Veeam has specific criteria for what in the Office 365 (O365) backup database gets counted as an object for licensing purposes. Green Cloud uses this license information to determine the number of users that are included in a backup job.
What Counts as an O365 BaaS User?
A user counts as any combination of the following that is included in a backup job:
- An Exchange mailbox,
- A Teams user,
- A OneDrive user, or
- A SharePoint user site.
So the same user’s Exchange, Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint sites will all consume the same single user slot in Green Cloud’s O365 BaaS service. Shared sites also count as a single instance.
When are O365 BaaS Users Counted?
Users are counted when a backup job runs. Users are not counted in historical retention. That means that users can be stored in retention without taking up a user license.
Do O365 Users Consume Licenses After Being Removed?
Users consume licenses for 31 days after the last backup. So when a user is removed from the backup or deactivated in O365, the license is still considered “consumed” from Veeam’s perspective for an additional 31 days. After that point, the license can be applied to an additional user, or can be removed from the customer’s license count.