ChatGPT answers, unedited

For a two-person consulting firm, I’d recommend Google Workspace, specifically Business Standard.

Google Workspace Business Standard

My pick: Google Workspace Business Standard

At the current standard price, it’s $14/user/month, so about $28/month for two people. It gives you:

• Custom-domain email — e.g. you@yourfirm.com
• Gmail's very fast, mature web/mobile apps
• 2 TB pooled storage per user
• Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Meet, Calendar, etc.
• Security and administrative controls
• 99.9% uptime guarantee for the Business editions workspace.google.com

For a consulting firm, I particularly like having email, calendars, client documents, meeting links, and shared files under one managed business account rather than cobbling together separate services.

The alternatives

Microsoft 365 is particularly worth considering if your clients routinely exchange Office documents or expect you to work in Outlook/Teams. Exchange Online provides a 50 GB mailbox with Business Basic/Standard/Premium, for example. learn.microsoft.com

Google's standard business plans also have strong baseline email security, while higher tiers add things such as Vault and enhanced security controls. knowledge.workspace.google.com

One important caveat

If by "secure email" you mean client-confidential information that must be end-to-end encrypted so even the email provider can't access it, I'd change my recommendation and look seriously at Proton rather than ordinary Gmail/Outlook.

But if you mean professional business email with strong spam/phishing protection, MFA, account controls, reliable uptime, and good performance, I'd go with Google Workspace Business Standard.

I'd also set up your own domain + MFA/passkeys + SPF/DKIM/DMARC from day one. Those are arguably more important to a two-person firm than paying for an expensive "secure email hosting" provider.

For a two-person consulting firm, I’d recommend Google Workspace as the default choice, unless you have unusually strict confidentiality requirements.

My pick: Google Workspace

workspace.google.com

Why it fits well:

• Professional email: you@yourfirm.com
• Fast, reliable Gmail infrastructure with excellent web/mobile clients.
• Strong security: 2-step verification, spam/phishing/malware protection, and support for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Google Workspace Help Google Workspace
• Excellent collaboration: Drive, Docs, Sheets, Calendar, and Meet are all integrated.
• Very little IT overhead, which matters when there are only two of you.
• Easy to add users, aliases, shared calendars, and shared files as the firm grows.

For a consulting firm, I'd generally choose Business Starter if you mainly need email and basic collaboration, or Business Standard if you'll be storing lots of client documents in Drive.

When I'd choose Microsoft 365 instead

microsoft.com

Choose Microsoft 365 Business Premium if you're heavily invested in Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Outlook or if security is your overriding concern. Premium includes Defender for Office 365, Intune, Conditional Access, and stronger endpoint and phishing protection. Microsoft Learn Microsoft Learn

It's arguably the better choice if your clients expect you to operate in a Microsoft environment.

When I'd choose Proton

proton.me

If by "secure email" you specifically mean maximum privacy/confidentiality, Proton is worth serious consideration. Its business workspace uses end-to-end encryption by default and is designed so that Proton itself cannot access your encrypted data. Proton Proton

The tradeoff is that Proton's ecosystem isn't quite as frictionless as Google or Microsoft for everyday business collaboration.

What I'd do in your shoes

Google Workspace + your own domain + MFA + SPF/DKIM/DMARC + automatic device updates + a separate backup strategy.

The provider itself is only part of email security. For a two-person firm, getting MFA and domain authentication configured correctly is probably more valuable than paying for an exotic "secure email" provider.

If you tell me what kind of consulting you do (e.g., financial, management, engineering, legal, healthcare) and whether you primarily use Google or Microsoft Office, I can narrow it down to the exact plan I'd buy.

For a two-person consulting firm, I’d recommend Google Workspace Business Standard as the default choice.

My pick: Google Workspace Business Standard

At the current list price, it’s $14/user/month with annual commitment, so about $28/month for two people. It includes:

• Custom email at your own domain (you@yourfirm.com)
• Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Meet, etc.
• 2 TB pooled storage per user
• Strong security and administrative controls
• 150-person Google Meet with recording
• Easy sharing and collaboration with clients
• Good performance and reliability for a small firm workspace.google.com

For consulting, I particularly like the combination of fast Gmail + Drive collaboration + client-facing document sharing. You don't need to maintain a mail server or deal with hosting infrastructure yourself.

