I'm an admin at a small to medium-sized business (SMB) using Active Directory for endpoint authentication along with Google Workspace for our email, chat, cloud storage, and office suite. We've received a directive to eliminate our local servers and fully transition to the cloud; however, I'm not too impressed with Google Cloud Password (GCPW). I'm seeking suggestions on how to approach this situation, particularly considering our constraints as an SMB since we haven't approved any budget for this transition.
I'm thinking about using free Entra ID accounts, then syncing those with our Google accounts, even though I dislike that it can't be synced the other way around. My main hurdle is whether we'll need Entra P1 licenses to set up essential security settings and reporting to ensure compliance. Also, I've already integrated all the SaaS applications that support SAML with Google, so I'm feeling a bit reluctant to reconfigure everything from scratch.
5 Answers
It could be worth having a serious budget discussion with whoever decided on this cloud move. While it's totally viable, it does come at a cost. Many people might suggest M365 since it works well, but be ready for potential frustration if it means leaving Google Workspace. Another avenue to explore is endpoint management solutions like JumpCloud, but again, that’s a service you'd need to factor into your budget.
Honestly, if you're looking to save money, you might want to keep everything with either Google or Microsoft. If you've already invested in Google, consider upgrading your Workspace to include the necessary provisions for Chromebooks. If not, the suggested route might be to switch completely to Microsoft Business subscriptions, which would streamline your cloud operations. It's pretty much one or the other, though, so go with whatever you've already integrated.
Remember, if you're paying for on-prem servers now, transitioning to the cloud means you'll be covering those costs with someone else's servers, so keep that in mind. There’s really no free option here.
Honestly, if this project isn’t seeming worth your effort, you could let someone else handle it. I personally believe it might be wise to keep some servers around and hold onto AD as long as you can, but it seems like all the pressure is on you for this transition.
Yeah, I totally feel the pressure from end users who love Google. They’ll definitely be upset if we switch to 365. It’s tough trying to manage everyone's expectations alongside these transitions.
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