS X to Chrome on OS X0.8 sec2.2 sec

Google HangoutsSkype for Business


Stay connected when you’re on the fast trackNakoma is the design director for an emerging electric car manufacturer. Her team of designers and engineers uses Google Hangouts to connect with Nakoma on shape, color scheme, and 3D prototype design. Staying connected with G Suite means she can avert costly design errors before they happen.

As the data below shows, an engineer on an Android™ phone can start asking Nakoma questions in half the time it would take with Skype for Business. Designers using an iPhone® would wait a fraction of a second longer with Hangouts than they would with Skype for Business.

Regardless of which smartphone her team uses, ending a call with Google Hangouts takes less time, which lets everyone move to the next item on their to-do list up to 3 seconds sooner.


61%less time

with Google HangoutsFrom Android app to Chrome on Windows 10

8.8 sec 4.3 sec

From iOS app to Chrome on Windows 104.0 sec3.7 sec

From Android app to Chrome on OS X 3.5 sec9.1 sec

From iOS app to Chrome on OS X 5.4 sec3.7 sec


69%less time

with Google Hangouts From Android app to Chrome on Windows 10 3.9 sec 1.2 sec

From iOS app to Chrome on Windows 101.3 sec1.7 sec

From Android app to Chrome on OS X 1.3 sec3.5 sec

From iOS app to Chrome on OS X 1.4 sec1.8 sec



Land the sale, make your commissionAstrid is a real estate agent in a competitive market. In this bustling metropolitan hub, houses can sell within minutes of being listed. As soon as she spots a property a client might want to pursue, she uses Google Hangouts to get in touch.

Our results show that she can let potential buyers know about exciting opportunities an average of 3 seconds sooner with Google Hangouts. Connecting with the Skype for Business mobile apps can take up to 9 seconds, which can feel like a lifetime when you’re in a hurry.

Breaking off a conversation with Google Hangouts also takes half the time. That can avert negotiation disasters that could occur when someone sees or hears something that was supposed to be confidential.


55%less time

with Google Hangouts From Chrome on Windows 10 to Android app7.7 sec 4.6 sec

From Chrome on Windows 10 to iOS app4.6 sec7.9 sec

From Chrome on OS X to Android app3.8 sec8.6 sec

From Chrome on OS X to iOS app5.7 sec9.0 sec


71%less time

with Google Hangouts From Chrome on Windows 10 to Android app2.6 sec 0.8 sec

From Chrome on Windows 10 to iOS app1.6 sec3.3 sec

From Chrome on OS X to Android app1.6 sec2.8 sec

From Chrome on OS X to iOS app0.9 sec3.2 sec



Conclusion: Increase the impact of discussionsEffective video conferencing can encourage collaboration, engage people, and build relationships, both within your company and with clients. The longer your solution takes to connect, the less helpful it is. Consistent delays can be so frustrating that people become reluctant to use the tool at all.

Connecting ideas and people using Google Hangouts took as little as one-fifth the time it would with Skype for Business. The speedy interaction possible with Hangouts goes a long way toward making far-flung team members feel that their voices are being heard and they’re an important part of the discussion.

Want to try out the tests yourself? Follow the methodologies at the end of the report.

This is the third report in our five-part series that examines the performance of collaboration and productivity tools from G Suite and Microsoft Office 365. Read the entire series for a complete picture of how the cloud you choose can affect your business.

Read the whole “All clouds aren’t created equal” series to get the full story:

A comparison of Google Docs™ and Microsoft Word Online

A comparison of Google Drive,™ Microsoft OneDrive® for Business, and SharePoint® Online



1 International Data Corporation (IDC) Press Release June 23, 2015. https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS25705415


On July 12, 2016, we finalized the hardware and software configurations we tested. Updates for current and recently released hardware and software appear often, so unavoidably these configurations may not represent the latest versions available when this report appears. For older systems, we chose configurations representative of typical purchases of those systems. We concluded hands-on testing on July 14, 2016.



System Apple® iPhone 6s Plus Google Nexus™ 6P

Processor



Core frequency (GHz) 1.85 1.95 + 1.55


Memory

Amount (GB) 2 (built-in onboard) 3 (built-in onboard)

Type LPDDR4 LPDDR4

Graphics

Vendor Imagination® Technologies Qualcomm


Storage

Amount (GB) 64 64


Connectivity



Bluetooth 4.2 4.2

Battery



Rated capacity (Wh) 10.45 13.11

Display

Size 5.5” 5.7”


Resolution 1,080 x 1,920 1,440 x 2,560


System Apple® iPhone 6s Plus Google Nexus™ 6P

Camera

Front-facing (MP) 5 (720p FaceTime® HD) 8

Rear-facing (MP) 12 (iSight®) 12.3

Operating system

Vendor Apple Google

Name iOS Android


Dimensions

Height 6.23” 6.27”

Width 3.07” 3.06”

Depth 0.29” 0.28”

Weight (oz.) 6.77 6.27


System Apple 13” MacBook Air® (Early 2015) Lenovo™ ThinkPad® X1 Carbon

Processor



Core frequency (GHz) 1.6 (up to 2.7 Turbo Boost) 2.6 (up to 3.4 Turbo Boost)

Number of cores 2 2

Cache 3MB L3 4MB L3

Memory


Type LPDDR3 LPDDR3

Speed 1,600 MHz 1,866 MHz

Integrated graphics

Vendor Intel Intel


Storage

Amount (GB) 256 256



System Apple 13” MacBook Air® (Early 2015) Lenovo™ ThinkPad® X1 Carbon



Bluetooth 4.0 4.1

USB 2 x 3.0 3 x 3.0



Battery



Rated capacity (Wh) 54 52

Display

Size 13.3” 14”


Resolution 1,440 x 900 1,920 x 1,080

Touchscreen No No

Operating system




Camera


Dimensions

Height 0.11” to 0.6” 0.6”

Width 12.8” 13.1”

Depth 8.94” 9.00”

Weight (lb.) 2.96 2.58


Appendix B – How we testedAbout our testing

Network infrastructureFor our testing, we used two of each device under test. We connected the two devices in each pair to separate wireless networks. We connected the devices to the 5GHz band of identical, 802.11ac-based TP-Link AC1750 wireless routers. We configured each router identically but set them to use different channels to ensure minimum traffic from nearby networks. To minimize the impact of bandwidth performance, we tested Google Hangouts and Spyke for Business at approximately the same time for each task.

Devices• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Windows 10)

• Apple 13” MacBook Air (OS X El Capitan)

• Google Nexus 6P (Android 6.0.1)

• Apple iPhone 6s Plus (iOS 9.3)


• Chrome 51.0.2704.84

• Windows 10

• Chrome 51.0.2704.84

• Android 6.0.1

• iOS 9.3.2

Running the laptop tests Test practices

• We assumed that video conference users had logged into their respective accounts before each test run.

• For all Skype Meetings App tests, we assumed that users had already downloaded and installed the plugin.

• For all Skype Meetings App tests, we assumed that a user had already scheduled and sent invitations for a Skype meeting.

• For all Google Hangouts tests, we assumed that a user had already scheduled and sent invitations for a Google Hangout event.

• The browser cache was warm. We did not clear the cache between runs. We made a video call prior to the first test run to ensure consistency.

• We ran all tests on a 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up connection.

Recording the elapsed time between joining a video call on Laptop 2 and the video from Laptop 1 appearing on the screen of Laptop 21. Using the appropriate video meeting app on Laptop 1, join a video meeting and start the video.2. On Laptop 2, prepare the stopwatch.3. On Laptop 2, join the video meeting, and start the stopwatch:

• In Google Hangouts, simultaneously start the stopwatch and click Click to join the video call.