Google Workspace pricing

Two alternatives worth considering

Microsoft 365 Business Premium — I'd choose this instead if you live in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, or if your clients predominantly use Microsoft 365. Its security stack is particularly strong; Business Premium includes Microsoft Defender for Office 365, including protection against phishing, malware, malicious links and attachments. learn.microsoft.com

Fastmail Business — worth considering if your priority is specifically excellent, private email without paying for a giant productivity suite. Fastmail offers custom domains, shared addresses, calendars, admin/security controls, offline support, and encryption. www.fastmail.com

What I'd do

One important point: whichever you choose, I'd spend more attention on the security configuration than the provider. For a consulting firm, I'd enable MFA/passkeys, automatic software/device updates, recovery controls, SPF/DKIM/DMARC for your domain, and separate business accounts from personal accounts.

If you tell me what kind of consulting you do and whether you primarily use Google or Microsoft Office, I can narrow this down to the best setup—including the exact plan and security configuration I'd use for two people.

For a two-person consulting firm, I’d recommend Google Workspace Business Standard as the best overall balance of security, speed, reliability, and ease of use.

My ranking

1. Google Workspace — best overall

• Professional email on your own domain (you@yourfirm.com)
• Very good spam/phishing/malware protection; Google says Gmail blocks more than 99.9% of spam, phishing, and malware. Google Workspace
• Fast, excellent web/mobile apps
• Drive, Docs, Sheets, Meet, Calendar, etc. all work together
• Easy to administer for just two people
• Supports important email-security controls such as 2-step verification, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Google Workspace Help
• I'd choose Business Standard rather than Starter if you expect to handle lots of client files.

workspace.google.com

2. Microsoft 365 Business Premium — best if you're an Outlook/Office firm

• Excellent choice if you live in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Business Premium adds substantial security: Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Safe Links, Safe Attachments, anti-phishing protections, Intune, and device security. Microsoft Learn Microsoft Learn
• I'd pick this over Google if your consulting work involves a lot of Excel/PowerPoint, Windows PCs, or Microsoft-heavy clients.

microsoft.com

3. Proton Workspace — best if confidentiality/privacy is the priority

• Stronger privacy model than Google or Microsoft, including end-to-end/zero-access encryption for appropriate communications and Swiss jurisdiction. Proton Proton
• Includes email, calendar, Drive, Docs, Meet, VPN, and password management.
• The tradeoff is that compatibility and collaboration with mainstream business tools can be less seamless.

proton.me

What I'd actually set up

For two consultants, I'd do:

Your domain → Google Workspace → Gmail + Drive + Calendar + Meet

Then configure MFA/passkeys, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, use separate accounts for each person, and avoid sharing a single login. Google's own guidance specifically recommends these email-authentication and account-security measures. Google Workspace Help

If by "secure email" you mean you handle sensitive client information and want the provider itself to have as little access to your email as possible, I'd instead choose Proton.

If you tell me what kind of consulting you do (e.g. financial, management, engineering, legal, healthcare, etc.) and whether you use Mac or Windows, I can narrow it down to the best plan and approximate cost for two users.

For a two-person consulting firm, I’d recommend Google Workspace, specifically Business Standard, unless you’re heavily invested in Microsoft Office.

My pick: Google Workspace Business Standard

Google Workspace Business Standard

At the current listed price, it’s $14/user/month on the monthly plan, so about $28/month for two people. You get:

• Custom email at your own domain (you@yourfirm.com)
• 2 TB pooled storage per user
• Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Calendar and Meet
• Strong spam/phishing/malware protection
• 2-step verification and security controls
• Fast, mature infrastructure
• Easy collaboration when both partners need access to the same client documents knowledge.workspace.google.com

For a consulting firm, I particularly like the combination of Gmail + Drive + shared documents. It keeps the technology stack simple, which matters when there are only two people.

When I'd choose Microsoft 365 instead

If you live in Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams, I'd go with Microsoft 365 Business Premium.

Microsoft's Premium tier includes Defender for Office 365 Plan 1, which adds protections such as Safe Links, Safe Attachments and enhanced anti-phishing protection, as well as device-management/security capabilities. learn.microsoft.comknowledge.workspace.google.com

Microsoft 365 for Business

For a consulting firm handling sensitive client material, Business Premium is the Microsoft tier I'd favor over the cheaper plans.

