Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIn a January 2025 interview, Promevo CTO John Pettit argued that businesses may choose an AI platform based on where their data and daily work already live—not just on which email suite they prefer. That was an informed but interested channel executive’s view, not a controlled comparison. Since then, Google and Microsoft have continued developing their products, so the interview is useful as a snapshot of the debate, not as a current verdict on which assistant is better.
What Promevo’s CTO said about Gemini and Copilot
CRN’s January 29, 2025 interview focused on a change to Google Workspace packaging: Google had made Gemini features part of certain Workspace Business and Enterprise plans while raising Workspace prices. CRN reported that Microsoft’s business Copilot Chat was free at the time and had gained access to agents. Pettit’s argument was that removing a separate Gemini add-on cost could make Google more attractive, especially to organizations whose information and work already sat in Workspace. He also praised Gemini’s integration with Google apps and data, while criticizing what he then saw as limited integration in Copilot Chat. Those were his assessments of the products at that moment, not findings from a head-to-head test. CRN’s interview
Pettit summarized the strategic shift this way: “As you look at the next two or three years ahead, people are going to be shifting their mindset from, ‘What’s the best email platform? to ‘What’s the best AI platform for my company?’” He was predicting a change in how buyers evaluate productivity software, rather than declaring Gemini the winner.
Promevo is a Google-focused services provider. Its company announcement identified Pettit as CTO and described Promevo as a Google Premier Partner providing Workspace, Chrome, Cloud, and proprietary software services. That context matters when weighing his perspective: it reflects experience working with Google customers, but it is not a neutral product review. Promevo’s announcement
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
What its deployment figure does—and does not—show
Pettit told CRN that Promevo implemented “hundreds” of Gemini deployments in 2024 and ran customer workshops. This is Promevo’s self-reported service activity, as relayed by CRN. It indicates that the company was working on deployments; it does not establish how many users adopted the tools, what outcomes they achieved, or whether Gemini outperformed Copilot.
Why the 2025 price comparison is historical
CRN reported that Google had previously charged $20 per user per month for Gemini Business and $30 per user per month for Gemini Enterprise, and that Workspace prices rose roughly 20 percent for most annual and flexible plans in the change discussed in the interview. Those figures describe 2025 pricing, not current quotes. CRN’s 2025 report
Google’s January 15, 2025 announcement illustrated the packaging change with a specific example: Workspace Business Standard with a Gemini Business add-on had cost $32 per user per month, and the new price was $14 per user per month under the plan terms described in that announcement. That was a dated example, not a promise of today’s price or an offer available to every customer. Google’s January 2025 pricing announcement
For a present-day budget, compare the actual plans and terms available to your organization. Include the base suite license, any AI-specific license or usage charges, and the cost of implementation, training, administration, and support. Avoid comparing a bundled feature in one tier with a separately licensed feature in another as if they were equivalent.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →How the products have moved since the interview
Google’s Workspace direction
In a September 9, 2026 announcement, Google described Gemini handling tasks across Gmail, Drive, Docs, Slides, and Chat, drawing on relevant Workspace files, email, and chat context according to selected sources or administrator settings. Google said rollout was underway for Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus, among other plans. Rollout and entitlements can vary; confirm availability for your organization rather than assuming that a feature is included for every Workspace customer. The announcement shows that the 2025 snapshot is out of date, but does not prove a head-to-head advantage. Google’s September 2026 announcement
Microsoft’s Copilot positioning
Microsoft’s vendor-authored comparison page presents Copilot as operating within Microsoft 365 workflows such as Word, Excel, and Teams, with Work IQ and enterprise controls and agent governance. It also discusses editing, notebooks, sensitivity labels, encrypted files, and Gemini Enterprise. Microsoft identifies the demonstrations on that page as simulated captures from March 2026. These are Microsoft’s descriptions and comparisons, not independent tests; feature access can depend on licensing and configuration. Microsoft’s comparison page
How to decide which AI platform fits your organization
Neither the interview nor the later vendor pages establish an independent, current, like-for-like benchmark of Gemini against Microsoft 365 Copilot. A useful choice therefore starts with your environment and intended work, then verifies specific features, permissions, and costs.
- Map where work and data already live. List the applications employees use every day, the repositories that hold relevant information, and the systems they need AI to work across. Pettit’s central point is most useful here: an assistant that fits the organization’s existing environment may be a more practical choice than one selected on a generic feature checklist.
- Identify concrete workflows. Name the tasks employees need help with—such as finding information, drafting, summarizing, or coordinating work across apps—and check what each product can do in the relevant applications. Do not treat a vendor demo or a feature name as proof that the workflow is available under your license.
- Verify plan, region, and rollout. Check current product documentation and your organization’s admin console for each feature you intend to deploy. Confirm the required edition, any separate licensing, regional availability, and whether the rollout has reached your tenant.
- Test permissions and governance against your actual configuration. Review which content the assistant can access, how existing permissions apply, what administrators can control, and whether retention, compliance, and data-flow requirements are met. A capability being described by a vendor does not establish that your configuration is safe or compliant.
- Estimate total cost and adoption effort. Compare like-for-like licenses and include migration, training, support, and administration. A lower apparent license cost may not be the lower-cost option if it requires substantial process changes or additional controls.
- Run a bounded pilot. Use representative workflows and approved data, define success measures in advance, and include users and administrators. Evaluate accuracy, usefulness, time saved, error handling, and governance fit in your own environment rather than assuming either vendor’s claims apply to your organization.
Security claims need configuration-level checks
Google says Workspace customer data is not used to train or improve underlying models outside Workspace without permission, and describes granular access and data controls. Microsoft says Copilot inherits Microsoft 365 controls and that users receive only information they can access. These are each vendor’s statements about its own service. Review your tenant settings, licenses, data flows, retention rules, and compliance obligations before enabling features or connecting content. Google’s Workspace AI privacy information and Microsoft’s Copilot security information
What the interview is—and is not—evidence for
The interview captures a real strategic question: will organizations choose AI in the context of their established work platform, or will AI capabilities prompt them to reconsider that platform? Pettit’s forecast about buyers shifting from email to AI platforms is a useful lens, and his comments explain why Google’s 2025 packaging change mattered to a Google partner. But the interview is dated, and Google’s and Microsoft’s later product pages are vendor-authored. Taken together, these sources do not establish which product is objectively smarter, safer, cheaper, or more productive for every business.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
