Business continuity
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- 4 mins
- Category
- Proton for business
Learn how to set up Proton Workspace as a business continuity solution for your organization, and what to do when a trigger event occurs.
Note that Proton Workspace for business continuity is not a disaster recovery solution.
Learn more about Proton Workspace for business continuity
In this article
- How business continuity works
- How to set up business continuity
- What to do during an outage of your primary tools
- Dormant accounts are billed at the active rate if usage is detected
- You don’t need to migrate away from your current provider
How business continuity works
Proton Workspace as a business continuity solution gives you a secondary workspace to switch to if your primary tools become unavailable. Your organization creates staff accounts in advance, so your team can log in immediately when a trigger event occurs — no setup required at the time of the incident.
Account types
There are two account types when using Proton Workspace for business continuity:
- Active accounts: These accounts are for IT administrators, business continuity coordinators, and leadership. They are operational from day one and can be used at any time for configuration and testing.
- Dormant accounts: These accounts are for the rest of your team. You’ll create and configure these accounts in advance, so they are ready to use when your organization needs them. Dormant account inactivity is checked quarterly per your contract terms.
How to set up business continuity
How to sign up
Business continuity is only available through Sales. Connect with our team to discuss your business continuity plan.
After signing up, our team will help you assess your needs and recommend the right account setup for your organization.
Configure your domain
After signing up, you can begin setting up Proton Workspace. You have a few options for configuring Proton Mail addresses based on your business needs:
- Same domain: You can use your existing email domain by setting it up in Proton Mail. This is best for organizations that want a simple setup mirroring existing addresses, with no email history or pre-migration testing required. For example: employee@yourbusiness.com
- New domain or subdomain: You can set up a separate domain inside Proton Mail along with the option to forward emails to these addresses in advance — so staff already have a populated inbox when they need it. This is best for organizations that need forwarding and email history in place before a trigger event or want to thoroughly test the service first. For example: employee@secure.yourbusiness.com
- Both domains: You can also set up both an existing domain and a new one, creating an address on each for every staff member. This combines the benefits of both options above, allowing staff to prepare and test ahead of time. During a trigger event, they are immediately reachable at their original address.
Setting up your organization and email domain in Proton Workspace can only be done in the Proton web app.
Important: When configuring your domain, updating your MX records immediately redirects incoming mail to Proton Mail and stops delivery to your current email provider. Only execute this step when you are ready to switch during a trigger event — not during setup.
Learn how to create an organization in Proton Workspace
Learn how to set up a custom domain on Proton Mail
What to do during an outage of your primary tools
- Update your DNS settings to point your domain’s MX records to Proton Mail.
Note that DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to take effect, depending on your TTL settings. To minimize this wait, make sure your TTL is set to the minimum. - Distribute login credentials or access links to your team.
- Your team logs into Proton Workspace, automatically converting dormant accounts into active ones.
Learn how to update your MX records
Dormant accounts are billed at the active rate if usage is detected
You pay the dormant rate for as long as dormant accounts remain inactive. If usage is detected on a dormant account, it is retroactively converted to active pricing from the date of first detected usage, prorated to the end of the current billing cycle.
Additional seats can be purchased through Sales if needed during an incident. They can also provide more information on current pricing.
You don’t need to migrate away from your current provider
Proton Workspace for business continuity runs alongside your existing setups from Google, Microsoft, and others. Ensure a seamless transition during outages with Easy Switch. Sync your contact lists and directory information automatically during setup, or import them manually whenever you need.