• In the Skype Meetings App, simultaneously start the stopwatch and press Join the meeting.

4. Stop the stopwatch when the video from Laptop 1 appears in the call on Laptop 2.5. Record the result.

Recording the elapsed time between hanging up a video call on Laptop 1 and the video from Laptop 1 disappearing on Laptop 21. Using the appropriate video meeting app on Laptop 1, join a video meeting, and start the video.2. On Laptop 2, join the video meeting:

• In Google Hangouts, click Click to join the video call.

• In the Skype Meetings App, press Join the meeting.


3. When the video from Laptop 1 appears in the call on Laptop 2, prepare the stopwatch.4. On Laptop 1, simultaneously start the stopwatch and hang up.5. Stop the stopwatch when the video from Laptop 1 disappears on Laptop 2.6. Record the result.

Recording the time between starting a screen-sharing session on Laptop 1 and seeing it appear on the screen of Laptop 21. Using the appropriate video meeting app on Laptop 1, join a video meeting, and start the video. Do this on Laptop 2 as well.2. Start the stopwatch, and initiate the screen sharing on Laptop 1:

• In Google Hangouts, press Screenshare, select Entire screen, then simultaneously start the stopwatch and press Share.

• In the Skype Meetings App, press Share, select Share Screen, then simultaneously start the stopwatch and press Share.

3. Stop the stopwatch when the screen from Laptop 1 appears on Laptop 2.4. Record the result.5. After the run, end the call.

Recording the time to advance a presentation slide in a screen-sharing session on Laptop 1 and see the change appear on the screen of Laptop 21. Using the appropriate video meeting app on Laptop 1, join a video meeting, and start the video. Do this on Laptop 2 as well.2. Initiate screen sharing on Laptop 1, and prepare the stopwatch:

• In Google Hangouts, press Screenshare, select Entire screen, and press Share.

• In the Skype Meetings App, press Share, select Share Screen, then press Share.

3. On Laptop 1, open SamplePPTX.pptx in Microsoft PowerPoint.4. Press F5 to start the presentation, and prepare the stopwatch.5. On Laptop 1, simultaneously start the stopwatch and press the spacebar to advance the slide.6. When the new slide appears on Laptop 2, stop the stopwatch.7. Record the result.

Running the mobile-to-laptop tests

Test practices• Before placing each call, we cleared the app from each phone’s memory and then reopened it. Then, we made sure the relevant video

conferencing apps were open and active.

• For all Skype Meetings App tests, we assumed that a user had already scheduled and sent invitations for a Skype meeting.



Recording the elapsed time between joining a video meeting on Phone 1 and the video from Laptop 1 appearing on screen1. Using the appropriate video meeting app on Laptop 1, join a video meeting, and start the video feed.2. Prepare the stopwatch, open the appropriate video conferencing app on Phone 1, and prepare to join the meeting:

• In Skype for Business, tap the Meetings icon, and tap the scheduled meeting.

• In Google Hangouts, tap the Menu icon, and tap Invitations.

3. Simultaneously start the stopwatch and tap to join the meeting that Laptop 1 has already joined.4. Stop the stopwatch when the video feed from Laptop 1 appears on the screen of Phone 1.

Recording the elapsed time between clicking to leave a video meeting on Phone 1 and Laptop 1 seeing that Phone 1 left the meeting1. Using the appropriate video meeting app on Laptop 1, join a video meeting, and start the video feed.2. Open the appropriate video conferencing app on Phone 1, and prepare to join the meeting:

• In Skype for Business, tap the Meetings icon, and tap the scheduled meeting.

• In Google Hangouts, tap the Menu icon, and tap Invitations.

3. Prepare the stopwatch, and tap to join the meeting that Laptop 1 has already joined.4. Ensure that both Phone 1 and Laptop 1 are in the meeting with video enabled, and that the video feed from the other device is visible

on each screen.








Facts matter.®

5. Simultaneously start the stopwatch and tap the icon to hang up on Phone 1.6. Stop the stopwatch when you see a notification on Laptop 1 that Phone 1 has left the meeting, or when their participant icon

has disappeared.7. Record the result.

Running the laptop-to-mobile tests

Test practices• Before placing each call, we cleared the app from each phone’s memory and then reopened it. Then, we made sure the relevant video

conferencing apps were open and active.

• For all Skype Meetings App tests, we assumed that a user had already scheduled and sent invitations for a Skype Meeting.



Recording the elapsed time between joining a video meeting on Laptop 1 and seeing the video from Phone 1 appear on the screen of Laptop 11. Using the appropriate video meeting app on Phone 1, join a video meeting, and start the video feed.2. Prepare the stopwatch, open the appropriate video conferencing app on Laptop 1, and prepare to join the meeting:

• In Google Hangouts, simultaneously start the stopwatch and click Click to join the video call.

• In the Skype Meetings App, simultaneously start the stopwatch and click Join the meeting.

3. When the video feed from Phone 1 appears on the screen of Laptop 1, stop the stopwatch.4. Record the result.

Recording elapsed time between leaving a video meeting in Laptop 1 and seeing that Laptop 1 has left the meeting on Phone 11. Using the appropriate video meeting app on Phone 1, join a video meeting, and start the video feed.2. Open the appropriate video conferencing app on Laptop 1, and prepare to join the meeting:

• In Google Hangouts, click Click to join the video call.

• In the Skype Meetings App, press Join the meeting.

3. Prepare the stopwatch, and ensure that both Phone 1 and Laptop 1 are in the meeting with video enabled and that the video feed from the other device is visible on each screen.

4. On Laptop 1, simultaneously start the stopwatch and click the hang up button.5. Stop the stopwatch when on Phone 1 you see a notification that Laptop 1 has left the meeting or when the participant icon of Laptop 1

has disappeared.6. Record the result.

Not all clouds are created equal: a comparison of Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive for Business, and SharePoint Online October 2016

Not all clouds are created equalA comparison of Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive for Business, and SharePoint Online

Accessing files from wherever you are is more important than ever in today’s evolving work environment. The U.S. mobile worker population is expected to grow from 96.2 million in 2015 to 105.4 million by 2020—representing nearly three-quarters of the total U.S. workforce.1 Cloud storage lets you share files among users and devices, but long wait times can be annoying and reflect poorly on your business when clients are forced to wait on important information. With the right productivity tools, your team members and clients can access and share files quickly instead of waiting to get work done.

Here at Principled Technologies, we examined how well Google Drive™, Microsoft® OneDrive® for Business, and Microsoft SharePoint® Online actually work when transferring information on the go.

Google Drive was faster than either Microsoft solution, which gives you more time to focus on closing the deal instead of watching the progress bar.

UPLOAD FILES to Google Drive in up to

53%

LESS TIME

ACCESS FILES FROM THE CLOUD

up to

4.7X

FASTER


Not all clouds are created equal: a comparison of Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive for Business, and SharePoint Online October 2016 | 2

Accomplish more in less time Business relies on the timely transfer of information, and collaboration suites like G Suite

and Microsoft Office 365® can streamline the process.

We looked at how long it took us to upload and download a variety of common file types using both productivity suites. For G Suite, we used Google Drive, and for Microsoft Office 365, we used OneDrive for Business and SharePoint Online. All three tools let you and your colleagues access work files from multiple devices, but how quickly and reliably?

We used laptops and smartphones running multiple operating systems, browsers, and apps to find out.

Transferring information was faster with Google Drive. This means critical information gets into your hands—and your customers’ hands—faster.


The following scenarios illustrate real-world situations where using Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online can make (or break) the day.


Time to play the waiting game

Andre and Stacey, designers for competing ad agencies, both create videos and upload them to the cloud to share the finished products with their clients. They use the same model of MacBook Air®. Because Andre uses Google Drive, he can upload his files in about half the time it takes Stacey using either OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online.

