Creating the Azure Account & Microsoft 365 Subscription

• Go to portal.azure.com and sign up for an Azure account.
• Head to admin.microsoft.com to purchase a Microsoft 365 subscription.
• Your new tenant will have a default domain like yourtenant.onmicrosoft.com (you’ll replace this later).

Pro Tip: Microsoft requires an admin account, so choose wisely. This account will control everything. Set up a strong password and enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for security.

Adding & Verifying a Custom Domain

• Go to Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Settings → Domains → Add a domain.
• Enter your custom domain (e.g., yourcompany.com).
• Microsoft will provide a TXT record—add this to your DNS settings at your domain registrar.
• Once verified, update MX, CNAME, and SPF records to enable email and other services.

DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, so don’t panic if emails don’t work immediately.

Creating Users & Assigning Roles

• Go to Azure Active Directory → Users → New User.
• Add users and assign initial passwords.
• Assign roles based on responsibilities:
  • Global Admin – Full access (keep this limited!).
  • Billing Admin – Manages payments & subscriptions.
  • Security Admin – Handles security policies.
  • Exchange Admin – Manages email settings.

Not everyone should be a Global Admin—use the least privilege principle to reduce security risks.

Configuring Microsoft 365 Services (Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, etc.)