What Are My Mailbox Size Concerns with Office 365?

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Businessman and his administrator doing a routine check on their organization's computers - checking their Office 365 mailbox size.

Be sure your admin is checking your organization’s mailbox sizes regularly.

Microsoft Office 365 offers a variety of features to its users, but one feature that is often overlooked until it becomes a problem is mailbox size. Whether you are running a small business or a personal email account, having the right-sized mailbox is critical to ensure that email messages are delivered on time and without any issues.

Many people start using Office 365 with a small mailbox and then realize their mailbox has become too full. At that point, it cannot be easy to find out how to increase your mailbox size in Office 365.

So, what are your mailbox size concerns? Here we explore and explain some of the common questions around Microsoft Office 365 mailbox size.

How Do You Check Mailbox Size in Office 365?

Office 365 only offers a limited amount of storage space. However, the default size varies according to the subscription pack you choose and the type of mailbox. While some default sizes are 50GB, others are 100GB.

As you can see, it is a limited space that sooner, might not be able to serve your needs anymore. And that’s why it is good for your admin to regularly check the mailbox size to avoid issues like the inability to send and receive messages.

However, the Office 365 Admin Center does not provide any tools to manage mailbox sizes, including your own. Office 365 natively uses Microsoft Exchange Online, which allows you to manage user mailbox sizes.

To get the usage report from the Microsoft 365 Admin center, here’s how to go about it:

  • Go to Microsoft 365 Admin Center
  • Click on the Reports tab, then Usage and select Report
  • Go to Exchange, and there you get the Mailbox Usage

So, the Mailbox Usage report you get from the Admin Center will indicate the consumed storage space. Luckily, you can still access the real user mailbox size, shared mailbox size, and resource mailbox usage report via the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) or Exchange Online via the Other Exchange Reports in the left pane.

And this is how to view the actual Mailbox size report:

  • Login to Microsoft 365 Manager Plus.
  • Click the Reports tab.
  • Traverse to Exchange Online, then the mailbox Reports in the left window.
  • Within the Size Reports group, tap on Mailbox Size report.
Can I Increase My Office 365 Mailbox Size?

Yes, you can. Any user can increase their mailbox size in these two ways:

  • You can allot it an Exchange Online Plan 2 license to augment the storage limit from 50GB to 100GB.
  • Allow Exchange Online Archiving. You will get an extra 50GB of space, and with the auto-expanding archiving, you can get even unlimited space, but it’s contingent on your Microsoft 365 license.

Growing your mailbox to your maximum share isn’t the only way to make your mailbox space. Also, Exchange Online lets you use retention policies to keep or do away with data automatically, depending on the criteria you select.

There are also backup and archiving tools available online to decrease the data stored in your cloud. These tools allow you to preserve data discoverability and hinder the mailbox from congestion.

How does Archiving Operate?

There are two ways to archive:

  • By creating an archiving policy. The policy operates by retention, where the old data is automatically archived or depending on the retention tags your company allocates data.
  • Sending the items yourself (manually).

The plan you choose will determine how much storage space you have per mailbox and the other features you will receive. Each plan also allows archiving mailboxes, which hold emails that are no longer in daily use but still needed for reference.

Archiving is charged based on storage size, so it is good to look at cheaper plans if you’re not expecting your employees to need more space.

Conclusion

Office 365 is a very capable email server. Users with larger mailbox sizes may want to take a moment to consider their storage options with Office 365. Smaller mailbox sizes may be more than sufficient for their needs.

You can do most things on it on Exchange, such as auto-responders, archiving, and other capabilities. And Microsoft has found workarounds to make it possible for even those with mailboxes over the threshold. As long as you’re willing to be cautious about some of the issues surrounding this solution, your organization can use Office 365 and have mailboxes upwards of 25 GB.

Well, are you stuck with any network issues? Feel free to get in touch! We at SystemsNet are a reliable source for your network issues.

Are You ready for the Microsoft Server 2012 Obsolescence?

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Employee using a tablet device running a Microsoft 2012 operating system.

Getting critical security updates is a must for the security of the network and running an efficient environment.

Microsoft announced the changes that affected their 2012 servers on January 14, 2020. However, they extended the date to October 2023. Microsoft Server 2012, launched in October 2013, completed its mainstream support phase in 2018.

