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Given a mail infrastructure on a shared hosting environment using ~10 main email inboxes and ~30 email inboxes for other purposes, all via IMAP.

We now want to migrate to Microsoft Exchange (using Exchange Online). We have to pay per inbox. This is possible to the 10 main email inboxes but too expensive for the 30 email inboxes for other purposes.

We cannot use aliases or shared inboxes because we have to write from those 30 email inboxes (set the correct sender).

I don't see any alternative here but here is my question:

Is it possible to combine protocols / email infrastructures? That means: Can I use Exchange Online only for some email adresses and another provider for all other email adresses?

This is not possible, because the MX record cannot be "split up", correct?

David Vielhuber
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  • Office365 allows you to send from any user. The alias doesn't have to exist. Not sure if that helps – Drifter104 Nov 07 '17 at 11:37
  • Can you please precise that? Can I directly include an alias into Outlook? – David Vielhuber Nov 07 '17 at 11:39
  • Lets say one of your 30 other mailboxes had an email address `John@example.com' you would create a pop/smtp account in outlook. Using the office365 server settings, add the email address required. But make it receive only. Configure option 3 on this page https://support.office.com/en-gb/article/How-to-set-up-a-multifunction-device-or-application-to-send-email-using-Office-365-69f58e99-c550-4274-ad18-c805d654b4c4 – Drifter104 Nov 07 '17 at 11:45
  • "But make it receive only" - You mean "But make it send only", am I right? – David Vielhuber Nov 07 '17 at 12:17
  • Whoops yes, make it send only – Drifter104 Nov 07 '17 at 12:19

1 Answers1

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When you send an email to e.g. somone@example.com then you are right, the server will look up the DNS MX record for example.com to work out where to send the email.

So in a simple system you wouldn't be able to go to different servers for each email address e.g. someone2@example.com go to a different server than someone@example.com

One option might be to use a sub-domain e.g. have someone@imap.example.com and someone2@exchange.example.com so you have TWO separate MX records and hence can have two destination systems but it would mean your email addresses would look a little non-standard

If you wanted to hide the subdomains you could use a more complex system of email forwarding from the example.com domain to imap.example.com and exchange.example.com but it would need a bit more thought and configiuration to make sure the from addresses were always correct and SPF records etc. were set up so your emails were not marked as spam etc.

Phil
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  • Thanks for the answer! The "complex system" does not with standard shared hosters in combination with Exchange Online, am I right? Or can this all be done via access to dns configuration? – David Vielhuber Nov 07 '17 at 11:20