The ability to see within an enterprise with operations requiring various technologies in information, communication, operational, security and compliance, or two or more of these, finds stakeholders, or the need to adjust techniques and make, some ingenious ways to be more effective in their responsibilities and deliverables or production. Enterprise technology is not an area and language to be used where there are only some specializations involved but which still within the confines of information technology. IT may have been serving utility operations or energy generation for sometime already and yet stakeholders cannot see how to work hand-in-hand to increase their own efficiency, and the output for which customers are very dependent. There are efforts but they remain completely separate and the result is the bigger realizations and concerns about costs rather than creation of value from the start, not just when profits began to come in. If IT is not clearly use in such environmen
How to save from Microsoft 365 or Teams and learn the basics of the solution from our first license and transaction
Subscription and license fees for cloud services is not always appealing to small businesses. For big businesses, we are on a spending spree because we simply can, even if a license if not being used purposely and productively.
With small businesses, no matter the need for Microsoft 365, we won't even try it. We did try but stopped and never subscribed back again.
We consider the cost to be very high not just because of the service or product's license cost only. If accumulated for years compared to simply buying physical media, which is still the best bet. This, however, is going away. For some markets, it is not available anymore.
How can a business get Microsoft 365 without breaking the planned budget allocation just for this service?
There are options available from Microsoft 365 website.
Pick the business, not family, personal or enterprise, which we may want to consider as well. With the cost the only consideration, any of this may not be a good choice. But then some features if technology has a significant sway to such acquisition, may change the decision criteria. In some exceptional case in particular to enterprise plan we may look at its value to our overall production.
Looking at available choices for business there are four for Microsoft 365 alone. Go here
https://www.microsoft.com/en/microsoft-365/business/compare-all-microsoft-365-business-products.
Make sure to select our (or your) country of origin. Costs are different from one country to the other.
How will we make our decision so that we would get what's needed for our business?
Nowadays, during pandemic and even after, we have really required meetings through video and it became a given in our way of doing business.
A Microsoft Teams license may be necessary. If not the only one we'd like to buy for now.
There are Microsoft Teams choices, go here
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/compare-microsoft-teams-options.
For Microsoft Teams alone as the only consideration, we may simply click and buy the "essentials". It's all we need, why not.
The ability to do more beyond the video meetings with small price difference is sometimes good to consider. Like for instance, are Teams' features enough for our business? Maybe. If there's doubt, we may have to rethink what we need for our business’ digital activity for real. Video meeting is not enough definitely.
We will be working on our data no matter what we do and we need a platform to do that where we can organize them and is provisioned to comply on regulatory requirements very easily without having to increase further resources.
One license for any of the available options to buy is always a cue to start and get the job done. Just remember there is return period or refund for such purchase and it must be done within a week, as of this posting. We are hoping Microsoft would make that a month, same as its trial period. Or we'll have to wait until the subscribed period has been completed, in a month or year, depending on the payment scheme we selected when we made the purchase. The license we bought will then have to be used, or let it be wasted and lapsed, until then if we were not able to return on the prescribed period.
Whether we buy right away or get the trial, there is no difference at all, except that we’ve saved a month using the service without issuing the payment.
After configuring the business domain name to use for our newest and first Microsoft 365 license, we are ready to create a new short username. The first and new username we will create will be assigned the global administrator role, which we must use only once in a while, most especially when a major configuration is required or even when purchasing another license.
We have to go to Microsoft 365 administrative interface or Azure still using that long username. From there create a new username using the business domain name we've just setup. When finished and ready for its use, we can logoff the primary long username and use the new short username administrator account with our own domain name being used already.
Just like the original username, make sure we have enabled our MFA for this account. Then we are in for business, with easily remember and managed global administrator role.
When we buy our first license subscription, the username we used, was either the email address we registered for Microsoft account before or the long username that was created and assigned by Microsoft with which the onmicrosoft.com was the default domain. Meaning the license was automatically assigned to any of those account when we first made our purchase.
With our new administrator, we can create a new, or shall we say, second account, now using our very own domain name. After that, let's re-assign the license to that second account. Don't make this account an administrator.
Speaking of licenses, there will come a time when we have to separate accounts for management, finance, technology and for other business teams. When we do, we have to simply buy the licenses we need for each of these business units. We can use the billing administrator to do it, not necessarily the "global" administrator which has overall authority of our Microsoft tenant or account. At first, it was the one with long username. Then we made the new short username for administrator, which we must assign the said role, of highest authority in our account. The billing administrator can also either be without or with a license, which is ideal, like for instance, if finance people must make the purchases themselves.
