Email User Management

Standard operating procedure for managing existing Microsoft 365 email accounts.

Overview

This SOP covers common administrative tasks for managing employee email accounts, including password resets, license management, account modifications, and offboarding.

Accessing User Management

1. Go to Active Users in Microsoft 365 Admin Center
2. Sign in with adminbee@beehaveserviceteam.com

Direct Links to Common Pages

Common Tasks

Reset a User’s Password

1. Go to Users > Active users
2. Select the user’s name
3. Click Reset password
4. Choose:
   • Auto-generate password (recommended)
   • Or create a custom password
5. Check Require this user to change their password when they first sign in
6. Click Reset password
7. Send the temporary password to the user securely

Edit User Information

1. Go to Users > Active users
2. Select the user’s name
3. Click the appropriate tab:
   • Account: Edit name, username, contact info
   • Licenses and apps: Modify assigned licenses
   • Mail: Configure email settings, aliases, forwarding
   • OneDrive: Manage storage settings

Change Display Name or Job Title

1. Select the user from Active users
2. Click the Account tab
3. Click Manage contact information
4. Update fields as needed:
   • Display name
   • Job title
   • Department
   • Phone numbers
5. Click Save changes

Add an Email Alias

Use aliases when staff need to receive email at multiple addresses.

1. Select the user from Active users
2. Click the Mail tab
3. Under Email addresses, click Manage email types
4. Click Add email type
5. Enter the alias (e.g., support@beehaveserviceteam.com)
6. Click Save changes

Set Up Email Forwarding

1. Select the user from Active users
2. Click the Mail tab
3. Click Manage email forwarding
4. Check Forward all email sent to this mailbox
5. Enter the forwarding address
6. Optional: Check Keep a copy of forwarded email in this mailbox
7. Click Save changes

Configure Out of Office Reply

Users can set this themselves, but admins can also configure:

1. Select the user from Active users
2. Click the Mail tab
3. Click Manage automatic replies
4. Configure the auto-reply message and schedule
5. Click Save changes

Managing Groups and Distribution Lists

View Existing Groups

1. Go to Teams & groups > Active teams & groups
2. Review existing groups and membership

Add User to a Distribution Group

1. Go to Teams & groups > Active teams & groups
2. Select the Distribution list tab
3. Select the group
4. Click Members tab
5. Click View and manage members
6. Click Add members
7. Search for and select the user
8. Click Add

Create a New Distribution Group

1. Go to Teams & groups > Active teams & groups
2. Click Add a group
3. Select Distribution
4. Complete the setup:
   • Group name
   • Group email address
   • Description
   • Owners
   • Members
5. Click Create group

Shared Mailboxes

Create a Shared Mailbox

Use for departmental emails (e.g., billing@beehaveserviceteam.com).

1. Go to Teams & groups > Shared mailboxes
2. Click Add a shared mailbox
3. Enter:
   • Name (e.g., “Billing”)
   • Email address
4. Click Save changes
5. Add members who need access

Add Members to a Shared Mailbox

1. Go to Teams & groups > Shared mailboxes
2. Select the mailbox
3. Click Members > Edit
4. Click Add members
5. Select users and click Add

License Management

View Current Licenses

1. Go to Billing > Licenses
2. Review available and assigned licenses

Remove a License from a User

1. Select the user from Active users
2. Click Licenses and apps tab
3. Uncheck the license to remove
4. Click Save changes

Reassign a License

When an employee leaves and a new one starts:

1. Remove license from departing employee (see Offboarding below)
2. Assign license to new employee (see Email Setup)

Offboarding: Removing a User

When an employee leaves the company:

1. Block Sign-In (Immediate)

1. Go to Users > Active users
2. Select the departing user
3. Click Block sign-in
4. Check Block this user from signing in
5. Click Save changes

2. Reset Password

1. Reset the password to prevent any cached access
2. Use a random, auto-generated password

3. Set Up Email Forwarding (Optional)

If emails need to go to a manager or replacement:

1. Configure email forwarding (see above)
2. Set a reminder to disable after 30-90 days

4. Convert to Shared Mailbox (Optional)

To retain access to emails without using a license:

1. Go to Users > Active users
2. Select the user
3. Click the Mail tab
4. Click Convert to shared mailbox
5. Click Convert
6. After conversion, remove the license

5. Delete the User (After Retention Period)

1. Go to Users > Active users
2. Select the user
3. Click Delete user
4. Choose what to do with their data:
   • Give another user access to OneDrive files
   • Forward email for a period
5. Click Delete user

6. Post-Offboarding Checklist

• Sign-in blocked
• Password reset
• Email forwarding configured (if needed)
• OneDrive files transferred or backed up
• Removed from Teams and SharePoint groups
• Removed from distribution lists
• License reassigned or available for new hire
• User deleted after retention period (typically 30 days)

Security Best Practices

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Ensure all users have MFA enabled:

1. Go to Users > Active users
2. Click Multi-factor authentication
3. Select users without MFA enabled
4. Click Enable

Review Sign-In Activity

To check for suspicious activity:

1. Select the user from Active users
2. Click the Account tab
3. Click Sign-in activity
4. Review recent sign-ins for unusual locations or times

Audit Log

To review admin actions:

1. Go to Compliance > Audit
2. Search for specific activities or users
3. Export logs as needed for compliance

Troubleshooting

User Not Receiving Emails

1. Check spam/junk folder
2. Verify no mail flow rules are blocking
3. Check if mailbox is full (50 GB limit for Business Standard)
4. Review email forwarding settings

User Can’t Access Shared Mailbox

1. Verify user is added as a member
2. May take up to 1 hour for permissions to propagate
3. User may need to add mailbox manually in Outlook

Sync Issues with Outlook

1. Have user restart Outlook
2. Clear Outlook cache
3. Remove and re-add account if needed

Related SOPs

• Email Setup - Creating new user accounts
• HIPAA - Email security and PHI protection
• Code of Conduct - Professional email usage