How to remove mailboxes properly to avoid errors and extra costs
We realize that removing mailboxes can be a confusing process, this policy will attempt to clarify the available options and help you make the right decision on how to proceed.
When removing mailboxes from Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, it is important to consider the effect that removal will have on your corresponding Servosity SaaS backup. Because Servosity is dedicated to preventing data loss, there are only 2 supported methods for removing mailboxes from a SaaS backup job.
1. Marking the mailbox that needs to be removed as a Shared mailbox, and then removing the license for that mailbox, is the best option. You will no longer be paying Microsoft or Google for the license, you will no longer be paying Servosity for the backup, backups will continue to run without any errors, and you will keep every backup in retention for as long as the SaaS backup account exists in the Servosity Control Panel.
2. Deleting the mailbox. This solution isn't ideal for a few reasons. You won't have to pay Microsoft or Google for the license, but our system isn't able to see that the mailbox has been deleted automatically, so the next several backup jobs will try to back up that mailbox still and will cause errors. After a few days the mailbox will be automatically archived, but you'll continue to be charged for that mailbox backup. You will still retain all of the backup data for the life of the account.
It is against Servosity policy to pause a backup account. We made this decision because a paused account can only be paused manually, and can only be resumed manually. If a mailbox is removed, and has been paused, if it is re-created for any reason, the backups will not happen until it is manually unpaused, and this could cause data loss.
These options are both self-serve, allowing our partners to decide how they'd like to proceed, and then take action without having to make a manual request to the Servosity support team. If you have any questions about this policy, or how to take any of the steps listed above, please don't hesitate to contact Servosity support for assistance.