Microsoft Office 365 is one of the most productive tools introduced by Microsoft. It refers to the subscription plans that include access to Office 365 applications and cloud-based SaaS products for business environments. These services include Exchange Online for email, Lync Online for unified communication, SharePoint Online for collaboration, the suite of Office Web Apps, etc. When it comes to using types of Office 365 groups for team collaboration it is straightforward.
It becomes easier for the user and his/her team to collaborate and communicate through Groups in Office 365. One can easily create and handle groups including Public Groups for open collaboration, Private Groups for restricted access, Dynamic Groups for automated membership management & Mail-enabled Security Groups serving dual roles in email distribution and access control using Exchange Online. The user can create a Group according to the team requirements and tools usage. Each team works in a little different way in an organization.
In this Write Up
Some numerous features and functionalities make Office 365 Groups useful and efficient for team collaboration. Some of the reasons that make Office 365 a reliable and smart choice for team collaboration are explained below:
The difference between the Office 365 Groups depends on the use cases & functionalities. The below points help you to clearly understand which is more suitable for you:
| Type of Office 365 Group | Description | Use Cases | Functionality |
| Microsoft 365 Groups | It is used for collaboration across several services including Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, and Yammer. | Project teams, departments & committees. | Shared mailbox, calendar, SharePoint site, Planner, Teams chat, Yammer community. |
| Distribution Groups | Primarily used for sending emails to a group of people simultaneously. | Announcements, newsletters & company-wide communications. | Email distribution only. |
| Security Groups | Used for granting access permissions to resources like files, folders, and applications. | Access control, security management & role-based access control (RBAC). | Access permissions management. |
| Dynamic Distribution Groups | Membership is automatically managed based on specified criteria such as department, location, or job title. | Large organizations with frequently changing membership & automated email distribution lists. | Dynamic membership based on user attributes. |
| Office 365 Shared Mailbox | With this multiple users can access emails to read and send. It doesn't have a username and password, so users must be permitted to access it. | Customer support email, generic company email addresses. | Shared email inbox, no personal calendar or contacts. |
| Office 365 Resource Mailbox | It is used for scheduling resources such as meeting rooms or equipment. & can be booked through Outlook or calendar apps. | Meeting rooms, projectors & company vehicles. | Resource scheduling, and automatic acceptance of meeting requests. |
| SharePoint Group | It organizes access control, allowing hassle-free collaboration & sharing within teams or departments. | Manage permissions and access control for different teams or departments within a SharePoint site. | Automated content organization through metadata & tagging. |
Read More: How Secure is Microsoft Outlook Email?
Here is the cut-to-cut featured differentiation of Distribution Group, Security Group & Microsoft 365 Group:
| Feature | Distribution Group | Security Group | Microsoft 365 Group (formerly Office 365 Group) |
| Purpose | Used for sending emails to a group of people | Used for granting access permissions to resources like files, folders, or SharePoint sites | Provides a shared workspace for collaboration, including email, calendar, files, and more |
| Email Functionality | Yes | No | Yes |
| Collaboration Tools | No | No | Yes |
| Access Control | No | Yes | Yes |
| Shared Inbox | Yes | No | Yes |
| Shared Calendar | No | No | Yes |
| Shared Files | No | No | Yes |
| Teams Integration | No | No | Yes |
Groups are easy to set up but they require a good strategy, planning, and architecture. So, that they can work effectively for a longer period. Moreover, there are many benefits associated with Office 365 Groups. In the above section, we have explained some reasons that make Office 365 Groups the most reliable and hassle-free service for team collaboration activities. Plus, we explored an accurate comparison of types of Office 365 Groups.
Now, that you have the proper knowledge of all types of Groups in Office 365 & I hope you can choose any of them effortlessly as you desire.