Do I Need to Backup My Microsoft 365 Data?

Backup testing

Many business tools are moving to the cloud and one popular option is Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office 365). The M365 platform consolidates Excel, Word and PowerPoint with collaboration and communication tools such as email and file sharing.

This combination of corporate grade services helps business streamline and simplify operations while reducing costs. But what about backing up your data?

With the transition to Microsoft 365, the landscape has changed. Microsoft makes sure  users can continue to access their data in the event of a disaster, but this does not mean they are responsible for backing up your data – that is your responsibility.

As do many cloud-based vendors, the company says you own and control your data., while they ensure service availability. Yes, Microsoft and other companies may provide a limited form of backup but you should also perform your own backups in case the you know what hits the fan.

What does Microsoft 365 Backup?

Reducing downtime is a big reason to backup data. It also helps establish credibility with customers, investors and employees. Backups may also be a requirement for compliance with legal guidelines and industry standards.

Yes, you may be able to restore some data within Microsoft 365, but only in the short term. For instance, you can recover a file fromt he recycling bin and when something is deleted from that folder, an administrator can often recover it from a system-wide recycling bin.

In regards to email, you can recover individual emails up to 14 days old (this can be increased to 30 days) or 30 days for a full mailbox backup. Just be aware that a full mailbox restore will overwrite anything in the mailbox and restore the information back to a specific date (deleting all newer emails). Individual message recovery is also unsuitable when a folder restore is needed.

The thing is, Microsoft 365 doesn’t hold data for that long. It can range from two weeks to a month, depending on your configuration. You are also not in control of when data is permantly purged with no recovery possible.

Microsoft’s datacenter redundancy and data replication efforts support service uptime. It won’t matter if your data is breached, encrypted or corrupted. This is why you need your own data backup.

We recommend that you have backups of your data in three places:

  1. Onsite: on a local, protected computer or device.
  2. Offsite: on a remote device in a different location or building to your first backup.
  3. Cloud: in the cloud with a reputable third-party backup provider.

Test Your Backup

Having a backup of your Microsoft 365 data offers the reassurance that your business can bounce back. But do not get complacent just yet. Along with having a process in place to back up your data, you also need a plan on testing those backups.

Testing helps you learn how effectively you can recover following data loss. Testing your backups also saves you from finding out in a crisis that something has been wrong all along.

Protect your business from data loss and lengthy downtime with your own data backup. We can offer you backup services and help get your company up and running again if the worst does indeed happen. If you are located in Sydney or Adelaide, contact us for help today!