Distribution Groups vs Shared Mailboxes for 3rd-part Admin accounts
Posted by KM_Sys_Adm@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 4 comments
Just interested to see what other admins think...
What are the pros and cons of using a M365 Distribution Group vs a M365 Shared Mailbox when creating vendor or 3rd-party admin accounts.
I've seen a lot of Distribution Groups used for accounts where historical records are required. MFA backup emails, notification accounts, etc.
I lean towards Shared Mailboxes, but I'm guessing in the next 3-5 years, Microsoft will start requiring licensing for them. Shared Mailboxes are taking a ton of storage on Microsoft's side. The time of the free archival storage is limited in my opinion.
Limp_Lab5727@reddit
Shared mailboxes are definitely better for historical tracking and access control, especially for third-party admin scenarios. But yeah, the free storage probably won’t last forever, microsoft’s been tightening up on that.
If you ever end up on google workspace, there are tools like hiverhq that add shared mailbox functionality without needing full licenses. Just something to keep in mind if the client’s stack changes down the road.
InternalSet17@reddit
Shared Mailboxes definitely offer better visibility and control for vendor accounts, but I agree with storage usage climbing, Microsoft may start requiring licenses soon. Distribution Groups are lighter, but lack tracking.
Actonace@reddit
Distribution groups and shared mailboxes have limitations for team email management. HiverHQ provides a better solution by turning your shared inbox into a collaborative workspace, allowing email assignment, internal notes, and avoid duplicate replies and tracking, all within gmail for smooth team coordination. It's built on top of gmail, so team doesn't need to switch platforms, and it brings much more clarity and accountability to email management especially for customer support and IT team.
TinderSubThrowAway@reddit
We use both.
We have a single shared mailbox, but we use a distribution list for each login that points to the shared mailbox.