The new administrators, global, billing etcetera, to some extent with other Microsoft solutions, does not need a license to perform administrative task. The same thing for the first administrator with the long username, which license has been transferred already to the account created for the purpose. The old administrator can also be deleted if we have to.
Another administrator account can be created for other roles without associating a license. This method will keep, especially, the global administrator’s account extremely safe and use only on a computer we can vouch for its security, one that we setup ourselves, considering we know what we are really doing.
Instead of requiring ourselves of buying additional license, even if we don't want to and especially if budget is tight for the service, workaround exist. Like for instance, with Microsoft 365 Business Standard, aside from the features available as stated in the website, one particular interest to many is the necessity to create different email addresses. With only a single license, we can never create two or more email addresses. We can create multiple groups for distribution, security etcetera. These groups uses the same format as an email address which we can share with our contacts or published it in our website. We can also use these distribution addresses to send email messages as if they are email addresses themselves. That technique can get us to realized that we may purchase our license for money making entity or activity only within our company. That way, we are unnecessarily wasting any penny.
With other cloud service providers, same technique can be applied for the purpose of saving more for the better. Or initiating and maintaining operational efficiency, no matter our business size and requirement. Technology is the brightest spot to achieve efficiency, as it has always been. For so many of us, we just never reach such important goal which every business has duty to.
One license for any of the available options to buy is always a cue to start and get the job done. Just remember there is return period or refund for such purchase and it must be done within a week, as of this posting. We are hoping Microsoft would make that a month, same as its trial period. Or we'll have to wait until the subscribed period has been completed, in a month or year, depending on the payment scheme we selected when we made the purchase. The license we bought will then have to be used, or let it be wasted and lapsed, until then if we were not able to return on the prescribed period.
Whether we buy right away or get the trial, there is no difference at all, except that we’ve saved a month using the service without issuing the payment.
When we are finished with our decision making and have bought our choice, the first thing to understand is if we used an email address, any provider may do, to create a Microsoft account, which we use to subscribe, attach payment details for such a service, either Microsoft 365 or Teams as individual and separate solution.
If not, during our subscription process, Microsoft would generate an account for our purchase and use of such service, which is done during our first license and transaction, regardless of any Microsoft product, and not only with Microsoft 365. If this is the case, and if it was not possible to rename it, we may have been given a long "username", also called a Microsoft account which is the primary administrator for our Microsoft 365 administrative account including other cloud service it has on its offering that we may purchase later. We don't like long and complex username.
We'll see onmicrosoft.com as the default domain name. Regardless if we use an email address registered as Microsoft account or that long username created during subscription process. This can be easily verified further by going to Azure Active Directory which is being renamed now to Entra ID.
That default domain name can be changed and have our company domain name configured instead. If we have existing company domain, let's use that, if necessary use a subdomain, if not possible for the domain name itself, probably it is being used for the same service but from different vendor or service provider. We can always change or switch later after a migration have been done properly if we have to do such thing. Don't buy a new domain name. Else the goal to save is completely broken and it will become a habit. In digital space, it is of utmost important to have a consistent business identifier, especially publicly and online.
We must have our business domain name and keep it to ourselves. It makes it easier to manage accounts, licenses and access to resources. It can take our brand to new level. How about world-class? If it was acquired by a vendor for the any web services we've used earlier or still using, it’s ours, we paid and have to own it, we have to get it from them, and control or manage it ourselves. Don't get intimidated if we don't have the technical resources or internal staff to do so at present. We must tell the vendor to do it instead, it's part of their responsibility to properly turn-over whatever we own that may still be in their possession even after the job, or tasks, has been concluded. Delivered and successful tasks are smartest method to use as criteria for validating the functions and performance of, and accepting, a service, product or system. Hence, the enterprise.
We can change the default domain name by going to Microsoft Azure. Configure it from there, search or navigate domain name, and validate our ownership of the business domain name by adding some text in our DNS record or server, which may have been hosted in our registrar, the usual mode, where we bough it. In particular to DNS we may have been running it somewhere else different from our registrar. We should know where it is and we cannot forget that.
If not, during our subscription process, Microsoft would generate an account for our purchase and use of such service, which is done during our first license and transaction, regardless of any Microsoft product, and not only with Microsoft 365. If this is the case, and if it was not possible to rename it, we may have been given a long "username", also called a Microsoft account which is the primary administrator for our Microsoft 365 administrative account including other cloud service it has on its offering that we may purchase later. We don't like long and complex username.
