Why does Microsoft use onmicrosoft.com and microsoftonline.com?

20 points

7 years ago

In 2019, it seems a given that a cautious user on the internet should be careful about which domains they connect to. Paying close attention to domains, Microsoft users will quickly see that the company doesn't always use microsoft.com - even for high profile endpoints. For example:

* Office 365 services use this endpoint for user login: https://login.microsoftonline.com

* Email: onmicrosoft.com

Can anyone explain the business, user, and technical implications involved in choosing a new domain (microsoftonline.com) over a subdomain of the business's core domain (online.microsoft.com)?

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