As our tests show, uploading the video with Google Drive from his MacBook Air makes Andre’s video available at least six and a half minutes before Stacey’s video. This gives his team a competitive advantage—not to mention the reduction of frustrating wait time on Andre’s end.

Any of Andre’s or Stacey’s clients who use Google Drive can also download the video for review in less time than those who use the Microsoft options —up to 58 percent less time.

Because uploading and downloading with the Microsoft products is so much slower, the whole video-sharing process would take Stacy and her Microsoft clients up to 14 minutes longer than it would had they all been Google Drive users.

Upload an MP4 on OS Xlaptops in up to

48%less time

with Google Drive

Google DriveOneDrive for BusinessSharePoint Online

Download an MP4 on OS Xlaptops in up to

58%less time

with Google Drive

11.9 min21.5 min

Desktop client*OS X®

22.3 min21.5 min 14.8 min

Safari®

21.4 min21.8 min 11.2 min

Chrome™

5.9 min7.5 min

Desktop clientOS X

7.1 min4.7 min

2.9 min

Safari

7.7 min5.3 min 3.2 min

Chrome

*A SharePoint desktop sync client was not available at the time of testing.


Knock it out of the park!

Chondra is an athletic scout for a major league baseball franchise. She and the other scouts on her team go to high school and college games to find their next big star. They film these games, and then upload the videos to a shared G Suite folder. This makes it easier for everyone to evaluate promising athletes.

Our tests show that using Google Drive on her Windows® 10 laptop means Chondra can start assessing a promising player in less than half the time it would take if she were using either OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online. Using Google Drive also means she waits 7 minutes less every time she downloads a video file.

Once she’s evaluated the pile of prospective candidates, uploading her favorites to another folder using Google Drive in the Chrome browser would save Chondra at least 8 minutes per upload compared to the Microsoft options.

Download an MP4 on Windows 10 laptops in up to

71%less time

with Google Drive

Upload an MP4 on Windows 10 laptops

in up to

51%less time

with Google Drive

3.0 min7.9 min

Desktop clientWindows 10

9.1 min8.9 min 3.0 min

Edge™

9.8 min7.9 min

2.8 min

Chrome

23.7 min23.9 min

Desktop clientWindows 10

22.3 min24.2 min 13.7 min

Edge

20.9 min23.2 min 11.3 min

Chrome



Revamping product tutorials for clients

Jonathan just transferred from IT development to software sales in his company. His boss tells him to make sure the product tutorials are accurate and up to date before he goes out in the field.

As the data below shows, downloading the product tutorial disk images on his MacBook Air with Google Drive would take Jonathan less than half the time it would have taken him had he used SharePoint Online.

Once he’s modified and repacked the disk image, it’s time to upload the revised tutorials. Google Drive can save Jonathan up to 25 minutes with this task.

Download an ISO on OS Xlaptops in up to

63%less time

with Google Drive

16.4 min28 min

Desktop clientOS X

10.8 min10.9 min 6.3 min

Safari

11.4 min17.4 min 6.4 min

Chrome

27.8 min52.9 min

Desktop clientOS X

53.3 min50.3 min 26.5 min

Safari

54.8 min51.3 min 25.6 min

Chrome


Upload an ISO on OS Xlaptops in up to

53%less time

with Google Drive


Minimizing the impact of travel on work productivity

Yuki is a lead application developer. The day before his product is due to launch, he learns that his aging father has been hospitalized and is in critical condition. Yuki goes online to book his flight then rushes home to pack a bag. Once he’s at the airport, he has little time before he has to board the plane. He’ll use the airport Wi-Fi to download a disk image to his laptop before he takes off, make any necessary changes during his flight, and upload the revised image as soon as he lands.

As the data below shows, getting his hands on this critical file could take just over 6 minutes with Google Drive, compared to as long as 21 minutes with OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online. Those 15 minutes could be the difference between getting the ISO before he boards the plane or not. If he had been using OneDrive for Business, he would lose all those hours of productivity during the flight.

Once he lands, Yuki could save up to almost half an hour when he uploads the corrected disk image to his team in Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

PLACEHOLDER

Windows 10

12.5 min25.1 min

Desktop client

Edge

21.0 min21.4 min 6.5 min

Chrome

13.3 min21.3 min 6.3 min

60.0 min60.0 min

Desktop client

56.9 min56.1 min 30.9 min

Edge

54.6 min57.9 min 31.7 min

Chrome

Windows 10


Upload an ISO onWindows 10 laptops in up to

45%less time

with Google Drive

Download an ISO onWindows 10 laptops in up to

70%less time

with Google Drive


When you’re on the go, there’s no time to lose…When Google Drive helps you look at files on your smartphone faster than if you had used Microsoft OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online, you’re ahead of the game. Consider the following scenario.

Faster mobile downloads help an attorney make a stronger case

Amy is an attorney trying a high-profile civil case. She’s in a taxi on the way to the courthouse when she thinks of a piece of information she can use in her argument. It’s in one of several documents on her firm’s Google Drive, so she can look for it using her phone. She can’t remember which file it’s in, or what to search for, so she opens one file after another, scanning each doc for the info. As the chart below shows, opening a document using Google Drive takes about half the time of doing so with Microsoft tools. Those time savings allow Amy to locate the data point she needs more quickly, and she’s able to make a stronger case.

3.2 sec6.4 sec

Android – Native apps*

iOS – Native apps

6.4 sec8.6 sec 3.8 sec

1.7 sec 1.9 sec7.5 sec

iOS – Chrome

Android – Chrome

5.7 sec5.6 sec 3.6 sec


Open a documenton mobile devices in up to

74%less time

with Google Drive

*A native Android app for SharePoint was not available at the time of testing.


Conclusion: Stop waiting, start workingFile sync and sharing solutions are a great way to streamline the transfer of information—as long as it’s quick. When someone is waiting for an important item to load, even lags of a few seconds are very noticeable. When delays are minutes long, entire projects can grind to a halt as workers strive to find workarounds.

In our hands-on testing with laptops, uploading and downloading files using Google Drive took up to 71 percent less time than performing the same tasks with Microsoft

tools. These kinds of delays can translate to frustration as well as lost opportunities. Opening documents on smartphones was also up to twice as fast with Google

Drive. These time savings can make a big difference in your work day.

Want to try out the tests yourself? Follow the methodologies at the end of this report.

This is the second report in our five-part series that examines the performance of collaboration and productivity tools from G Suite and Microsoft Office 365. Read the entire series for a complete picture of how the cloud you choose can affect your business.






1 International Data Corporation (IDC) Press Release June 23, 2015. https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS25705415


On June 15, 2016, we finalized the hardware and software configurations we tested. Updates for current and recently released hardware and software appear often, so unavoidably these configurations may not represent the latest versions available when this report appears. For older systems, we chose configurations representative of typical purchases of those systems. We concluded hands-on testing on July 12, 2016.