We'll see onmicrosoft.com as the default domain name. Regardless if we use an email address registered as Microsoft account or that long username created during subscription process. This can be easily verified further by going to Azure Active Directory which is being renamed now to Entra ID.
That default domain name can be changed and have our company domain name configured instead. If we have existing company domain, let's use that, if necessary use a subdomain, if not possible for the domain name itself, probably it is being used for the same service but from different vendor or service provider. We can always change or switch later after a migration have been done properly if we have to do such thing. Don't buy a new domain name. Else the goal to save is completely broken and it will become a habit. In digital space, it is of utmost important to have a consistent business identifier, especially publicly and online.
We must have our business domain name and keep it to ourselves. It makes it easier to manage accounts, licenses and access to resources. It can take our brand to new level. How about world-class? If it was acquired by a vendor for the any web services we've used earlier or still using, it’s ours, we paid and have to own it, we have to get it from them, and control or manage it ourselves. Don't get intimidated if we don't have the technical resources or internal staff to do so at present. We must tell the vendor to do it instead, it's part of their responsibility to properly turn-over whatever we own that may still be in their possession even after the job, or tasks, has been concluded. Delivered and successful tasks are smartest method to use as criteria for validating the functions and performance of, and accepting, a service, product or system. Hence, the enterprise.
We can change the default domain name by going to Microsoft Azure. Configure it from there, search or navigate domain name, and validate our ownership of the business domain name by adding some text in our DNS record or server, which may have been hosted in our registrar, the usual mode, where we bough it. In particular to DNS we may have been running it somewhere else different from our registrar. We should know where it is and we cannot forget that.
Before going for the aesthetics, make sure to secure our access and that is by enabling multi-factor authentication for the primary administrator account. We must do that right away.
After configuring the business domain name to use for our newest and first Microsoft 365 license, we are ready to create a new short username. The first and new username we will create will be assigned the global administrator role, which we must use only once in a while, most especially when a major configuration is required or even when purchasing another license.
We have to go to Microsoft 365 administrative interface or Azure still using that long username. From there create a new username using the business domain name we've just setup. When finished and ready for its use, we can logoff the primary long username and use the new short username administrator account with our own domain name being used already.
Just like the original username, make sure we have enabled our MFA for this account. Then we are in for business, with easily remember and managed global administrator role.
When we buy our first license subscription, the username we used, was either the email address we registered for Microsoft account before or the long username that was created and assigned by Microsoft with which the onmicrosoft.com was the default domain. Meaning the license was automatically assigned to any of those account when we first made our purchase.
With our new administrator, we can create a new, or shall we say, second account, now using our very own domain name. After that, let's re-assign the license to that second account. Don't make this account an administrator.
Speaking of licenses, there will come a time when we have to separate accounts for management, finance, technology and for other business teams. When we do, we have to simply buy the licenses we need for each of these business units. We can use the billing administrator to do it, not necessarily the "global" administrator which has overall authority of our Microsoft tenant or account. At first, it was the one with long username. Then we made the new short username for administrator, which we must assign the said role, of highest authority in our account. The billing administrator can also either be without or with a license, which is ideal, like for instance, if finance people must make the purchases themselves.
The new administrators, global, billing etcetera, to some extent with other Microsoft solutions, does not need a license to perform administrative task. The same thing for the first administrator with the long username, which license has been transferred already to the account created for the purpose. The old administrator can also be deleted if we have to.
Another administrator account can be created for other roles without associating a license. This method will keep, especially, the global administrator’s account extremely safe and use only on a computer we can vouch for its security, one that we setup ourselves, considering we know what we are really doing.
Instead of requiring ourselves of buying additional license, even if we don't want to and especially if budget is tight for the service, workaround exist. Like for instance, with Microsoft 365 Business Standard, aside from the features available as stated in the website, one particular interest to many is the necessity to create different email addresses. With only a single license, we can never create two or more email addresses. We can create multiple groups for distribution, security etcetera. These groups uses the same format as an email address which we can share with our contacts or published it in our website. We can also use these distribution addresses to send email messages as if they are email addresses themselves. That technique can get us to realized that we may purchase our license for money making entity or activity only within our company. That way, we are unnecessarily wasting any penny.
With other cloud service providers, same technique can be applied for the purpose of saving more for the better. Or initiating and maintaining operational efficiency, no matter our business size and requirement. Technology is the brightest spot to achieve efficiency, as it has always been. For so many of us, we just never reach such important goal which every business has duty to.
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