Microsoft has specific lifecycles for Windows Server products released under Microsoft’s LTSC (Long Term Servicing Channel). Microsoft supports each product for ten years in two phases. The first five years are mainstream support, and the second five years are extended support.

Microsoft Server 2012 was launched in October 2013, completed five years in October 2018, and started the extended support phase, ending in October 2023.

Mainstream Support

Microsoft continually updates the server with new updates, service packs, fixes, features, etc. This phase also gets real-time support such as phone support during this phase.

Extended Support

Extended support is the second five-year phase. At this point, Microsoft had already released another product, giving the previous product less attention. In this phase, customers only get reliability patches and essential security updates.

What Happens After The Extended Support?

The end of the extended support for Microsoft 2012 may not seem imminent. However, it is safer to start planning your strategy earlier. With cyberattack threats rising, running data and apps on the unsupported version can pose security risks. You have several options during this period to prepare yourself:

Upgrade

To upgrade to the latest Windows version to experience superior performance, and get critical security updates. You can buy the extended security updates to buy more time on the current version.

Migrate

You can migrate to Azure and get extended security updates for another three years.

Budget

You have to talk to your MSP (managed service provider) and estimate how much it will cost you. Confirm whether the price is fixed or hourly, and develop a project budget.

How to Install, Upgrade, or Migrate to a New Windows Server

If you opt to move to the newer Windows server version, you have several options:

Clean Install

The simplest way to install Windows Server is a clean install. In this technique, you overwrite the existing OS or install it on a blank server. Before you do this, you must back up your data and expect to reinstall all your apps. Check for any requirements for hardware on Windows Server.

In-Place Installation

An in-place installation allows you to upgrade but keep the previous hardware and the server roles without deleting and uninstalling the OS. You keep all the previous settings, features, data, and server roles intact. However, not all older operating systems have pathways to newer ones.

Some features or roles may not support the installation, and you might need to take additional steps. In-place upgrades work perfectly in virtual machines, which don’t need specific OEM drivers.

Cluster OS Rolling Upgrade

The rolling upgrade of the cluster OS (operating system) allows an admin to upgrade the cluster nodes’ OS without stopping the Scale-Out File Server or Hyper-V workloads.

Migration

For migrating a Windows Server involves moving one feature or role from a source computer running Windows Server to a different destination machine running the same or a newer version of Windows Server. In this instance, migration is moving one feature or role to a separate computer and not upgrading the features on this computer.

Complete your plan by January 2023 for ample time to migrate or upgrade and get used to the new system.

Maybe your server has no dedicated IT team, and you have no idea how to navigate the server operating system. When you are ready to learn more about this product and implement it in your organization, contact SystemsNet to handle your installation. We offer you comprehensive IT support, including a complete IT hardware roadmap.

Ten Disaster Recovery Statistics You Should Know

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): Businessman working on his laptop showing management of company data using cloud backup - concept of disaster recovery strategies

Have a clear disaster recovery plan for your organization.

Data loss is a serious problem that can have a devastating effect on businesses. In fact, data recovery statistics show that data loss can be extremely costly and time-consuming. Here are some of the most recent data recovery statistics that explore the reality of data loss.

  • Gartner found that 72 percent of organizations are not well-positioned with regard to disaster recovery capabilities, with 59 percent of respondents expecting budgetary increases for disaster recovery this year.
  • Companies without an effective disaster recovery plan stand to lose millions. According to Gartner, the average cost of IT downtime is $5,600 per minute (adding up to more than $300,000 per hour). For large organizations, that number tops half a million dollars.
  • Ransomware is a huge concern, and many people don’t realize that their disaster recovery plan may not work when they need it most. This adds significant risk to your ability to recover from ransomware if you are not prepared for the attack. In a recent study, IDC reported that 37 percent of companies worldwide were hit by ransomware in the previous 12 months. The average ransom paid was $250K, though some hackers asked for as much as 1M dollars.
  • Ninety-six percent of companies with a trusted backup and disaster recovery plan were able to survive ransomware attacks.
  • A disaster can strike at any time and without warning, so it is imperative that you have a plan in place to help your company recover quickly from these events. However, FEMA found that 20 percent of companies have no disaster recovery planning in place.
  • A report by the Ponemon Institute reveals that 93 percent of companies that lost their data center for 10 days or more due to a disaster, filed for bankruptcy within one year of the disaster. Fifty percent of businesses that found themselves without data management for this same time period filed for bankruptcy immediately.
  • Cloud backup can be an incredibly useful tool when it comes to data recovery. According to Statistica, as of 2019, 94 percent of the small-sized organizations who were surveyed worldwide claimed that they had used the cloud for data storage or backup.
  • A study by IBM on data recovery planning, including the cost and frequency of data breaches, showed a decrease in costs by more than 30 percent in organizations that embrace proactive recovery programs. The research shows that organizations who invest in automated disaster recovery have an operational edge over those without. They also maintain their business reputation and financial success, which is crucial for growth.
  • Disaster recovery planning is one of the most important aspects of protecting your business. But how often do you actually test your disaster recovery plan? A report by Statistica reveals that only 35 percent of respondents stated that their company tested its disaster recovery plan on a quarterly basis as of 2019.
  • A  report by UniTrends found that cloud-based Disaster Recovery-as-a-Software (DRaaS) will be used by 59 percent of businesses by 2021. Currently, 36 percent of businesses use this, and a further 23 percent plan to add the technology within the next year.

