Office Hours: IT for Office Managers

Your info@ address, the "all staff" list and the team inbox can each be built three different ways in Microsoft 365, and picking the wrong one costs money, breaks replies or quietly opens a security hole. This episode explains shared mailboxes, distribution lists and Microsoft 365 groups in plain English, when to use each, and how to set them up step by step, as of October 2026.

You'll come away understanding which tool fits which job (one inbox everyone answers from, a list that copies mail to everyone, or a whole team space with files and a calendar), the licensing and size limits that matter (a shared mailbox is free up to 50 GB, and the people using it need their own licence), the three permissions Full Access, Send As and Send on Behalf, the mistakes we see most often, from a shared password on a licensed info@ account to deleting the account a shared mailbox depends on, and how to move between them, including what Microsoft says can't be migrated at all.

First step: open the Microsoft 365 admin centre, go to Users, then Active users, and look for anything named info, admin, reception or accounts that has a licence and a password people know. That is your first candidate for a shared mailbox.

Office Hours is brought to you by Complete Uptime Solutions, managed IT and cyber security for Australian businesses. Get a free IT risk snapshot at completeuptimesolutions.com.au or call 02 8214 4612.

Sources: Microsoft Learn, About shared mailboxes and Create a shared mailbox; Microsoft Learn, Compare types of groups in Microsoft 365; Microsoft Learn, Exchange Online limits; Microsoft Learn, Upgrade distribution lists to Microsoft 365 Groups; Australian Signals Directorate, Annual Cyber Threat Reports 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Most small offices still run on a spreadsheet called "passwords", a notebook in the top drawer and a lot of reuse. This episode walks through rolling out a password manager properly: why it matters, how to choose one without being sold to, how to set up shared vaults, how to get staff to actually use it, and what to do on the day someone leaves.

You'll come away understanding what a password manager and a passphrase are and what the Australian Cyber Security Centre recommends (four or more random words, at least 15 characters, MFA on everything that offers it); what the 2022 LastPass breach does and doesn't tell you about choosing a provider, including the UK regulator's December 2025 findings; the questions to ask before you buy a business plan; how to organise shared vaults by team so people only see what they need; a gentle rollout plan that starts with email and banking; and the leaver checklist that changes every shared password the person could see.

A first step for this week: find every place your office writes passwords down, including that spreadsheet, and make a list. That list is your rollout plan.

Office Hours is brought to you by Complete Uptime Solutions, managed IT and cyber security for Australian businesses. Get a free IT risk snapshot at completeuptimesolutions.com.au or call 02 8214 4612.

Sources: Australian Signals Directorate's Australian Cyber Security Centre (Personal Cyber Security guides, Small business guide for Apple, Annual Cyber Threat Report 2024-25); UK Information Commissioner's Office; LastPass security incident notices; Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report.

Why does the video call always freeze in the boardroom, even though the internet is "fine" at reception? This episode walks through office Wi-Fi in plain English: how your NBN connection, your router and your Wi-Fi are three different things, where the router should live, when mesh or proper access points make sense, and how to set up a guest network that genuinely keeps visitors off your business systems.

You'll come away understanding how to test wired before blaming the Wi-Fi, what the NBN technology types and the September 2025 speed boost mean for an older router, what Wi-Fi 6, 6E and 7 actually change (including the extra 6 GHz spectrum Australia opened up in 2025), why meeting rooms behind concrete and coated glass go dark, the trade-offs between mesh kits and wired access points, and the router security checklist from the Australian Signals Directorate's small business handbook.

First step: plug a laptop into the router with a cable, run a speed test, then repeat it on Wi-Fi in the boardroom. The gap between those two numbers tells you where the problem lives.

Office Hours is brought to you by Complete Uptime Solutions, managed IT and cyber security for Australian businesses. Get a free IT risk snapshot at completeuptimesolutions.com.au or call 02 8214 4612.

Sources: Australian Signals Directorate (Australian Cyber Security Centre); NBN Co; Australian Communications and Media Authority; Wi-Fi Alliance; Federal Register of Legislation.

