Choose the services before choosing the licence
Decide whether each user needs hosted business email, desktop Office applications, browser-only applications, Teams, device management or additional security controls. Licence names, prices and features change, so verify the current Microsoft comparison and contract terms before purchase.
Record ownership and administration
The organisation should control the Microsoft 365 tenant, billing relationship, domain and recovery routes. Use named administrator accounts and keep highly privileged roles limited. Avoid building the tenant around a supplier's personal email address.
Plan users, mailboxes and shared addresses
- Create one named account for each person.
- Use shared mailboxes or groups for addresses such as accounts@ or enquiries@ where appropriate.
- Decide who needs access to shared files, calendars and Teams.
- Record joiner, role-change and leaver procedures.
- Keep at least two suitable recovery or emergency administration routes.
Add the domain in a controlled order
Microsoft requires the domain to be verified and the necessary DNS records added. Create all required users and mailboxes before changing the MX record that directs incoming mail. Record the old settings and reduce DNS risk by following Microsoft's current admin instructions.
Plan the migration
Inventory existing mailboxes, aliases, contacts, calendars and historical mail. Choose a cutover date, advise users, test one account where practical and retain the old service until the new mail flow and imported data have been verified. A domain change can affect every user, so avoid unplanned editing during busy hours.
Apply security before normal use
- Require multi-factor authentication using methods allowed by the organisation's policy.
- Configure SPF, DKIM and DMARC for the custom domain in the provider-recommended order.
- Review administrator roles and remove unnecessary privilege.
- Set account recovery and lost-device procedures.
- Decide whether Microsoft retention meets the business need or a separate backup is required.
Complete a handover
Document the tenant owner, domain registrar, DNS host, administrators, licences, shared mailboxes, security settings, backup arrangements and renewal dates. Keep recovery information secure and available to more than one authorised person.
Official Microsoft guidance
Use Microsoft's current documentation for planning Microsoft 365 for business, adding a custom domain and registering multi-factor authentication.
Need help applying this to your business?
Vengera can assess the current setup, explain the priorities and scope any practical improvements.