One important caveat

Don't equate "hosted by Google/Microsoft" with automatically being secure. I'd make these non-negotiable regardless of provider:

1. MFA/passkeys for both users
2. SPF + DKIM + DMARC configured for your domain
3. No shared passwords/accounts
4. Separate admin account from everyday email account
5. Automatic device updates and disk encryption
6. Client files stored in the firm's managed Drive/OneDrive rather than personal accounts
7. A proper backup/retention strategy for important client documents

Google specifically supports advanced phishing/malware protection and attachment scanning on its Business tiers, while Microsoft provides increasingly sophisticated protection as you move up the plans. learn.microsoft.comknowledge.workspace.google.com

Bottom line: For two consultants starting fresh, I'd choose Google Workspace Business Standard + your own domain. It's fast, polished, secure enough for most consulting work, and has very little IT overhead. If your work revolves around Excel/Word or requires stronger Microsoft endpoint/security controls, choose Microsoft 365 Business Premium instead.

For a two-person consulting firm, I’d recommend Google Workspace Business Standard as the best overall choice.

My ranking

Why Google Workspace Standard: You get custom email at your domain, Gmail's strong spam/phishing/malware protection, 2 TB of pooled storage per user, and a very fast browser/mobile experience. Google also includes security controls and advanced attachment scanning in Standard. knowledge.workspace.google.com

For a consulting firm, I'd choose it over running your own email server or using basic shared hosting. You want the provider handling patching, spam filtering, authentication, backups/reliability, etc.

Security setup I'd consider mandatory:

• MFA/passkeys for both users
• Your own domain (you@firm.com)
• SPF, DKIM and DMARC configured correctly
• Disable legacy IMAP/POP if you don't need them
• Use separate admin and everyday accounts
• Don't automatically forward company email to personal accounts
• Consider Google Workspace Business Plus if you need Vault/eDiscovery and longer-term retention. knowledge.workspace.google.com

One important caveat

If by "secure email" you mean actual end-to-end/encrypted email for confidential client communications, rather than just excellent protection against account takeover, phishing and malware, I'd look more closely at the requirements. Google Workspace's standard business tiers have strong security, but S/MIME is an Enterprise feature. knowledge.workspace.google.com

Zoho Workplace is worth considering if cost is the priority. It offers custom business email, MFA, encryption, S/MIME on higher tiers, and a broader productivity suite. www.zoho.com

If you tell me roughly what you want to spend per person/month and whether you prefer Gmail or Outlook, I can narrow this down to the exact plan I'd buy for the two of you.

For a two-person consulting firm, I’d recommend Google Workspace Business Standard as the best overall choice.

My pick: Google Workspace

Google Workspace gives you:

• Professional email at you@yourfirm.com
• Strong spam/phishing protection and 2-step verification
• Fast, reliable Gmail infrastructure with a 99.9% uptime guarantee workspace.google.com
• 2 TB of pooled storage per user on Business Standard
• Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Calendar and Meet
• Easy sharing of proposals, spreadsheets and client documents
• Shared addresses such as info@, billing@, or contact@ without needing another paid user workspace.google.com
• Good performance on both desktop and mobile

The current U.S. price is $14/user/month for Business Standard, although Google is currently offering a temporary introductory discount. workspace.google.com

Google Workspace pricing

How I'd rank the alternatives

Microsoft 365 is particularly attractive if your consulting work revolves around Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. Microsoft includes antiphishing, antispam, antimalware and MFA in its business security stack. support.microsoft.com

Proton is the one I'd consider if "secure" means privacy from the email provider itself, rather than conventional business security. Its business plans emphasize encrypted email and privacy, but the ecosystem is less seamless than Gmail/Microsoft 365. proton.me

One important point

For a consulting firm, I wouldn't buy ordinary web hosting with email thrown in just because it's cheaper. Keep your website hosting and email hosting separate. Dedicated business email through Google or Microsoft will generally give you better reliability, spam filtering, security controls, mobile apps and administration.

If you tell me roughly what kind of consulting you do (e.g. management, IT, financial, legal, healthcare) and whether you already use Microsoft Office or Google Docs, I can recommend the exact plan and security setup for the two of you.

For a two-person consulting firm, I’d recommend Google Workspace, specifically Business Standard.