Processor





Memory


Type LPDDR4 LPDDR4

Graphics

Vendor Imagination Technologies® Qualcomm


Storage

Amount (GB) 64 64


Connectivity



Bluetooth 4.2 4.2

Battery




Display

Size 5.5” 5.7”


Resolution 1,080 x 1,920 1,440 x 2,560



Camera



Operating system

Vendor Apple Google

Name iOS Android


Dimensions

Height 6.23” 6.27”

Width 3.07” 3.06”

Depth 0.29” 0.28”

Weight (oz.) 6.77 6.27



Processor



Core frequency (GHz) 1.6 ((up to 2.7GHz Turbo Boost) 2.6 (up to 3.4GHz Turbo Boost)

Number of cores 2 2

Cache 3MB L3 4MB L3

Memory


Type LPDDR3 LPDDR3

Speed (MHz) 1,600 1,866

Integrated graphics

Vendor Intel Intel


Storage

Amount (GB) 256 256






Bluetooth 4.0 4.1

USB 2 x 3.0 3 x 3.0



Battery




Display

Size 13.3” 14”


Resolution 1,440 x 900 1,920 x 1,080

Touchscreen No No

Operating system




Camera


Dimensions

Height 0.11” to 0.6” 0.6”

Width 12.8” 13.1”

Depth 8.94” 9.00”

Weight (lb.) 2.96 2.58



To determine precisely when a file upload or download began and ended when using the native desktop sync client, we used the following indicators:

• The Google Drive icon on both Windows and OS X animates while any kind of file processing is in progress. When you click the icon in the system tray (Windows) or menu bar (OS X), a balloon appears to show which files are uploading/downloading. We started timing as soon as the status text said “Syncing” and a progress bar first appeared. We stopped timing when the status changed to say “Sync complete.”

• The OneDrive for Business icon on both Windows and OS X changes when it is actively syncing files. Similar to Google Drive, when you click on the icon in the system tray (Windows) or menu bar (OS X), a balloon appears to show upload/download status. On OS X, we started timing as soon as the status indicated “Downloading” and stopped timing when the status text said “OneDrive is up to date.” On Windows, we started timing when the status bar’s animated progress bar first appeared and stopped timing when it said “OneDrive for Business is up to date.”

Network infrastructureFor our testing, we used two of each device under test. We connected the two devices in each pair to separate wireless networks. We connected the devices to the 5GHz band of identical, 802.11ac-based TP-Link AC1750 wireless routers. We configured each router identically, but set them to use different channels, to ensure minimum traffic from nearby networks. To minimize the impact of bandwidth performance, we tested Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive for Business, and SharePoint Online at approximately the same time for each task.

Devices• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Windows 10)• Apple 13” MacBook Air (OS X El Capitan)• Google Nexus 6P (Android 6.0.1)• Apple iPhone 6s Plus (iOS 9.3)

OS and browser versions• Windows 10

• Chrome 51.0.2704.84• Edge 25.10586.0.0

• OS X El Capitan• Chrome 51.0.2704.84• Safari 9.1.1

• Android 6.0.1• Chrome 51.0.2704.81

• iOS 9.3.2• Chrome 51.0.2704.84• Safari for iOS 9.3.2


File corpus (sizes are approximate)• CentOS ISO: 4.33 GB• Video (MP4): 1.93 GB• Folder with 160 images (up to 2.2 MB each): 67.6 MB total• Folder with 12 PDFs (~25 MB each): 309.7 MB total• SampleDOCX.DOCX: 1.3 MB• SamplePPTX.PPTX: 4.4 MB• SampleXLSX.XLSX: 1 MB

Hardware/software matrix• Laptop

• Windows 10 ° Google Drive

- Google Chrome - Microsoft Edge - Desktop sync client

° OneDrive for Business - Google Chrome - Microsoft Edge - Desktop sync client

° SharePoint Online - Google Chrome - Microsoft Edge

• OS X ° Google Drive

- Google Chrome - Safari - Desktop sync client

° OneDrive for Business - Google Chrome - Safari - Desktop sync client

° SharePoint Online - Google Chrome - Safari

• Mobile• Android

° Google Drive - Google Chrome - Android app

° OneDrive for Business - Google Chrome - Android app

° SharePoint Online - Google Chrome


• iOS ° Google Drive

- Safari - iOS app

° OneDrive for Business - Safari - iOS app

° SharePoint Online - Safari - iOS app -

Test practices• We ran each test between two laptops or phones of the same model and using the same browser (when

applicable) with different users on isolated networks. On Windows 10, we ran the tests in both Google• Chrome and Microsoft Edge. On OS X, we ran the tests in both Google Chrome and Safari. • On mobile devices, we closed relevant apps and removed them from memory before each test run to

ensure consistent behavior.• For final production testing, we tested each data point until we had three consecutive test runs with

satisfactorily low variability between runs to ensure consistency.• For mobile tests that involved opening or editing a file, our methodology assumed that the source file had

already been converted to its respective native format by being opened in Google Docs/Sheets/Slides. We made this assumption to ensure that the measurement time included only the time required to open a file for editing, rather than the time required to convert and open.

• All tests assumed that all necessary users were logged into the respective services prior to testing.• We ran all tests on a 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up connection.

Running the laptop testsUploading a file—desktop sync client1. Navigate to the Documents folder, and prepare the stopwatch.2. Right-click the test file, and click Copy.3. Navigate to the desktop sync folder for the cloud storage solution under test on the local machine.4. Drag the file or folder to upload over the desktop sync folder and simultaneously start the stopwatch and drop it in the desktop

sync folder.5. When the file has completely uploaded, stop the stopwatch.6. Record the result.7. Delete the file from the cloud storage solution under test, and wait for the files to completely sync.

Downloading a file—desktop sync client1. Quit the desktop sync client for the cloud storage solution under test.2. Open a browser, and navigate to the browser-based interface of the cloud storage solution under test.3. Prepare the stopwatch.4. Click the test file, drag it over the browser-based interface’s cloud storage folder, and drop the file.5. When the file has completely uploaded via the browser-based interface, launch the desktop sync client for the cloud storage solution

under test. Click the tray icon to see the progress, wait for the balloon to indicate that the client is downloading, and start the stopwatch when it does.

6. Stop the stopwatch when the file has finished synchronizing to the laptop under test and the application’s icon in the system tray or menu bar returns to its default state.

7. Record the result.


Uploading a file—browser-based interface1. Navigate to the browser-based interface for the cloud storage solution under test.2. Prepare the stopwatch, and in a local file browser window, select the file(s) to be uploaded.

• When uploading a folder in Google Drive in the browser, click New, and select Folder upload.• When uploading a folder in OneDrive for Business in the browser, click Upload, and select Folder.• When uploading a folder in SharePoint Online in the browser, click Upload, and click Browse...

3. Simultaneously start the stopwatch and initiate the folder upload as follows:• When uploading a folder in Google Drive or OneDrive in the browser, select the folder in the file browser, and simultaneously start

the stopwatch and click Select Folder.• When uploading a folder in SharePoint Online in the browser, select the folder, click Open, and simultaneously start the stopwatch

and click OK.4. Watch the progress bar, and when the upload has completed for all files, stop the stopwatch.5. Record the result.

Downloading a file—browser-based interface1. Navigate to the browser-based interface for the cloud storage solution under test.2. Prepare the stopwatch, and select the files to be downloaded.3. Simultaneously start the stopwatch, and click Download.4. When the download completes, stop the stopwatch.5. Record the result.

Running the mobile tests Opening a file in the mobile app1. Open the mobile app for the cloud storage solution under test.2. Prepare the stopwatch, and navigate to the folder containing the file under test.3. Simultaneously start the stopwatch, and tap on the file under test in order to open it in the native mobile productivity app.4. When the file fully loads, stop the stopwatch.5. Record the result.6. Delete the file to remove it from the cache, close the cloud storage solution app and productivity app, and remove them from memory.

Then, re-upload the file via the desktop sync client. This ensures that the file is not cached for subsequent runs.

Opening a file in the mobile site1. Open the mobile browser, and navigate to the mobile site for the cloud storage solution under test.2. Prepare the stopwatch, and navigate to the folder containing the file under test.3. Simultaneously start the stopwatch, and tap the appropriate button in order to open it in the native mobile productivity app.

