The IT manager inherits a setup: WordPress site at a French host, @company.fr on same panel, and a team asking for Teams "like the old employer." Hosted mail versus Microsoft 365 plays on three axes: operational security, total cost per user, and exit cost.
Hosted mail: included IMAP or webmail or mail VPS. Microsoft 365 Business: Exchange Online, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive — Microsoft suite billed monthly.
European SMB comparison
| Dimension | Hosted mail | Microsoft 365 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost / user / month | €0–5 | ~€10–22 by plan |
| Desktop Outlook | No — Thunderbird/web | Yes — Office apps |
| Video / chat | External | Integrated Teams |
| MFA / anti-phishing | Basic | Advanced — higher plans |
| Legal archiving | Rarely included | Compliance add-ons |
| GDPR | EU host possible | Microsoft DPA plus SCC |
| Lock-in | Low | Strong — Exchange, SharePoint |
Comparing M365 to shared "free" mail without counting Teams and OneDrive is a rigged comparison — both ways.
Hosted mail: when it holds
Micro-structure one to three mailboxes. No Teams required. Minimal budget, no sensitive data. EU host with correct webmail — Infomaniak, OVH Pro — and configured SPF/DKIM.
Watch: shared IP, send limits — newsletters → separate transactional SMTP.
Microsoft 365: advantages and risks
Advantages. Unified ecosystem, vendor support, mobile Outlook, Active Directory or Azure AD integration.
Risks. License price increases, SharePoint and Teams dependency, US data transfers to document — DPA, Schrems II assessment.
Plans. Business Basic versus Standard versus Premium — do not pay Premium without compliance or telephony need.
Migration: Microsoft tenant, verified domain; MX plus Autodiscover plus SPF/DKIM/DMARC; IMAP migration or Microsoft tool; MFA enforced, old mailboxes cut after sync.
Compare with Google Workspace if team is more Google-native.
The peak: dependency is paid in silence
Decide and move forward without blind spots
First list replaced apps — Zoom, Dropbox, current mail —, calculate thirty-six-month TCO M365 versus hosted stack plus separate tools, validate compliance — DPA, residency if required —, then write exit plan with export and parallel period before long-term signature. See directory EU mail hosts and compare tool.
Frequently asked questions
Is M365 worth it for small team?
Often yes from five to ten Outlook/Teams users. Below, alternatives possible.
Site elsewhere, M365 mail?
Yes, standard recommended architecture.
M365 more secure than shared?
Generally yes — MFA, anti-phishing. Shared variable by host.
Limit Microsoft dependency?
Regular export, EU alternatives, exit plan before long contract.
Before signing M365 for three years, ask: which tools do we already pay for twice?