Many organizations begin their Microsoft 365 journey with an existing domain name. In addition, you can purchase new domain names to be associated with your tenant.
Third-party Registrar
Most large organizations have existing relationships with third-party domain registrars, such as Network Solutions or GoDaddy. You can use any ICANN-accredited registrar in your region to purchase domain names.
About ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a non-profit organization tasked with providing guidance and policy around the internet’s unique identifiers (domains). It was chartered in 1998. Prior to 1998, Network Solutions operated the global Domain Name System (DNS) registry under a subcontract from the United States DefenseInformation Systems Agency.
You can search a list of domain registrars here:
https://www.icann.org/en/accredited-registrars.
Microsoft
In addition to choosing a third-party registrar, organizations may also wish to use Microsoft as the registrar. Depending on your subscription, you may be able to directly purchase domain names from within the Microsoft 365 admin center, as shown inFigure 1.5:
Figure 1.5 – Purchasing a domain through the Microsoft 365 admin center
When purchasing a domain through Microsoft, you can select from the following top-level domains:
- .biz
- .com
- .info
- .me
- .mobi
- .net
- .org
- .tv
- .co.uk
- .org.uk
Domain purchases will be billed separately from your Microsoft 365 subscription services. When purchasing a domain from Microsoft, you’ll have limited ability to manage the DNS records. If you require custom configuration (such as configuring an MX record to point to a non-Microsoft 365 server), you’ll want to purchase a domain separately.
Configuring a Domain Name
Configuring a domain for your tenant is a simple procedure and requires access to your organization’s public DNS service provider. Many large organizations may host DNS themselves, while other organizations choose to pay service providers (such as the domain registrar) to host the services.
