1. What is automatic onboarding in Commvault Cloud for M365?
Automatic onboarding allows you to connect your Microsoft 365 tenant to Metallic using an application-based authentication model, eliminating manual credential handling and simplifying setup.
2. What permissions are required for automatic onboarding?
You need a Global Administrator account in the Microsoft 365 tenant to grant consent for the required Microsoft Graph and Exchange permissions during onboarding.
3. Does Commvault Cloud store M365 admin credentials?
No. Commvault Cloud uses Azure AD application-based authentication with certificates or secrets. Admin credentials are not stored after consent is granted.
4. Which M365 workloads are onboarded automatically?
Automatic onboarding typically supports:
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Exchange Online (Mailboxes)
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OneDrive for Business
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SharePoint Online
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Microsoft Teams (Chats, Channels, Files)
5. Is Azure AD or an Azure subscription required?
An Azure subscription is not mandatory, but Azure AD is required since the onboarding process registers an application in the tenant’s directory.
6. How long does the automatic onboarding process take?
Once admin consent is provided, onboarding usually completes within 10–30 minutes, depending on tenant size and Microsoft API responsiveness.
7. Can onboarding be done for multiple M365 tenants?
Yes. Commvault Cloud supports multi-tenant onboarding, provided each tenant grants separate admin consent.
8. What happens if permissions change or expire?
If required permissions are removed or the app secret/certificate expires, backups will fail. Commvault Cloud provides alerts so corrective action can be taken promptly.
9. Is automatic onboarding secure?
Yes. It follows Microsoft-recommended least-privilege access, uses encrypted communication, and complies with enterprise security standards.
10. Can workloads be added later after onboarding?
Yes. Additional workloads (e.g., Teams or SharePoint sites) can be enabled later without re-onboarding the tenant.
11. Is a licensed user required for configuration?
Yes, you need a Global Administrator with a "valid license" (License is mandatory only for teams backup) account in the Microsoft 365 tenant to grant consent for the required Microsoft Graph and Exchange permissions during onboarding.
12. What is backed up by default after onboarding?
By default, all users and all mailboxes in the Microsoft 365 tenant are included for backup automatically once the tenant is onboarded to Commvault Cloud.
No manual user or mailbox selection is required unless you want to apply exclusions or custom scopes.
13. Who is billed for backup?
Billing is based only on licensed users.
While both licensed and unlicensed users/mailboxes are backed up, charges apply only for users that have an active M365 license assigned.