Exchange Online licensing explained: introduction of concurrent licensing

Understanding Exchange Online licensing can be tricky. You would think that there’s no great philosophy out there – you assign a license, and a user gets a mailbox. The thing is, there are various plans, each slightly different and each with its own features and limits. I’ll try to explain:

  • how Exchange Online licensing works,
  • what’s the difference between ExO plans,
  • How to assign licenses to users and
  • how concurrent Exchange Online licensing fits into the picture.
Exchange Online Licensing
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How to grant full access permissions to all users’ mailboxes using PowerShell

There are many situations in which permissions to another user’s mailbox should be granted in Exchange Server. Sometimes it is for monitoring purposes, sometimes to send emails on behalf of someone else. Full access permissions give the highest level of access to a mailbox, and are necessary, for example, during a migration process. If you want to learn how to set full access permissions in Exchange 2019, Exchange 2016, Exchange 2013, or Exchange Online, you have come to the right place.

How to grant full access permissions to mailboxes

If you want to learn more about how to perform an Exchange Server to Microsoft 365 (Office 365) migration using native means, check this article.

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Cross-tenant synchronization in Azure Active Directory

Microsoft announced the coming of cross-tenant synchronization. The feature is supposed to enter Global Availability in June 2023, according to the 109568 Roadmap item. Cross-tenant sync has the potential to make work in multi-tenant organizations easier by automating user creation and synchronization. This article provides general information about the feature, explains what multi-tenant organizations are and how is it different from a cross-tenant migration.

cross-tenant synchronization Microsoft 365
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Distribution lists in Office 365 – administration tips

Distribution lists are known under a few different names. Distribution groups, contact groups and distribution lists – all refer to the same feature. The primary purpose of a distribution list is to send emails to multiple recipients – yes, as simple as that. The simplicity of their design and the idea behind distribution groups make them an essential email feature. It’s no wonder they have been around since the earliest versions of Exchange Server and that they can be found in Office 365 (Microsoft 365), as well. Although they have survived in a very similar form, Office 365 also offers a redesigned variant of distribution lists – Office 365 Groups.

Distribution lists in Office 365

By the way, Office 365 Groups and Microsoft 365 Groups are the same thing. Officially, they’re called Microsoft 365 Groups after a rebranding, but most people use the old name. You can voice your doubts in the comments if you like.

Office 365 focuses on using the upgraded version of distribution groups – Office 365 Groups. I will start with a quick comparison between the two features. Later on, I will describe a few common administration tasks concerning Office 365 distribution lists.

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Update your Exchange Online PowerShell module to V3 before it’s too late

To run scripts and cmdlets in Exchange Online, you need to connect to your organization with PowerShell. If you’re still using New-PSSession or a legacy ExchangeOnlineManagement module, you need to update your methods, and do it quick. I’ll show you how to update Exchange Online PowerShell module to EXO V3 module, why the change is needed and how much time you have left.

PS ExO V3 Module - update before it's too late
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How to check Windows event logs with PowerShell (Get-EventLog)

Windows event logs is one of the first places an admin looks at when they analyze problems and search for their causes. But troubleshooting is not the only reason for logged events. In this article, I will show you how to use PowerShell and Get-EventLog to perform some Event Log magic. But first, a few words about the logs in general.

How to check event logs with Powershell (get-eventlog)
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How to use Office 365 Message Encryption to protect emails sent externally

Email encryption provides additional layer of information security by making sure only intended recipients can read messages. If you are looking for a user-friendly email encryption solution for your Microsoft 365 organization, there is a native tool for that – Office 365 Message Encryption. From the user’s perspective, it is the easiest to use: it can be configured so that it does not require any additional actions on their part. From the recipient’s perspective, this form of email encryption works seamlessly with Microsoft 365 accounts and offers an intuitive experience for all other email clients and email service providers. Read on to learn how to create a Microsoft 365 sensitivity label and use it in a transport rule to encrypt emails and files.

How to encrypt Office365 emails sent externally
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How to set up different email signatures for a shared mailbox and user mailbox in Office 365?

There are three options to choose from to add different signatures to user mailbox and shared mailbox emails. The first method is to create two separate signatures in Outlook, the second requires mail flow rules on the server side and the third involves the use of CodeTwo Email Signatures for Office 365 – an email signature management solution.

Set up different signatures for shared mailbox and user mailbox in Office 365.
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How to prevent Office 365 users from sending emails outside the organization?

There might be situations when it’s necessary to block the mail flow outside an organization for specific users or user groups. Let’s find out how you can use Exchange Online mail flow rules to prevent Office 365 users from sending emails to external recipients.

Block users from sending emails outside your Office 365 organization.
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