Case Study: A Startup Switches to kSuite in 1 Week

DataPulse (name changed) is a Paris-based startup specializing in data analytics for the retail industry. Founded in 2022, the 12-person team had been using Google Workspace since day one. In 2025, they decided to migrate to kSuite. Here\'s their story.

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The Turning Point

Like many tech startups, DataPulse had chosen Google Workspace by default. Gmail, Drive, Meet: the Google ecosystem was familiar, performant, and the startup pricing was attractive at the beginning.

But as the company grew, questions started to emerge.

"We advise our clients to protect their data, to be careful with Big Tech, and yet our own emails are with Google. There was an inconsistency."

The final trigger came from a prospect in the banking sector who asked where the data exchanged via email was hosted. The answer "at Google, probably in the United States" wasn\'t satisfactory.

The Requirements

The team listed its requirements for the new solution:

• European hosting, ideally outside the EU to also escape European surveillance regulations
• Email + calendar + storage + video conferencing integrated
• Real-time collaboration on documents (they used Google Docs extensively)
• Reasonable pricing for a cost-conscious startup
• Simple migration, the team had no time to waste

After evaluating several options (ProtonMail + Nextcloud, Zoho, Infomaniak), the choice fell on kSuite.

Why kSuite?

Several factors tipped the balance:

Swiss Hosting

Switzerland offers unique legal protection: no Cloud Act, no intrusive surveillance laws, a tradition of confidentiality. For a startup handling sensitive retailer data, this is a commercial selling point.

Complete Integration

kSuite includes everything: kMail, kDrive, kMeet, kChat, office suite. No need to assemble multiple software components.

Compatibility with Existing Habits

The Infomaniak webmail interface looks similar enough to Gmail for a smooth transition. kDrive works like Drive, kMeet like Meet.

Customer Support

Unlike Google, where support is virtually nonexistent for small teams, Infomaniak offers real human support in French.

The 5-Day Migration

The team decided to handle the migration themselves, without an external provider. Here\'s how it went.

Day 1: Preparation

Created 12 kSuite accounts. Imported contacts from Google Contacts (CSV export, import into Infomaniak). Configured smartphones for parallel testing.

Day 2: Drive to kDrive Migration

Used the kDrive migration tool from Google Drive. The ~80 GB of shared files were transferred in a few hours. Verified the structure and sharing permissions.

Day 3: Email Migration

IMAP migration of the 12 mailboxes. The largest mailboxes (5-8 GB) took several hours. Migration started in the evening, completed by the next morning.

Day 4: DNS Switchover

Changed MX records. New emails now arrive on Infomaniak. Reconfigured mail clients (mainly webmail and mobile, as the team doesn\'t use Outlook).

Day 5: Training and Adjustments

2-hour session with the entire team to present the new tools. Focus on kDrive (collaborative editing) and kChat (replacing Google Chat). Resolved edge cases.

Post-Migration Adjustments

Not everything was perfect from the start. A few adjustments were needed.

Google Docs to OnlyOffice

Collaborative editing in kDrive uses OnlyOffice, which works differently from Google Docs. A few habits needed to change: keyboard shortcuts differ, some features are in different places. After 2 weeks, everyone had adapted.

Google Meet to kMeet

kMeet is based on Jitsi and works very well, but the interface is different. Users had to relearn where to find screen sharing, in-meeting chat, etc.

Third-Party Integrations

Some tools used by the team had native Google integrations (Slack, Notion). These integrations had to be reconfigured to use standard protocols (CalDAV for calendars, for example) instead of Google APIs.

6 Months Later: The Assessment

What Works Well

• Email: no noticeable difference from Gmail, the webmail is fast and pleasant
• Calendar: CalDAV works perfectly with all devices
• Storage: kDrive meets the needs, versioning is a nice feature
• Support: the few times it was needed, the response was fast and helpful

What\'s Less Ideal

• OnlyOffice vs Google Docs: real-time collaboration is slightly less fluid, occasional bugs
• kChat vs Slack/Google Chat: fewer features (threads, advanced reactions), but sufficient for the use case
• No Google Forms equivalent: the team now uses Tally or Typeform

The Commercial Impact

Swiss hosting has become a commercial argument. In the last 3 bids, the question of data hosting was raised. DataPulse was able to answer clearly, which contributed to winning 2 of those contracts.

"What started as an ethical decision turned into a competitive advantage. We didn\'t expect it to that extent."

The Financial Impact

Advice for Startups on the Fence

Here\'s the DataPulse team\'s advice for startups considering a similar migration.

Do It Early

The longer you wait, the more data you\'ll have to migrate and more habits to change. If data sovereignty matters to you, better to migrate now.

Plan for a Quiet Week

The migration isn\'t complicated, but it requires attention. Avoid doing it during a crunch period.

Train the Team

Don\'t underestimate the habit changes. A group training session saves a lot of time on individual questions.

Embrace the Differences

kSuite is not a Google Workspace clone. Some things are different. Accept that rather than trying to replicate everything identically.

Conclusion

For DataPulse, the migration to kSuite was a strategic decision that paid off. The team gained in consistency (advising data sovereignty and practicing it themselves), commercial competitiveness, and cost savings.

The transition required moderate effort (~20 hours of work) and the team adapted quickly. Six months later, nobody misses Google Workspace.

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