• In Google Drive, tap the document first to see a preview, then click the edit icon. Then, simultaneously start the stopwatch and tap the Use the app button.

• In OneDrive and SharePoint Online, tap the document first to see a preview, then tap the small arrow icon to bring up an icon for the associated productivity app. When you tap the icon, a prompt appears; simultaneously start the stopwatch and press Open.

4. When the file’s contents are first visible, stop the stopwatch.5. Record the result.6. Delete the file to remove it from the cache, close the browser app and productivity app, and remove them from memory. Then, re-

upload the file via the desktop sync client. This ensures that the file is not cached for subsequent runs.


Principled Technologies is a registered trademark of Principled Technologies, Inc.

All other product names are the trademarks of their respective owners.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES; LIMITATION OF LIABILITY:Principled Technologies, Inc. has made reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy and validity of its testing, however, Principled Technologies, Inc.

specifically disclaims any warranty, expressed or implied, relating to the test results and analysis, their accuracy, completeness or quality, including any implied warranty of fitness for any particular purpose. All persons or entities relying on the results of any testing do so at their own risk, and agree that Principled Technologies, Inc., its employees and its subcontractors shall have no liability whatsoever from any claim of loss or damage on account of any

alleged error or defect in any testing procedure or result.





Facts matter.®

Not all clouds are created equal: a comparison of Gmail and Outlook October 2016

Not all clouds are created equalA comparison of Gmail and Outlook

Think about how much time you spend dealing with email. It consumes 28 percent of the average workweek,1 so it’s crucial that the email platform you are using is fast. A few seconds here and there may seem trivial, but when you add them up over a day or week and factor in the number of people affected, the total can be staggering. The right productivity tools can help you communicate quickly and effectively.

Here at Principled Technologies, we evaluated how quickly two popular productivity suites—G Suite and Microsoft® Office 365®—actually work when you send and save files via email.

Sending and receiving attachments with Gmail,™ part of G Suite, took dramatically less time than doing so with Outlook® Online, the browser-based Microsoft Office 365 mail client. Saving files from attachments directly to the cloud with Google Drive,™ another G Suite component, also took less time than with Microsoft OneDrive® for Business. Read on to learn more.

SEND AND RECEIVE EMAIL ATTACHMENTS

in up to

42%

LESS TIME

with Gmail


Not all clouds are created equal: a comparison of Gmail and Outlook October 2016 | 2

Give your projects the time and attention they deserveThink about how many times a day you use email to conduct business, communicate with your teammates, and get input from others. If you can reduce the wait time involved with every email you send, you have more time to focus on work.

We timed how long it took to send and receive email attachments on laptops and smartphones running a variety of operating systems, browsers, and apps. We used both Gmail and Outlook for email, and we used Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive for Business to upload attachments to the cloud.

Gmail and Google Drive took less time to complete tests across the board. This means you can spend more time focusing on project outcomes and less time staring at your inbox.


Keep reading to explore a few real-world scenarios in which we tested the speed of each cloud email solution.

M T W T F

28% of the average workweek dealing with email1

19% of the average workweek looking for information1

14% of the average workweek communicating and collaborating with others1

Workers spend:


Laney is a commercial real estate developer. A prospective client sends her financial spreadsheets from their bank while she’s putting together their deal.

Our results show that using Gmail could save Laney up to 26 seconds every time she previews these email attachments on her phone.

If Laney wants to use her phone to quickly retrieve a bit of information from a file while meeting with that particular client, the 2- or 3-second delay with Gmail means she can honestly say, “Let me check that for you real quick!” That’s a lot more professional than the awkward 9- to 18-second silence she and her client might experience while waiting for the same files to open with Outlook.

Preview a 1.3MB DOCXin up to

89%less time

with Gmail

iOS app1.7 sec5.3 sec

Android™ app1.0 sec9.2 sec

Preview a 1.3MB XLSXin up to

87%less time

with Gmail


Android app1.2 sec9.9 sec

Preview a 4.4MB PPTXin up to

84%less time

with Gmail


Android app2.8 sec18.6 sec

Preview a 25MB JPGin up to

80%less time

with Gmail

GmailOutlook

error

Android app3.0 sec!

“Let me check that for you real quick!”



Every second countsJamal is a human resources manager for a company that employs over a thousand people. He’s reviewing training documentation to ensure new employees start off on the right foot. Because his company uses Gmail, every worker, including Jamal, can open cloud-hosted files in just over half the time it would take when using Outlook Online.

And those seconds do add up: Saving just two seconds every time you open a shared cloud document in email (with, say, 10 emails per day across a thousand people) can reduce the company’s cumulative wait time by almost 28 person-hours over the course of a week. Decreasing lag time means employees have more usable time to be productive and spend less time waiting in frustration for files to open.

Open a document froma share link in up to

47%less time

with Gmail

Windows® 10 – Chrome™4.5 sec7.9 sec

Windows 10 – Edge™3.6 sec5.0 sec

6.3 sec7.2 sec

OS X® – Chrome

OS X – Safari®

3.6 sec6.8 sec

GmailOutlook


Time doesn’t wait for a hard deadlineCarlos is a geologist for a natural resource agency. He will be presenting study results to leaders from across the country at a special symposium tomorrow. First, though, he needs one of his colleagues, who doesn’t work in his office or use G Suite, to verify findings from a high-resolution satellite photo. Carlos emails her the slide deck and the photo.

As our tests show, if Carlos uses Gmail, this process takes much less time than it would if he used Outlook Online. Once his colleague verifies the findings, Carlos can save the image to the project directory on Google Drive in up to 90 percent less time than it would take to save to Microsoft OneDrive for Business. He can then add it to the presentation.

Send and receive a presentation in up to

42%less time

with Gmail

Upload a high-resolutionphoto in up to

55%less time

with Gmail

Save a high-resolution phototo cloud storage in up to

90%less time

with Gmail

OS X – Safari5.6 sec 3.8 sec

OS X – Chrome3.9 sec5.1 sec

Windows 10 – Edge3.9 sec6.8 sec

Windows 10 – Chrome4.9 sec5.6 sec



Windows 10 – Edge16.3 sec36.4 sec

Windows 10 – Chrome15.7 sec33.1 sec



Windows 10 – Edge

2.3 sec18.5 sec

Windows 10 – Chrome

2.3 sec24.7 sec

GmailOutlook


Get the word out sooner rather than laterThe elementary school where LaShonda teaches will be hosting a regional teacher’s seminar next week. Today, she sends all participants an email inviting them to attend the “Introducing Students to Braille” session she’s coordinating as part of the seminar. This email outlines the objectives of the session and includes a factsheet as an attachment.

Our data shows that regardless of the operating system or browser they used, attendees using Gmail could see LaShonda’s invitation in their inboxes in up to 29 percent less time if she used Gmail instead of Outlook Online. There are only 25 spots in this study group, so the sooner they get the info, the quicker her colleagues can reserve a spot.

Send and receivedocs in up to

30%less time

with Gmail

Windows 10 – Edge

OS X – Safari

3.0 sec

3.0 sec

3.1 sec

4.3 sec

4.0 sec

3.5 sec

Windows 10 – Chrome

OS X – Chrome

3.4 sec4.2 sec

GmailOutlook


Conclusion: Don’t let the transfer of information slow you downYou’ve done the work and now it’s time to share it. Effective exchanges of information keep everyone up to speed on a project, whether they’re teammates or clients. The longer it takes important emails to reach recipients, the more frustrating it can be for everyone. Extreme delays can lead to missed deadlines and opportunities.

In our hands-on testing with laptops and smartphones, sending and receiving files using Gmail took as little as 58 percent of the time that Microsoft Outlook took. As our real-life scenarios show, the seconds really add up when you look at a full day’s work.