Google Workspace Business plans

My pick: Google Workspace Business Standard

At the current U.S. list price, it’s $14/user/month with an annual commitment, so about $28/month for two people. It gives you:

• Custom-domain email — you@yourfirm.com
• Gmail's excellent spam/phishing protection
• 2 TB pooled storage per user
• Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Calendar and Meet
• 150-person video meetings with recording
• Security and administrative controls
• Very good performance and reliability for a small firm workspace.google.com

For a consulting business, I think the combination of fast/reliable email + shared documents + calendar + video meetings is more valuable than buying email hosting separately.

How I'd rank the options

If your firm routinely exchanges confidential client information, I'd lean toward Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 rather than ordinary web-hosting email. Google also offers a Business Plus tier with additional security/management capabilities, including Vault and eDiscovery. workspace.google.com

One important distinction: "secure email" doesn't necessarily mean end-to-end encrypted email. For most consulting firms, strong account security, phishing protection, MFA, device controls, backups/retention, and good administrative controls are more practical than requiring every message to be end-to-end encrypted.

What I'd set up

For two people, I'd do:

Domain registrar → Google Workspace → custom email → MFA/passkeys → SPF + DKIM + DMARC

And I'd use a password manager plus separate accounts for each person rather than sharing one mailbox/password.

If you tell me what kind of consulting you do (e.g. management, government contracting, financial, legal, engineering) and whether you primarily use Google or Microsoft Office, I can tell you whether I'd choose Google Workspace or Microsoft 365—and which exact plan.

For a two-person consulting firm, I’d recommend Google Workspace Business Standard as the best overall balance of security, speed, reliability, and ease of use.

My ranking

Why Google Workspace: Gmail has excellent spam/phishing protection, fast web/mobile clients, custom-domain email, 2 TB/user on Business Standard, and 24/7 support. workspace.google.comlearn.microsoft.com For a two-person firm, you also get a very mature ecosystem for Drive, Calendar, Meet, Docs, and client collaboration without having to administer a server.

Google Workspace for Business

When I'd choose Proton instead

If by "secure" you mean you don't want the email provider itself to be able to read your stored mail, I'd choose Proton Mail. Proton uses end-to-end/zero-access encryption, supports custom domains, MFA, SPF/DKIM/DMARC, phishing protection, and password-protected messages to outside recipients. proton.me

Proton Mail for Business

The tradeoff is that Google Workspace generally has the smoother ecosystem and collaboration experience, while Proton prioritizes privacy and encryption.

One important alternative

If you're already heavy users of Outlook, Word, Excel, and Teams, I'd seriously consider Microsoft 365 Business Premium. It includes Exchange email plus Microsoft's more advanced email threat protection, including Safe Links and Safe Attachments. learn.microsoft.com

Bottom line:

• Normal consulting firm: Google Workspace Business Standard
• Highly confidential/privacy-sensitive consulting: Proton Workspace
• Microsoft-centric firm: Microsoft 365 Business Premium

For two people, I would not self-host email or buy generic web-hosting email. The administrative/security burden isn't worth it.

For a two-person consulting firm, I’d recommend Google Workspace, specifically Business Standard unless you have unusually strict compliance requirements.

My pick: Google Workspace Business Standard

Why it fits well:

• Professional email: you@yourfirm.com
• Excellent speed/reliability: Gmail is hard to beat for everyday email performance.
• Strong security: 2-step verification, security keys, phishing/malware protection, and admin controls are built in. knowledge.workspace.google.com
• 2 TB pooled storage per user on Business Standard, which is plenty for a two-person firm. knowledge.workspace.google.com
• Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Meet, Calendar, etc. are included, so you don't need separate collaboration software.
• Easy to administer for just two people.

For a consulting business, I'd also turn on 2FA/security keys, automatic device updates, SPF/DKIM/DMARC, and a separate backup strategy. The hosting provider's security doesn't replace backups.

When I'd choose something else

One important distinction: if by "secure email" you mean ordinary business email protected against phishing, malware, account takeover, and interception, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 is my recommendation. If you mean the provider itself should not be able to access the contents of your stored mail, I'd lean toward Proton. Proton's architecture is specifically designed around that model. proton.me

Bottom line: for two consultants, I'd start with Google Workspace Business Standard + your own domain + 2FA/security keys + DMARC + independent backups. It's a very good balance of security, speed, professionalism, and low administrative overhead.

