Microsoft Office 365 is one of the most prevalent subscription based solutions on the market. Because it’s a subscription based product, its critical to stay on top of renewals. Any user that fails to renew the subscription loses access to it, so we want to make sure you understand what happens when your subscription expires.
First, it’s important to understand Microsoft’s situation. Retaining a customer costs much less than actively seeking new ones, meaning that they aren’t going to want to lose their existing customers.
Microsoft has implemented a three-step process that is designed to help their customers have as much time as possible to decide whether or not they are serious about letting their subscription go. Here are the three steps.
Step 1: Expired
Following the expiration of your subscription, you have thirty days where Office 365 is still available for use. Any installed applications can still be launched, and you can still access additional solutions as well. Microsoft won’t remove any of your data from its servers. Admins can still add services or applications during this time, as well as back up any data. A global administrator can renew the subscription at any time during these thirty days.
Step 2: Disabled
After the first month has passed, your subscription status changes to Disabled, which remains in place up until the 120th day. This means that only administrators will have access to the admin portal and to back up any data that Microsoft has stored on their servers. Regarding the rest of your users, they might not have access to as many services and solutions. With access to their Office 365 accounts blocked, your users will find themselves between a rock and a hard place, unable to get their work done, access their email, or access OneDrive for Business. Locally installed applications will only offer limited functionality, and you won’t be able to edit or save your files. The global administrator still has access to the option to resume the licensing subscription at this point.
Step 3: Deprovisioned
After 121 days, administrators lose access to any data that remains on the servers. No backups can be taken, and any applications or services rendered will be inaccessible. At this point, Microsoft will start to remove your data from its servers, which you can have sped up through a process called deprovisioning. If your business wants to continue utilizing Office 365, new subscriptions need to be started.
Let Us Help Manage Your Office 365 Subscriptions
If Machado Consulting isn’t already managing your Office 365 subscription, give us a call at (508) 453-4700. We can discuss managing your IT services to avoid lapses in access.