This is the fourth report in our five-part series that examines the performance of collaboration and productivity tools from G Suite and Microsoft Office 365. Read the entire series for a complete picture of how the cloud you choose can affect your business.

Additional reports in the “Not all clouds are created equal” series:A comparison of Google Docs™ and Microsoft Word Online

A comparison of Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive for Business, and SharePoint® Online



1 International Data Corporation (IDC); McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) analysis. http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/high-tech/our-insights/the-social-economy






Processor





Memory


Type LPDDR4 LPDDR4

Graphics



Storage

Amount (GB) 64 64


Connectivity



Bluetooth 4.2 4.2

Battery




Display

Size 5.5” 5.7”


Resolution 1,080 x 1,920 1,440 x 2,560




Camera



Operating system

Vendor Apple Google

Name iOS Android


Dimensions

Height 6.23” 6.27”

Width 3.07” 3.06”

Depth 0.29” 0.28”

Weight (oz) 6.77 6.27

System Apple 13” MacBook Air® (Early 2015) Lenovo® ThinkPad® X1 Carbon

Processor



Core frequency (GHz) 1.6 (up to 2.7 Turbo Boost) 2.6 (up to 3.4 Turbo Boost)

Number of cores 2 2

Cache 3MB L3 4MB L3

Memory


Type LPDDR3 LPDDR3


Integrated graphics

Vendor Intel Intel


Storage

Amount (GB) 256 256



System Apple 13” MacBook Air® (Early 2015) Lenovo® ThinkPad® X1 Carbon



Bluetooth 4.0 4.1

USB 2 x 3.0 3 x 3.0



Battery




Display

Size 13.3” 14”


Resolution 1,440 x 900 1,920 x 1,080

Touchscreen No No

Operating system




Camera


Dimensions

Height 0.11” to 0.6” 0.6”

Width 12.8” 13.1”

Depth 8.94” 9.00”

Weight (lb.) 2.96 2.58



Network infrastructureWe used two of each device under test. We connected the two devices in each pair to separate wireless networks. We connected the devices to the 5GHz band of identical, 802.11ac-based TP-Link AC1750 wireless routers. We configured each router identically but set them to use different channels to minimize interference from nearby networks. We ran all tests on a 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up connection.



• Google Nexus 6P (Android 6.0.1)

• Apple iPhone 6s Plus (iOS 9.3)


• Chrome 51.0.2704.84

• Safari 9.1.1

• Windows 10

• Chrome 51.0.2704.84

• Edge 25.10586.0.0

• Android 6.0.1

• iOS 9.3.2

File corpusWe used the following files as attachments in all tests:

• SampleDoc.docx (1.3 MB)

• SamplePpt.pptx (4.4 MB)

• SampleXls.xlsx (1.3 MB)

Running the laptop tests

Recording the time to open cloud-hosted document from emailed share link in online editor1. Open a browser window, and navigate to Gmail or Outlook Online.2. Prepare the stopwatch, and navigate to the email containing the share link for the document under test.3. Simultaneously start the stopwatch and click the share link inside to open the document in the online editor (Google Docs or Microsoft

Word Online).4. When the document has fully loaded, stop the stopwatch. In G Suite, this is when the document is completely loaded and editable. In

the Office 365 Online apps, this is when the document loads and can be viewed, but is not editable.5. Record the result.6. For Word Online, reset the stopwatch.7. Click the Edit link and simultaneously start the stopwatch and from the drop-down menu, select Edit in browser.8. When the document has fully loaded and is editable, stop the stopwatch.9. Record the result, and add it to the result recorded in step 7 for the total time.


Recording the time to receive email1. Open the appropriate email client or browser-based email client for the cloud storage solution under test on Laptop 1, and open the

same client on Laptop 2.2. Open a new email message:

• In Gmail, click Compose.

• In Outlook Online, click New.

3. Attach the appropriate file to the email:

• In Gmail, click Attach files, navigate to and select the correct file, and click Open.

• In Outlook Online, click Attach, navigate to and select the correct file, and click Open. Select Attach as a copy when prompted.

4. Provide the Laptop 2 user’s email address in the To field, provide a non-empty subject line, and prepare the stopwatch.5. Simultaneously click Send and start the stopwatch.6. When the email appears in the inbox on Laptop 2, stop the stopwatch.7. Record the result.

Recording the time to save email attachment to cloud storage directory1. Open the appropriate email client or browser-based email client for the cloud storage solution under test on Laptop 1, and open the

same client on Laptop 2.2. Open a new email message:



3. Attach the appropriate file to the email:

• In Gmail, click Attach files, navigate to and select the correct file, and click Open.

• In Outlook Online, click Attach, navigate to and select the correct file, and click Open. Select Attach as a copy when prompted.

4. Provide the Laptop 2 user’s email address in the To field, and provide a non-empty subject line.5. Press Send.6. On Laptop 2, when the email appears in the inbox, open the email, and prepare the stopwatch.7. Simultaneously start the stopwatch and save the attachment to the cloud storage solution under test:

• In Gmail, hover over the attachment, and click Save to Drive, and start the stopwatch.

• In Outlook Online, press the drop-down arrow on the attachment, and click Save to OneDrive - (Organization Name Here), and start the stopwatch.

8. When the file finishes saving, stop the stopwatch:

• In Gmail, when the balloon that appears over the attachment says “Saved to Drive,” stop the stopwatch.

• In Outlook Online, when the status message on the attachment changes to a checkmark and “Saved to,” stop the stopwatch.


Recording the time to upload/send image attachment1. Open the appropriate email client or browser-based email client under test on Laptop 1.2. Open a new email message:



3. Provide the Laptop 2 user’s email address in the To field, and provide a non-empty subject line.4. Prepare the stopwatch, and time how long it takes to attach the appropriate file to the email:

• In Gmail, click Attach files, navigate to and select the correct file, and simultaneously start the stopwatch and click Open.

• In Outlook Online, click Attach, navigate to and select the correct file, and click Open. When prompted, select Attach as Copy and simultaneously start the stopwatch.

5. Use the following indicators to determine when the file under test has been uploaded successfully:

• In Gmail, stop the stopwatch when the progress bar indicating upload progress for the attachment in the Compose screen fills and disappears.

• In Outlook Online, stop the stopwatch when the spinning icon indicating the upload in progress for the attachment in the Compose screen disappears.









Facts matter.®

Running the mobile device tests

Previewing email attachment in mobile app1. Prepare Smartphone 1, and ensure that the appropriate native email app (Gmail or Outlook) is the only application running in memory.2. Open the corresponding email app on Smartphone 2, and prepare the email to send:

a. Tap the Compose icon to create a new email, and give it a subject.b. Enter the email address associated with the G Suite or Office 365 account of the user on Smartphone 1.c. Tap the attachment icon, and select a file of the appropriate size and file type.

3. Tap the send icon to send the email to Smartphone 1.4. On Smartphone 1, open the email app under test.5. Prepare the stopwatch and navigate to the email containing the attachment under test.6. Simultaneously start the stopwatch and tap the attached file under test to preview it.7. When the file fully loads on the preview screen, stop the stopwatch.8. Record the result.9. Delete the email, and close the app so it is no longer loaded in memory. This will ensure that the attached file is not cached for

subsequent runs.

Not all clouds are created equal: a comparison of Google Sites and Microsoft SharePoint Online October 2016

Not all clouds are created equalA comparison of Google Sites and Microsoft SharePoint Online

Internal sites give your employees the ability to share ideas, connect with each other, and access everything from project-related documents to company policy and calendars. This can improve employee productivity and company culture. The easier it is to set up, update, and access these crucial lines of communication, the more likely users will actually use them.

