Is Notion the Next Microsoft?

For millions of workers around the world, their go-to productivity software comes from Microsoft. The computer maker has dominated the market by offering an interconnected suite of tools, including word processing, spreadsheet and email client software. However, some upstarts, including Notion, are looking to muscle in on this space. So how does this company stack up against Microsoft?

What Is Notion?

At its simplest, Notion is a new kind of collaborative workspace that combines the features of several different productivity apps into one platform. The goal is to enhance creativity and teamwork and create more fluid workflows. Rather than opening your word processor, then opening another program to make a spreadsheet, you can switch from one task to another within the same system.

Notion offers a big advantage for teams that work in different locations but need to collaborate as though they were in the same space. Because all the apps and documents live in a singular workspace, it is easy for two or more team members to work together and edit a document or add information for a presentation. The workspace lays out the items that the team is currently working on so it's clear what's happening.

Notion also lends itself to project management. Leaders can assign tasks as needed and get updates in a timely fashion, making it easy to keep track of progress across the entire team. Users can transform information into shareable databases, enhancing the flow of data among your staff and partners and speeding up the process of getting reviews and feedback to work.

How Does Notion Compare to Microsoft?

So how does this new style of productivity software compare to Microsoft and the ubiquitous Office family of products? Both give companies the power to create important documents in an efficient way with all the features most users could need. You can write professional communications for any situation and compose the communications you need.

The biggest difference may be in how you share what you've created. With Microsoft Office, you generally need to save your files somewhere and either send them to another person or grant access. Microsoft's Sharepoint simplifies this by offering a cohesive space for a team to save and access files together.

With this approach, it's not overly difficult to get information from one person to another. However, this workflow doesn't naturally encourage sharing and collaborating. Uploading documents to a shared server after creation is generally effective for review but gives fewer opportunities for working together.

This is where Notion hopes to gain ground. The united workspace idea brings everyone together. You can see different elements of a project on a single page, allowing people to jump in where they see a need and quickly access the information they want. Different teams can check out what their counterparts are doing in a way that is intuitive and effective.

Should You Use Notion or Microsoft?

As you consider the two systems and whether one is better than the other, it may be helpful to reframe the conversation. Rather than thinking of the software companies as direct competitors, there is more value in considering them as different ways to solve different problems.

Many traditional offices will do well to rely on Microsoft Office for productivity needs. Often, a company's systems are well-integrated with Office products, and workers are familiar with the methods of getting things done. That doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement and a need for more collaboration, but your company may not need to start from scratch.

Using Notion should be less about replacing Microsoft and more about exploring new ways to take notes, share information and collaborate. You can use Notion in addition to Microsoft and see how well it works for your operation.

You may find that this system works better for one department than it does for others. Your creative team might love the sharing features and the ability to quickly add documents, spreadsheets and images to a shared workspace for feedback. Your sales team, however, may get less use out of these tools and features. Both experiences are valid and speak to the idea that there are different ways to be productive.

When it comes to using Notion, you should also prepare to experiment and be flexible. Because of how fluid the system is, you have a lot of options on what to do with it. This means breaking away from your previous ideas about productivity that were probably built around Office. You may have to try out new things to see if this system could be right for your staff.

Try Something New With Notion

Great businesses thrive on being innovative, and that isn't restricted to product and service development. Always leave room in your business to find ways to improve and enhance your workflow. Even when you've come to rely on certain software and systems, there is always the option to make a change for the better in a way that will pay off for your team.

Notion could be one of those opportunities for your company. It may be a while before this system overtakes Microsoft as the leader in the productivity world, but it definitely has great features and workflows to offer your business right now. If you're ready to try it out and want to move important data, contact Cloudficient to learn about our cloud migration services and how we can help.

With unmatched next generation migration technology, Cloudficient is revolutionizing the way businesses retire legacy systems and transform their organization into the cloud. Our business constantly remains focused on client needs and creating product offerings that match them. We provide affordable services that are scalable, fast and seamless.

If you would like to learn more about how to bring Cloudficiency to your migration project, visit our website, or contact us.