The above statistics are a wake-up call for many businesses. Having a well-designed and effectively maintained disaster recovery plan in place will substantially increase your ability to recover lost data, returning you back into normal operations as quickly with minimal business disruption.

SystemsNet is the trusted choice for complete network solutions. With almost 20 years in business, they’ve built a reputation as an industry leader and provide reliable services that meet your needs with tailored plans for any budget. Contact us for more information on our complete line of disaster recovery solutions for your business.

5 Things You Didn’t Know About VOIP

VOIP
Employee's hand pressing a button on a company phone system - showing different features of using VoIP.

Offers a lot of features and advantages over a traditional telephone system.

Virtual phone systems are becoming more and more popular for businesses as they offer a lot of features and advantages over a traditional telephone system. However, there are still many people who are unaware of what VOIP is and what it can do. Here are  five interesting facts about VOIP that you may not have known before.

VoIP was Born Out of Economic Pressure

The story of VoIP is one of innovation born out of necessity. In the early days of the internet, phone calls were made using a technology called circuit-switched telephone network (CSTN). This technology was expensive and inefficient, so a team of engineers at Bell Labs developed a new way to make phone calls over the internet. This new technology, which we now know as VoIP, allowed people to make phone calls using their internet connection instead of their phone line. This was a major breakthrough, and it allowed people to make phone calls for a fraction of the cost.

VoIP was not Always Free

VoIP is a technology that allows people to make phone calls over the internet. The first VoIP service was released in 1995, and it was not free. In fact, it cost users a monthly subscription fee in order to use the service. In the early days of VoIP, there were a number of different providers who offered the service. Each provider had its own software, and each software had its own set of features. This made it difficult for people to switch providers, as they would have to learn new software and lose all of their old contacts.

VoIP Still has Some Stigma

Despite the fact that VoIP phone systems have been around for over a decade, and are used by millions of people, there is still some stigma attached to them. Many people view VoIP as being inferior to traditional landlines and are hesitant to switch to a VoIP system because of this. There are a few reasons for this stigma. Firstly, many people are unaware of the benefits of using a VoIP system. Secondly, VoIP can be more complicated to set up and use than traditional landlines. And finally, many people are intimidated by the idea of using technology to make phone calls.

VoIP and “Standard” Phone Lines CAN Co-exist

There has been a lot of discussion about VoIP and the impact it is having on the standard telephone line. Some people are convinced that VoIP is going to completely replace the standard phone line, while others believe that the two will be able to coexist. There are a number of factors that need to be considered when examining this issue. VoIP does have some clear advantages, such as lower call rates and the ability to use your phone anywhere in the world that has an internet connection.

Gaming VoIP is Used by Criminals to Order Mob Hits

Gaming VoIP services, like Discord and Teamspeak, are often used by gamers to communicate with each other during online matches. However, these services are also being used by criminals to order mob hits. According to a recent report, criminals are using gaming VoIP services to communicate with each other about hits they want to be carried out. The services offer a secure and encrypted way for criminals to communicate, which makes it difficult for law enforcement officials to track them down. This is a major concern for law enforcement officials, as it makes it difficult for them to investigate and prevent mob hits from taking place.

Final Thoughts

VOIP has come a long way in the past few years, and there are a lot of things you may not know about it. We hope you’ve found this information helpful! If you’d like to learn more about VOIP, be sure to contact us.