Here at Principled Technologies, we evaluated how easy it was to create and maintain internal sites with Google Sites™ and Microsoft® SharePoint® Online.1

Google Sites, a part of G Suite, performed 100 percent of the routine site management tasks we tackled in less time and with noticeably less effort than the Microsoft Office 365® site manager, SharePoint Online. Google Sites also delivered a streamlined user experience and responsive mobile design that SharePoint Online couldn’t match—SharePoint Online required more steps to add simple features to a team site, something Google Sites made comparably simple. Read on to learn more.

PREVIEW A SITE THEME

in up to

98%

LESS TIME

CREATE A NEW SITE

in up to

57%

LESS TIME

EMBED A YOUTUBE™ VIDEO

in a page in

10

FEWER STEPS


Not all clouds are created equal: a comparison of Google Sites and Microsoft SharePoint Online October 2016 | 2

Break down barriers to success Keeping internal sites up to date has traditionally taken a great deal of time and energy. Both G Suite and Microsoft Office 365 claim that their tools make it easy to build and maintain internal sites, but which one comes out on top?

We determined how long it took to create sites and maintain existing ones with Google Sites and Microsoft SharePoint Online. We also compared the number of steps both tools required to complete common tasks like adding text, images, video, and calendars to a page. Because mobility is crucial for the enterprise, we used a variety of laptops and smartphones running different operating systems, browsers, and apps to test real-world scenarios.

Having important information at your team’s fingertips at all times means everyone can do their jobs better, check the status of projects more easily, and respond to problems more quickly. When employees struggle to share information with their teams or feel that their tools aren’t helpful, they may decide to stop wasting time trying to communicate in that forum and revert to old communication practices that are harder to track.


Read below to see how Google Sites and SharePoint Online can improve (or impede) productivity.

A tale of two HR managersGenevieve and Ralph are in charge of people operations at competing cell phone providers. Both need to create internal sites where employees can learn about new 401(k) options. They must embed video, add images, and edit copy for these pages.

Genevieve’s company uses G Suite and Ralph’s company uses Microsoft Office 365.

Let’s see how each choice shapes their workflow.


Core competenciesRoutine tasks shouldn’t be complicated. As our results show, Google Sites helps Genevieve accomplish every task in fewer steps than Ralph, who uses Microsoft SharePoint Online.

The real advantage isn’t only saving steps when you embed videos or upload images to a page—it’s the fact that Google Sites is generally easier to use than SharePoint Online.

Google SitesSharePoint Online

Common tasks

15 steps 5 steps

Embed YouTube video in page

3 steps 2 steps

Add text to a page

6 steps 1 step

Move inserted image

7 steps 2 steps

Resize inserted image

9 steps 3 steps

Add image to page from computer (upload)

4 steps 3 steps

Add calendar

7 steps 3 steps

Add bulleted list and one item

5 steps

Create new page

4 steps

4 steps

Change site/page theme2 steps

35FEWER STEPS

with Google Sites


Strategic information managementGenevieve and Ralph now need to update their respective sites by changing the color scheme on the shared calendar and reviewing individual team pages.

It only takes Genevieve half a second to preview a site theme with Google Sites on her Windows® 10 laptop. In contrast, Ralph stares at the computer screen for over half a minute as he waits for SharePoint Online to preview the changes.

Opening a page for editing takes Genevieve about a second with Google Sites—half the time it takes Ralph to do the same thing with SharePoint Online. When you’re reviewing dozens of team pages and adding new information to existing files, time quickly adds up; and when you don’t have the fastest tools helping you, routine tasks take up more time than they need to.

35.4 sec 0.6 sec

OS X®

37.6 sec 0.6 sec

Windows 10

2.2 sec 1.0 sec

OS X

2.2 sec 0.9 sec

Windows 10


Preview a site theme in up to

98%less time

with Sites

Open an existing pagefor editing in up to

59%less time

with Sites


Encourage knowledge sharingGenevieve and Ralph are creating new sites for their sales reps. They need to make group sales histories, prepare commission breakdowns for store managers, and create a list of sales targets for all territories. Once they’re done, they’ll send email notifications to individual sales reps and their managers to inform them that the sites are live.

Google Sites helps Genevieve achieve her goals much faster than Ralph can with SharePoint Online. Creating a new site with three blank pages takes Genevieve as little as 7.8 seconds (when she’s using an Apple® MacBook Air®). The same task takes Ralph as long as 18.4 seconds. That’s twice as long as it takes Genevieve! When you multiply that time savings over 15 or 20 new project sites, it’s clear that Genevieve can start working on other objectives while Ralph’s still far from done with his list.

Once each new project site is ready to go, Genevieve lets various team members know that their new team portal is up and running. With Google Sites, Genevieve accomplishes this in less time than it takes Ralph to notify his workers with SharePoint Online.

Create a new site in up to

57%less time

with Sites

Create a new blank page in up to

60%less time

with Sites

Invite/share via email in up to

42%less time

with Sites

12.7 sec 5.4 sec

OS X

1.9 sec 0.8 sec

OS X

4.0 sec 2.3 sec

OS X

9.5 sec 4.7 sec

Windows 10

2.0 sec 0.8 sec

Windows 10

3.4 sec 2.7 sec

Windows 10



Get the whole pictureSaving time and steps is important, but that’s not the only difference between Google Sites and Microsoft SharePoint Online.

The Google Sites experience

Google Sites presented our testers with a consistent experience across devices, including Android and iOS smartphones. It also created responsive pages that scaled properly on both laptop and mobile screens.

Google Sites


SharePoint Online

What a page editor on desktop sees

What a user on desktop sees


The Microsoft SharePoint Online user experience:

Microsoft SharePoint Online has some mobile support, but what you see when designing a site isn’t always what you get. For example, in the screenshot on the left, the page title’s formatting doesn’t match how it appears in the SharePoint Online editor screen on the previous page, and you only see half of the image; you have to scroll horizontally to see the whole thing.

In contrast, Google Sites was mobile friendly and didn’t have any issues fluidly scaling from mobile screen sizes to laptops.


What a mobile user sees


Conclusion: Routine tasks shouldn’t be complicatedInternal sites are essential hubs of intra-company communication. Easy maintenance of these sites brings even more value to the users by making access easy and engagement intuitive.

In our hands-on testing, accomplishing day-to-day tasks using Google Sites was simpler and more intuitive. When we attempted the same tasks with SharePoint Online, we experienced longer wait times—tasks took up to 61 times longer.

Allowing us to complete tasks in fewer steps is another way that Google Sites streamlined the process; the step-by-step process with Microsoft SharePoint Online was more complicated. Google Sites also provided users with a consistent experience across devices, a consistency that was lacking in our SharePoint Online experience. These inconsistencies and extended wait times can cause employees to become reluctant to use the tool. This can result in less communication, out-of-date content, or low employee engagement.


This is the fifth report in our five-part series that examines the performance of collaboration and productivity tools from G Suite and Microsoft Office 365. Read the entire series for a complete picture of how the cloud you choose can affect your business.



A comparison of Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive for Business, and SharePoint Online



1 For our testing, we used the rebuilt Google Sites via the Google Sites Early Adopter Program: https://apps.google.com/index__siteseap.html

http://facts.pt/jHRnW2

http://facts.pt/pXCZuf

http://facts.pt/gh24hC

http://facts.pt/MnjwGU

https://apps.google.com/index__siteseap.html

https://apps.google.com/index__siteseap.html





System Apple iPhone® 6s Plus Google Nexus™ 6P

Processor



Core frequency 1.85 GHz 1.95 GHz + 1.55 GHz


Memory


Type LPDDR4 LPDDR4

Graphics



Storage

Amount 64 GB 64 GB


Connectivity



Bluetooth 4.2 4.2

Battery



Rated capacity 10.45 Wh 13.11 Wh

Display

Size 5.5” 5.7”


Resolution 1080 x 1920 1440 x 2560


System Apple iPhone® 6s Plus Google Nexus™ 6P

Camera

Front-facing 5MP 720p FaceTime® HD 8MP

Rear-facing 12MP iSight® 12.3MP

Operating system

Vendor Apple Google

Name iOS Android™


Dimensions

Height 6.23” 6.27”

Width 3.07” 3.06”

Depth 0.29” 0.28”

Weight 6.77 oz. 6.27 oz.