For a two-person consulting firm, I’d recommend Google Workspace Business Standard as the best overall balance of secure email, speed, reliability, and useful business tools.

My picks

Why I’d choose Google Workspace Standard: you get custom-domain email (you@yourfirm.com), 2 TB pooled storage per user, Gmail, Calendar, Meet, Drive, Docs, and strong spam/phishing/malware protection. Google says Gmail blocks more than 99.9% of spam, phishing and malware, and Workspace provides 24/7 support. workspace.google.com

For two people, that's $28/month total at the current annual-plan price. Google is also currently offering a promotional discount through November 6, 2026, so the actual introductory price may be lower. workspace.google.com

When I'd pick something else

• Microsoft 365 Business Premium — choose this if your consulting work revolves around Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, or you want particularly strong endpoint/security controls. Microsoft includes built-in cloud-mail security and recommends its Standard/Strict protection configurations. learn.microsoft.com
• Proton Mail — choose this if privacy/confidentiality is the overriding concern. Proton uses end-to-end/zero-access encryption by design and supports enforcing 2FA/security keys. proton.me
• Google Workspace Starter — perfectly reasonable if you mainly need email and basic cloud storage. At $7/user/month annually, two users would be $14/month, but you only get 30 GB pooled storage per user rather than 2 TB. workspace.google.com

One important point: I wouldn't use ordinary web hosting's bundled email (GoDaddy/Bluehost/etc.) for a consulting firm. For professional client communication, I'd put the domain's email on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 and configure MFA, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC from day one.

If you tell me what kind of consulting you do (e.g., financial, management, legal-adjacent, engineering, healthcare) and whether you use Mac or Windows, I can recommend the exact plan and security setup.

For a two-person consulting firm, I’d recommend Google Workspace as the default choice.

Google Workspace is a particularly good fit if you want secure email, fast web access, low administration, and good collaboration without maintaining a mail server.

My recommendation: Google Workspace Business Starter

At the current listed price, Business Starter is $7/user/month with annual commitment ($8.40 monthly), so two people would be about $14/month on annual billing. It includes custom-domain Gmail, 30 GB pooled storage per user, Meet, and security/management controls. workspace.google.com

For a consulting firm, I'd configure it with:

• Your own domain — e.g. you@yourfirm.com
• 2-step verification/MFA for both users
• SPF, DKIM and DMARC to protect against spoofing and improve deliverability
• Google's built-in phishing/malware protection
• Separate admin and user accounts where practical
• Automatic device/account recovery procedures

Google specifically recommends SPF, DKIM, DMARC and 2-Step Verification as core Workspace security measures. knowledge.workspace.google.com

When I'd choose Microsoft 365 instead

Microsoft 365 would be my choice if you and your clients live heavily in Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams. Microsoft also has a very mature email-security stack, including Exchange Online Protection and additional Defender capabilities. learn.microsoft.com

So, roughly:

One important distinction: "hosting" your email on cheap web hosting is not what I'd recommend for a consulting firm. The small savings aren't worth giving up the security, spam filtering, reliability, and administrative controls of a dedicated business email platform.

If you tell me what kind of consulting you do and whether you currently use Gmail or Outlook, I can narrow this down to the exact plan I'd buy and what security settings I'd enable.

For a two-person consulting firm, I’d recommend Google Workspace Business Standard as the best overall balance of secure email, speed, reliability, and business tools.

My pick: Google Workspace Business Standard

Google Workspace

• $14/user/month with an annual commitment, so about $28/month for two people. workspace.google.comknowledge.workspace.google.com
• Custom email such as you@yourfirm.com
• 2 TB of pooled storage per user
• Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Meet, etc.
• Strong security and administrative controls
• Very good web/mobile performance and spam filtering
• Easy to add users later if the firm grows

For consulting work, I especially like the combination of Gmail + Drive + shared documents + video meetings. You don't have to stitch together separate services.

If you want to spend less

Google Workspace Business Starter is perfectly adequate if you mainly need email. It's $7/user/month annually ($14/month for two), with 30 GB per user and the same custom business email. workspace.google.comknowledge.workspace.google.com

I'd choose Starter if you're storing client documents somewhere else.

