Choosing Between Exchange Online Plans for a Business with 150+ Mailboxes

Remember that if you choose to switch between Plan 1 and Plan 2 later, there might be downtime with the mailboxes. It's something to consider before making a decision. Besides that, Plan 2 is typically worth it for larger organizations due to its extra features like legal hold and better storage.

Honestly, the best choice for most setups is going with Business Premium. If you have frontline workers who only need basic email, opting for an F3 plan might be a good route. It provides enough storage without breaking the bank. With our setup, we use Business Premium for our main staff, and for frontline workers, we go with F3 and add Defender for Office as a cheaper add-on. Most of our frontline employees don’t hit the storage limits, and for those who do, we upgrade to Plan 1 or promote them to Business Premium.

When it comes to storage, you need to keep in mind that Plan 1 offers 50GB, while Plan 2 gives you 100GB plus an unlimited archive option. That extra space can make a huge difference if users tend to keep a lot of emails.

For a setup with over 150 mailboxes, I'd recommend Plan 2 without a second thought. The storage issues alone usually tip the scales. Plus, the retention and compliance features definitely come in handy down the line if the company needs to implement policies or legal holds. With this many users, it's less about cost savings and more about avoiding future headaches.

You can actually mix the plans. Some users can be on Plan 1 while others are on Plan 2. This way, you can tailor it according to individual needs. Starting with Plan 1 and then upgrading users as needed is a smart strategy.