Switching from Google Workspace to Microsoft.
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Misha Jabal-Abadi Asst. Production Editor
With the arrival of the new year, Manhattan University (MU) has officially made the switch from using Google to Microsoft as its main platform. The transition to Microsoft, which has been long anticipated, was officially announced to occur following the fall 2025 semester. While the transition was initially postponed, many students and faculty began asking why the switch was happening in the middle of an academic year. Most are accustomed to Google, and the change in platforms has introduced unexpected challenges.
When this question was brought to Melvin Lasky, chief information officer of Information Technology (IT) Services, he provided some insight on why MU decided to go through with the transition.
“The main reason we transitioned to Microsoft is really because of cybersecurity… Microsoft’s platform is better at dealing with a lot of the attacks we’ve been getting,” Lasky said. “You’ve noticed since we’ve transitioned to Microsoft, we have less phishing attacks that have occurred.”
The university has faced obstacles in the past regarding its cybersecurity while using Google applications; some students received emails from unfamiliar groups, including potential scam messages. Through Microsoft’s Authenticator app, MU works towards the goal of strengthening the privacy of its students.
While security was the main reason for the switch, there was another reason for favoring Microsoft over Google. Some students note that Microsoft is commonly used across a range of industries, and early exposure may ease the transition into professional environments. Gerardo Lopez, a junior studying mechanical engineering, believes this to be true.
“Over the summer, I used Outlook, and like all the Microsoft apps you can imagine, I used them,” Lopez said. “So I got really accustomed to it.”
Although this experience made Lopez more accustomed to Microsoft as a platform, the start of the spring 2026 semester still brought on feelings of confusion and unease.
“I started school without knowing where my classes had changed to,” Lopez said.
Since the switch in platforms, some students continue to have a positive outlook on the transition to Microsoft, while others have openly raised concerns. Elizabeth Cortez-Araiza, a sophomore studying chemical engineering and mathematics, shared with The Quadrangle some of the issues she observed during the platform transition.
“It [the Microsoft Authenticator application] is very annoying,” Cortez-Araiza said. “It’s kind of difficult, especially in classes when some professors still haven’t posted their material, since they don’t know what they’re doing or how to work Outlook.”
Since Google is a free platform, many students have used it from a young age due to its convenience and cost efficiency. After decades of familiarity with Google, many students are inclined to continue using its applications for schoolwork. However, Lasky advises against using Google applications, as any work stored on Google Drive will not be preserved.
“If you’re still using Google Drive right now, when Google Drive does eventually go away, that stuff won’t transfer over to Microsoft because the transfer has already happened,” Lasky said. “We really want students, employees and faculty to use the Microsoft platform so that they don’t lose any of their information.”
As the transition continues, the IT department has lengthened its hours to support students encountering issues.
“Any student, any faculty, is welcome to come to our office. We’re open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day, Monday through Friday,” Lasky concluded.