Spanning Shared Mailbox Licensing for M365 Backups

Shared mailboxes are essential tools for modern organizations, providing a centralized platform for team communication and collaboration. These mailboxes allow multiple users to access emails from a generic email address, such as [email protected]. This feature ensures no critical message is missed and that responses are timely and consistent, which is vital for enhancing operational effectiveness and maintaining high standards of customer service.

What is a shared mailbox in Microsoft 365?

A Microsoft 365 shared mailbox is a mailbox that multiple users can access and manage. As the name suggests, it is shared among multiple people within an organization. A shared mailbox allows a group of people with permission to the mailbox to read and send emails from a common email address, such as [email protected] or [email protected], making it ideal for departments like customer service or IT support.

Common use cases for shared mailboxes

Shared mailboxes are versatile tools used in various scenarios to improve collaboration and streamline communication. Here are some common use cases:

Customer support

Teams can manage customer inquiries and support requests sent to addresses like [email protected]. Multiple customer support executives can read and respond to emails, ensuring timely and consistent customer service.

Project management

Shared mailboxes can be used by teams working on a project to coordinate activities, share updates and manage project-related emails. This can help ensure all members are on the same page, enhancing team collaboration and efficiency.

General inquiries

Businesses can use shared mailboxes for general inquiries sent to [email protected] or [email protected], allowing multiple employees to handle requests and provide information.

Sales teams

Shared mailboxes can be used for sales inquiries and orders sent to [email protected]. This enables all team members to stay updated on potential leads and customer communications.

IT support

IT departments can manage internal support tickets and IT-related questions through a shared mailbox, like [email protected], ensuring quick response times and efficient case tracking.

Event planning

Shared mailboxes can handle RSVPs, queries and communications related to corporate events, sent to addresses like [email protected], making it easier to manage attendee information and logistics.

Retaining data during employee turnover

Organizations often face employee churn, leading to the deactivation of their Microsoft 365 accounts. The information from deactivated accounts is frequently transferred to a shared mailbox to maintain data for security or compliance purposes. This practice ensures critical data is preserved and can be accessed for future audits or e-discovery cases.

Shared Mailbox Licensing for M365 backups

This new feature is a testament to our commitment to providing customers with best-in-class data protection at industry-leading affordability. We heard your feedback and have been hard at work to ensure you have the protection you need at a cost you can afford. 

We’re excited to introduce our new Shared Mailbox Licensing.

Here’s how it works:

• For every Standard user license, you get one shared mailbox license for free. Spanning backs up all new and existing data for each licensed shared mailbox. Backups run automatically every day.
• For every Archived user license, you get one shared mailbox archive license for free. An Archive license enables you to retain a shared mailbox’s existing Spanning data but doesn’t run any new backups. Archive licenses are priced lower than standard licenses to help organizations manage costs while preserving their critical data.

Figure: Shared Mailboxes UI

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