System Apple 13” MacBook Air (Early 2015) Lenovo® ThinkPad® X1 Carbon

Processor



Core frequency 1.6GHz (up to 2.7GHz Turbo Boost) 2.6GHz (up to 3.4GHz Turbo Boost)

Number of cores 2 2

Cache 3MB L3 4MB L3

Memory


Type LPDDR3 LPDDR3


Integrated graphics

Vendor Intel Intel


Storage

Amount 256 GB 256 GB



System Apple 13” MacBook Air (Early 2015) Lenovo® ThinkPad® X1 Carbon



Bluetooth 4.0 4.1

USB 2 x 3.0 3 x 3.0



Battery



Rated capacity 54 Wh 52 Wh

Display

Size 13.3” 14”


Resolution 1,440 x 900 1,920 x 1080

Touchscreen No No

Operating system




Camera


Dimensions

Height 0.11” to 0.6” 0.6”

Width 12.8” 13.1”

Depth 8.94” 9.00”

Weight 2.96 lb. 2.58 lb.



Network infrastructureWe used two of each device under test. We connected the two devices in each pair to separate wireless networks. We connected the devices to the 5GHz band of identical, 802.11 ac-based TP-Link AC1750 wireless routers. We configured each router identically but set them to use different channels, to minimize traffic from nearby networks.



Running the laptop tests

Measuring the time to create a new site1. In Google Chrome™, navigate to the dashboard page for the site management service being tested.2. Create the site:

• In Google Sites, simultaneously click the Create New Site button and start the stopwatch.

• In SharePoint Online, click the Create Site button and provide a name, then simultaneously click Create and start the stopwatch.

3. Stop the stopwatch:

• In Google Sites, stop the stopwatch when the new site appears and has fully loaded.

• In SharePoint Online, stop the stopwatch when the new site’s dashboard appears and has fully loaded.


Measuring the time to share site via email1. Prepare another notebook (the same model as the one being used for testing) by navigating to the browser-based email client for the

platform under test, Gmail™ or Outlook® Online.2. On the notebook under test, prepare to share the site:

• In Google Sites, click the Add Editors button, provide the email address being used on the other notebook, then simultaneously click Done and start the stopwatch.

• In SharePoint Online, click the Share button, provide the email address being used on the other notebook, then simultaneously click Share and start the stopwatch.

3. When the invite email appears in the inbox on the other notebook, stop the stopwatch.4. Record the result.

Measuring the time to create a new blank page1. In Google Sites, navigate to the Pages tab, or in SharePoint, navigate to the Site Contents page, and click Site Pages.2. Create a new blank page:

• In Google Sites, click the Add Page button, provide a name for the page, then simultaneously click Done and start the stopwatch.

• In SharePoint Online, click the New button, provide a name for the page, then simultaneously click Create and start the stopwatch.

3. Stop the stopwatch:

• In Google Sites, when the new page has fully loaded and is editable, stop the stopwatch.

• In SharePoint Online, when the new page appears in the editor and is editable, stop the stopwatch.


Measuring the time to open an existing page for editing1. Open an existing page:

• In Google Sites, navigate to the site under test, then simultaneously click the button for an existing page (that is not currently open in the editor) and start the stopwatch.

• In SharePoint Online, navigate to an existing page, then simultaneously click the Edit button and start the stopwatch.

2. When the page appears in the editor and is fully loaded, stop the stopwatch.3. Record the result.


Measuring the time to preview a site theme1. In Google Sites, click the Themes tab, or in SharePoint, click the What’s your style? button.2. Simultaneously click a theme (other than the one you’re currently using) and start the stopwatch.3. Stop the stopwatch:

• In Google Sites, when the new theme loads on the page in the editor, stop the stopwatch.

• In SharePoint Online, when a preview of the new theme loads, stop the stopwatch.


Measuring the number of steps to add bulleted list and one itemGoogle Sites1. In the Insert menu, click Text box.2. Click the bulleted list icon.3. Type item text.

SharePoint1. Click add an app.2. Click Custom List.3. Type name.4. Click Create.5. Click New Item.6. Enter a title.7. Click Save.

Number of steps to add calendarGoogle Sites1. In the Insert menu, under Google Embeds, click Calendar.2. Click a calendar in the list to select it.3. Click Insert.

SharePoint1. Click Add lists, libraries, and other apps.2. Click Calendar.3. Provide name.4. Click Create.

Number of steps to add image to page from cloudGoogle Sites1. In the Insert menu, click Images.2. Click the Google Drive tab.3. Click an image to select it.4. Click Select.

SharePoint1. Click Edit.2. Click Insert tab.3. Click Picture.4. Click From SharePoint.5. Click existing image.6. Click Insert.7. Click Save.


Measuring the number of steps to add image to page from computer (upload)Google Sites1. In the Insert menu, click Images.2. Drag an image file to the upload box from a local folder.3. Click Upload.

SharePoint1. Click Edit.2. Click Insert tab.3. Click Picture.4. Click From Computer.5. Click Choose File. 6. Select existing image.7. Click Open.8. Click OK.9. Click Save.

Number of steps to resize inserted imageGoogle Sites1. Click the image in the editor.2. Click and drag one of the circles on the corners to resize it.

SharePoint1. Click Edit.2. Click the image you want to resize.3. Click the Image tab.4. Click in either the Horizontal Size or Vertical Size fields.5. Type the desired width or height in pixels.6. Press Enter.7. Click Save.

Number of steps to move inserted imageGoogle Sites1. In the editor, click and drag the previously embedded image to the desired location.

SharePoint1. Click Edit.2. Click the previously embedded image.3. Click Image tab.4. Click Position drop-down menu.5. Click a position.6. Click Save.

Number of steps to add text to pageGoogle Sites1. In the Insert menu, click Text box.2. Enter the text.

SharePoint1. Click Edit.2. Enter text.3. Click Save.


Measuring the number of steps to embed YouTube video in pageGoogle Sites1. In the Insert menu, under Google Embeds, click YouTube.2. Enter a search query.3. Press Enter.4. Click the desired video.5. Click Select.

SharePoint1. Click Edit.2. Click Insert tab.3. Click Embed Code.4. Navigate to http://www.youtube.com in another tab.5. Enter search term or phrase.6. Press Enter.7. Click the desired video.8. Click Share.9. Click Embed.10. Select Embed Code.11. Copy embed code.12. Return to the tab in which SharePoint is open.13. Paste embed code in the Embed dialog in SharePoint.14. Click Insert.15. Click Save.

Number of steps to change site/page themeGoogle Sites1. Click the Themes tab.2. Click a theme to apply it.

SharePoint1. Click What’s your style? Change the look of your site.2. Click the desired theme.3. Click Try it out.4. To apply the theme, click Yes, keep it.

Number of steps to create new pageGoogle Sites1. Click the Pages tab.2. Click the Add page icon.3. Type in the desired page name.4. Click Done.

SharePoint1. Click Site Contents.2. Click Site Pages.3. Click New.4. Type in the desired page name.5. Click Create.

http://www.youtube.com








Facts matter.®