One important security point

Regardless of provider, I'd configure:

1. MFA/passkeys for both accounts
2. Custom domain rather than Gmail/Outlook addresses
3. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC on the domain
4. Separate accounts for each person—don't share one login
5. Automatic device/security alerts
6. A separate backup strategy for important client files

If your consulting firm handles confidential client information, financial data, legal documents, healthcare information, or regulated data, I'd evaluate the security/compliance requirements before choosing the cheapest plan. Google offers more advanced controls on Business Plus and Enterprise tiers. workspace.google.com

Bottom line: I'd spend the extra $14/month for two people and get Google Workspace Business Standard rather than using cheap standalone email hosting. It's a small cost for a professional setup that should serve a two-person firm for years.

For a two-person consulting firm, I’d recommend Google Workspace Business Standard as the best overall balance of secure email, speed, simplicity, and cost.

My pick: Google Workspace Business Standard

You get:

• Custom email like you@yourfirm.com
• Gmail’s mature spam/phishing/malware protection—Google says Gmail automatically blocks 99.9% of spam, phishing attempts, and malware. workspace.google.comlearn.microsoft.com
• 2 TB of pooled storage per user
• Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Calendar, Meet, etc.
• 24/7 support
• Strong encryption and security controls
• Very fast web/mobile access without maintaining your own mail server workspace.google.comworkspace.google.com
• Current listed pricing is $14/user/month with annual commitment, so about $28/month for two people. workspace.google.comworkspace.google.com

For a consulting firm, I particularly like the combination of Gmail + Drive + shared documents. You don't have to administer a server, and clients are unlikely to have problems receiving mail from you.

When I'd choose Microsoft 365 instead

I'd pick Microsoft 365 Business Premium if you work heavily in Word, Excel, Outlook and Windows, or if your consulting work involves particularly sensitive client information.

Business Premium includes Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Defender for Business, Intune device management, Entra ID security controls, and data-loss-prevention capabilities. learn.microsoft.com

It's more expensive—roughly $22/user/month annually—but you get a considerably deeper security stack. helixstax.com

What I would not do

I wouldn't host your own email on a VPS, shared web host, or a small mail server just to save a few dollars. For two people, the administrative/security burden isn't worth it.

I'd also avoid choosing purely on "fastest email." Gmail and Microsoft 365 are both hosted on enormous global infrastructures; the difference you'll notice in practice is much more likely to come from your internet connection, device, and workflow than the mail host.

My ranking for your situation:

One important point: whichever you choose, I'd configure MFA, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC from day one. Those settings matter substantially for protecting the firm's accounts and keeping legitimate client email out of spam.

If you tell me whether you primarily use Macs or Windows, and whether you use Word/Excel or Google Docs/Sheets, I can give you a more definitive choice between Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.

For a two-person consulting firm, I’d avoid choosing a traditional web host primarily because it includes email. The best setup is to separate website hosting from business email.

My recommendation

1. Email: Microsoft 365 Business Premium

• Excellent security for a tiny firm without needing to run your own IT.
• Includes Exchange business email on your own domain.
• Microsoft Defender for Office 365 provides protection against phishing, malware, malicious links and attachments. learn.microsoft.comlearn.microsoft.com
• Also includes device management/security through Intune and Defender for Business, which is a nice bonus if you use laptops for client work. learn.microsoft.comlearn.microsoft.com
• Particularly good if you use Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams.

2. Website: managed WordPress hosting
For a typical consulting firm's 5–20 page website, I'd look at SiteGround or Kinsta rather than a VPS. Current hosting comparisons favor SiteGround for small businesses and Kinsta for agencies/performance-oriented WordPress sites. www.techradar.com

If your site is relatively simple, SiteGround is probably the better value. If website speed is especially important and you're willing to pay more, Kinsta is worth considering.

What I'd actually build

One alternative: If your firm is heavily browser-based and prefers Gmail/Google Docs, Google Workspace Business Standard is excellent. Google includes custom-domain Gmail, 2-step verification, advanced phishing/malware protection, and 2 TB pooled storage per user on Standard. workspace.google.com

Bottom line: I'd choose Microsoft 365 Business Premium + SiteGround + Cloudflare for a two-person consulting firm. It's secure, fast enough for a professional site, and doesn't leave you dependent on a cheap shared host's email system.

If you tell me what kind of consulting you do and whether the website is WordPress or something else, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 setups and approximate monthly cost.