Consequently, I’ve been using Google Sheets almost daily since then, becoming a self-taught expert in its functionality and innovative ways of working. In 2016, the industrial machinery manufacturing company where I oversee financial data analytics took the significant step of moving all of its 11,000 employees to Google’s G Suite, now Google Workspace-joining the rising number of firms making the switch from Excel. Nonetheless, there are many finance and business professionals who are still working with Excel spreadsheets in the same way that many of us learned in the precloud era, even those who have switched to Microsoft’s cloud-based Microsoft 365. Today’s collaborative, cloud-based business environment is where the advantages of Google Sheets really stand out. But the rise in cloud computing, especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the exponential growth of the amount of data businesses collect have changed the way we work, possibly forever. There are plenty of reasons why it’s retained its popularity for decades. Since it was introduced in 1985, Microsoft’s Excel has become the go-to spreadsheet program among financial professionals-and, without a doubt, it remains a powerful tool.
