Can M365 licenses be assigned to shared user accounts, role accounts, kiosk users, or service accounts?

Hello Kaka2204BI,

Good day!

Thank you for posting to Microsoft Community. We are happy to help you.

consider the following scenarios:

1. A role account used by multiple employees in a marketing team to access shared resources or collaborate on documents, where some users already have an M365 subscription, and some do not.

   For a role account used by multiple employees in a marketing team to access shared resources or collaborate on documents, you can assign an Office 365 E3 or E5 license. These licenses provide access to a wide range of applications and services, including SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams, which can help your team collaborate more effectively.

   If some users already have an M365 subscription and some do not, you can assign the role account a license that includes the necessary applications and services for all users. For example, if some users already have an M365 Business Basic subscription, you can assign the role account an M365 Business Standard license to provide access to additional applications and services.

   There are some restrictions to consider when using role accounts. Role accounts are designed for shared access to resources and should not be used for individual user accounts. Additionally, role accounts should be used only for the specific purpose for which they were created and should not be used for other purposes or shared with unauthorized users.

2. A kiosk user account that is used on a shared device in a manufacturing facility for accessing company resources, intranet, or task-specific applications.

   For a kiosk user account that is used on a shared device in a manufacturing facility for accessing company resources, intranet, or task-specific applications, you can assign the Office 365 F1 license. The Office 365 F1 license provides access to web-based Office apps, email, and calendars, as well as SharePoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams. It also includes Microsoft Power Apps and Power Automate for creating custom workflows and business apps.

   There are some restrictions to consider when using kiosk accounts. Kiosk accounts are designed for task workers who need access to a limited set of applications and resources. They are not intended for full-time employees or users who require access to a wide range of applications and resources. Additionally, kiosk accounts have some limitations, such as a maximum session length of 12 hours and a maximum of 10 authentications per hour

3. A service account used to run background processes or perform automated tasks, such as synchronizing data between systems or managing application permissions.

For a service account used to run background processes or perform automated tasks, such as synchronizing data between systems or managing application permissions, you can assign the Azure AD Premium P1 license OR E5. The Azure AD Premium P1 license or E5 provides access to advanced identity and access management features such as conditional access policies, self-service password reset, and multi-factor authentication. It also includes access to Azure AD Connect Health for monitoring and reporting on the health of your identity synchronization services. If you need more advanced features such as identity protection and privileged identity management, you can upgrade to the Azure AD Premium P2 license or get E5 is enough.

There are some restrictions to consider when using service accounts. Service accounts are designed for automated processes and should not be used for interactive logins or other user activities. Additionally, service accounts should be used only for the specific purpose for which they were created and should not be used for other purposes or shared with unauthorized users.

Please feel free to let us know if there are any questions or if we've got you wrong. We will keep assisting you based on the information you provide. We sincerely appreciate your patience and cooperation.

Appreciate your patience and understanding and thank you for your time and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Eben Ezer Tres | Microsoft Community Moderator

Dear Eben,

Thank you for your detailed response. It provides a good understanding of the various licensing options for role accounts, kiosk users, and service accounts. However, I would like to gather some additional information about the restrictions associated with each type of account and any documentation that supports these restrictions.

In our organization, we will have various kinds of service accounts, such as:

1. Standard Service Account

2. Standard Service Account with Email Capability

3. Active Directory Exclusive Service Account

4. Azure-Only Service Account

Each of these accounts has unique features and use cases, as explained in my previous message. I would like to understand if the service account licensing recommendations mentioned in your reply (Azure AD Premium P1 license or E5) would cater to the requirements of all these distinct service account types.

Additionally, I'm interested in understanding if a single E3 or E5 license would be adequate for a role account, irrespective of the number of users accessing it, or if the licensing requirement would depend on the number of users accessing the role account or service account.

To summarize, my questions are:

1. Could you please provide any official documentation or resources that outline the restrictions associated with role accounts, kiosk users, and service accounts?

2. In the context of the different types of service accounts mentioned above, would the recommended Azure AD Premium P1 license or E5 license be suitable for all these various service account types?

3. In the context of role accounts and service accounts, is a single E3 or E5 license sufficient, or do the licensing requirements depend on the number of users accessing these accounts?

Thank you for your time and assistance in addressing these questions. I look forward to your response.

Eben Ezer Tres (or other Moderator), please post the answers to Kaka2204BI's reply, we are also looking for documentation on restrictions for service accounts and role accounts, particularly between the E3 license and the E1 license. Thank you!