Set a Handoff for Mailbox Records When Admin Responsibilities Change

Start with an inventory, not a deletion

Ask the outgoing and incoming administrators to review the mailbox and alias records they are authorized to manage. Record each address exactly as configured, its current status if visible, and the person or function believed to be responsible. Include shared or role-based addresses such as a fictional sales@example.com, as well as addresses assigned to individuals.

Keep mailbox and alias entries distinct. A mailbox can be an account with its own identity; an alias may simply be another address associated with mail handling. Do not infer that an alias has its own sign-in, separate storage, or independent owner. If the administration view does not make its relationship clear, record that uncertainty rather than guessing.

• Address and record type: mailbox, alias, or not yet confirmed.
• Business purpose and intended audience.
• Current accountable team or person, with the source of that information.
• Known dependencies, such as a public contact address or process that uses it.

Separate technical facts from ownership decisions

An address being assigned to someone does not necessarily mean that person owns the business identity or its records. For every entry, distinguish what the administrator can verify in the workspace from what needs a company decision. For example, an administrator may be able to confirm that a mailbox exists, but not whether a former employee’s address should remain active, be reassigned, or be retired.

Use a clear status such as “confirmed,” “needs review,” or “unresolved.” Add a short reason, the person or team expected to decide, and a follow-up date set by your organization. Avoid quietly changing an address to fit an assumption. If a decision is pending, preserve the uncertainty in the handoff rather than presenting a guess as approved policy.

Address: sales@example.com
Record type: Alias; relationship to mailbox needs confirmation
Known purpose: Public sales inquiries
Ownership: Unresolved
Next step: Company operations lead to confirm accountable team
Do not change or retire until: Ownership decision is recorded

Review identity and access with care

Check which records are tied to a named person and which represent a continuing company function. Note relevant account or role dependencies that the incoming administrator is authorized to review, but do not copy passwords, one-time passcodes, or personal recovery secrets into the handoff. Transfer responsibility through the organization’s approved account and access process.

In BITTU Mail, workspace administration is subject to role, plan, and provisioning state, and permissions are enforced server-side. An incoming administrator should use an authorized account and confirm that the required administrative access is available before making changes. Do not assume that every account has the same controls or that an address can be reassigned in a particular way.

Keep the company’s records and decisions in company custody

The company should retain the inventory, the reasoning behind ownership decisions, the list of open questions, and the record of who approved changes. Store the handoff where the appropriate company staff can retrieve it, with access limited to people who need it. Do not leave the only copy in an administrator’s personal mailbox or personal files.

Company custody does not mean keeping every mailbox active forever. It means that decisions about business addresses, access, retention, and retirement are made by an authorized company representative under company policy. The handoff should identify who can approve those decisions; it should not turn an outgoing administrator’s personal preference into permanent policy.

Make unresolved questions visible

Create a short exception list for entries whose purpose, owner, or relationship to another mailbox is unclear. For each one, state what is known, what is unknown, who will investigate, and what action is paused pending a decision. If a record affects customer communication, mark that dependency so it is not overlooked during routine cleanup.

Avoid marking a question resolved merely because someone can access the address. Access is evidence of access, not proof of organizational ownership. If the right decision-maker cannot be identified, escalate through the company’s normal management or operations channel and leave the record flagged until responsibility is assigned.

Confirm the handoff is usable

The incoming administrator should compare the written inventory with the records they are authorized to see in the workspace and note discrepancies rather than silently correcting the document. Confirm that every known mailbox and alias is represented, that unresolved items have an owner for follow-up, and that the company’s designated decision-maker can locate the handoff.

For BITTU Mail, authorized workspace or domain administrators can inspect their own domain records in /workspace when the relevant controls are available to their role and provisioning state. This is not a public DNS diagnostic service. After an approved change, confirm the resulting record in the authorized administration view and update the handoff with the decision, date, and responsible approver. If the change cannot be confirmed, keep it open and ask an authorized administrator to investigate.

• Inventory checked against the records visible to the incoming administrator.
• Mailbox and alias distinctions recorded; uncertain relationships flagged.
• Open questions assigned to a company decision-maker.
• Handoff stored in a company-controlled location and discrepancies documented.