In an assertive move to enhance security and compliance within its ecosystem, Microsoft has announced plans to eliminate unlicensed OneDrive Business accounts. These accounts, if left unlicensed for over 90 days, will be automatically archived beginning January 2025. This decision, impacting organizations worldwide, aims to mitigate risks such as confusion and duplication in enterprise environments, which pose significant security threats.
What’s Happening?
Who: Microsoft, targeting global commercial customers using OneDrive Business services.
What: The tech giant is cracking down on unlicensed OneDrive Business accounts by archiving them and imposing fees.
When: The policy will take effect in January 2025.
Where: This policy affects all commercial customers worldwide, except those in government, education, or defense sectors (GCC, EDU, or DoD customers).
Why: To address security and compliance risks associated with unlicensed accounts.
The Impact and What It Means for Businesses
Unlicensed accounts will automatically enter the Microsoft 365 Archive if they remain unlicensed beyond the 90-day threshold. Organizations will then face a fee of $0.05 per GB per month for storage and a reactivation fee of $0.60 per GB if they choose to reactivate an archived account. Reactivation grants 30 days of access before the account reverts to its archived state.
Preparing for the Change
Microsoft is advising IT administrators to proactively manage their OneDrive accounts by using tools available in the SharePoint admin center. By navigating to Reports > OneDrive accounts, admins can view detailed reports about unlicensed accounts, helping them to decide whether to retain or delete these accounts before the policy takes effect. Reports will include data such as email addresses, usernames, account types, and last activity dates. This feature will be available to all commercial customers by August 16, 2024.
This strategic move by Microsoft underscores the company’s commitment to maintaining a secure and compliant digital environment. By enforcing these measures, Microsoft not only aims to streamline operations but also to safeguard organizational data from potential breaches and misuse. As the deadline approaches, businesses are encouraged to review their account statuses and prepare accordingly to avoid disruptions.
