When your business uses Microsoft 365 or similar email services, each mailbox comes with a set amount of storage space for emails and attachments. Over time, as your team sends and receives more messages, this storage can fill up. Paying for extra email storage means increasing that limit so your staff can keep working without interruption.
Why extra email storage matters for Australian SMBs
Running out of email storage can cause real headaches. If mailboxes hit their limit, users might stop receiving new emails, which can disrupt communication with customers, suppliers, and colleagues. This can lead to missed opportunities, delays in projects, and frustrated staff. Additionally, having to delete important emails to free up space risks losing valuable business information or compliance records.
From a cybersecurity and compliance perspective, keeping a full archive of emails helps your business meet privacy and record-keeping obligations. It also supports forensic analysis if a security incident occurs. For example, if a phishing attack targets your staff, having access to historical emails can help your IT team identify how the attack happened and which accounts were affected.
A practical example
Consider a typical Australian business with around 50 employees using Microsoft 365. Their standard mailbox size might be 50GB per user. Over a few years, some staff—especially those in sales or customer service—accumulate large volumes of emails with attachments like contracts and invoices. Eventually, a few mailboxes reach their limit, causing bounced emails and delays in client responses.
Their managed IT provider reviews mailbox usage and recommends purchasing additional storage licenses for those heavy users. They also implement email archiving policies to move older emails to an archive, freeing up primary mailbox space. This approach prevents downtime and ensures important communications remain accessible and secure.
Checklist: What to consider about extra email storage
- Assess current usage: Check mailbox sizes and growth trends in your Microsoft 365 admin portal or ask your IT provider for a report.
- Identify key users: Find out who regularly hits storage limits and what types of emails (attachments, newsletters, etc.) consume the most space.
- Ask your IT provider: What are the costs and options for increasing mailbox storage? Can they implement archiving or retention policies to optimise space?
- Review backup and recovery: Ensure your email data is backed up regularly and can be restored quickly if needed.
- Consider compliance: Verify if your industry or contracts require you to retain emails for a certain period and if extra storage supports this.
- Evaluate user training: Encourage staff to manage inboxes by deleting unnecessary emails or saving attachments outside mailboxes when appropriate.
Next steps
Extra email storage can be a practical investment to keep your business communications flowing smoothly and securely. To decide what's right for your business, talk to a trusted managed IT provider or IT advisor who understands your specific needs and can tailor solutions accordingly. They can help you balance cost, compliance, and productivity without overcomplicating your IT environment.