Business Basic, Standard, Premium, the new "with Copilot" plans, E3 and E5: Microsoft's line-up is confusing, and most small offices end up paying for the wrong mix. This episode walks through what each plan actually gives you, what it costs in Australia as of October 2026 (prices subject to change), and where the money usually leaks out.

You'll come away understanding the real difference between the plans (web-only apps, desktop apps, and the security tools that only Premium includes), how to read Microsoft's Australian prices (shown ex GST, cheaper on an annual commitment than month to month), why shared mailboxes don't need a licence, why leftover licences from departed staff quietly cost hundreds of dollars a year, when mixing plans makes sense, and when E3 or E5 is worth a look.

First step: open the Microsoft 365 admin centre, go to Billing, then Licences, and compare how many licences you pay for with how many are actually assigned to people who still work for you.

Office Hours is brought to you by Complete Uptime Solutions, managed IT and cyber security for Australian businesses. Get a free IT risk snapshot at completeuptimesolutions.com.au or call 02 8214 4612.

Sources: Microsoft Australia plans and pricing pages; Microsoft Licensing, Microsoft 365 pricing and packaging updates (July 2026); Microsoft Learn, About shared mailboxes; Microsoft Learn, Microsoft 365 Business security overview; Australian Signals Directorate, Annual Cyber Threat Report 2024-25.

When someone leaves, most small offices either delete their Microsoft 365 account too fast and lose years of email, or leave it switched on for months with a password half the office knows. This episode walks through offboarding in the right order: what to do on the last day and in which minute, how to hand over a mailbox and OneDrive, and the shared logins and devices that are easy to forget.

You'll come away understanding why "block and keep" beats "delete" in the first weeks, and why a password reset works faster than blocking sign-in; how to convert a mailbox to a shared mailbox so you can stop paying for the licence, and why you must reset the password and check inbox rules when you do; why OneDrive files should move before the licence comes off, given Microsoft's 60-day read-only and 93-day archive rules; how to build a list of every non-Microsoft login a person touched, from the bank to the domain registrar to the ATO's Relationship Authorisation Manager; and how to deal with laptops and phones, including staff who use their own phone.

First step: before anyone else resigns, write a one-page list of every system, shared password and device each role uses. That list becomes your offboarding checklist.

Office Hours is brought to you by Complete Uptime Solutions, managed IT and cyber security for Australian businesses. Get a free IT risk snapshot at completeuptimesolutions.com.au or call 02 8214 4612.

Sources: Microsoft Learn (Remove a former employee; Convert a user mailbox to a shared mailbox; OneDrive retention and deletion; Manage unlicensed OneDrive accounts), Australian Cyber Security Centre (Small business cyber security handbook; Information Security Manual), Fair Work Ombudsman, US Department of Justice.

A new starter's first week shows whether a business has its IT under control. This episode walks office managers through setting up a new staff member properly: the Microsoft 365 account and licence, multi-factor authentication, the laptop, email signature, shared files and mailboxes, the phone, and the short induction that stops a brand-new employee falling for the scam that targets new employees.

You'll come away understanding why the setup should start a week before day one, not on the morning; why you give access through groups instead of copying someone else's permissions; how a Temporary Access Pass lets a new starter set up MFA without you knowing their password; why the laptop should be Windows 11, encrypted and without admin rights; how shared mailboxes and SharePoint keep files out of personal inboxes; and the ten-minute conversation about fake CEO messages and changed bank details that belongs in every induction.

First step: write a one-page new starter request form that managers must fill in at least five working days before the start date, listing the role, the systems and folders needed, and the hardware.

Office Hours is brought to you by Complete Uptime Solutions, managed IT and cyber security for Australian businesses. Get a free IT risk snapshot at completeuptimesolutions.com.au or call 02 8214 4612.

Sources: Australian Signals Directorate's Australian Cyber Security Centre (Annual Cyber Threat Report 2024-25 and Small business cyber security handbook); Microsoft Learn; Fair Work Ombudsman; Office of the Australian Information Commissioner; Singapore Police Force.