Introduction
Microsoft 365 is one of the biggest productivity tools on the planet, with over 345 million users and includes the online and offline versions of what used to be known as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook). These days, it also includes much more than just the office applications and has grown to include a huge suite of services like document storage (OneDrive and SharePoint) email (Outlook and Exchange online), device management (Intune) security and more. In short, for many businesses, Microsoft 365 serves as the backbone of their operations.
The case for having a Microsoft 365 backup
There shouldn’t need to be any argument for the benefits of having a backup – the advantages are obvious. Data loss is an inevitable reality for many businesses, with 39% of UK businesses suffering a cyber attack in 2022. And that’s not even considering any data that was lost through being simply accidently deleted, lost or due to hardware failure. As M365 is so important to many businesses, it makes sense to make sure a suitable backup solution is in place.
Do I need a backup of Microsoft 365 as it’s already in the cloud?
A common misconception is that using cloud-based services such as Microsoft 365 means that there’s no need for a backup as the data is saved in the cloud. This is partly correct as the infrastructure Microsoft provide you is very safe – they have spent billions of pounds making sure that their systems are fast, reliable and stay online 24/7. So, what’s the problem? The problem is that they are not responsible for any of the human element we mentioned earlier. No matter how good the infrastructure you use is, if your staff accidently delete a file, click on a phishing email or lose an important document, it’s still gone for good.
Am I responsible for backing up my data in Microsoft 365?
Yes, you are responsible for making sure your data is backed up in Microsoft 365.
Here is a diagram from Microsoft which shows where the responsibility lies with their platform, As you can see, information and data is 100% the customer’s responsibility.
*Diagram courtesy of Microsoft.com – Shared responsibility in the cloud – Microsoft Azure | Microsoft Learn
Interestingly, you can see from the diagram that accounts and identities are also the customer’s responsibility – this means you user accounts and mailboxes are your responsibility too.
A simple way of thinking about this is that Microsoft take responsibility for most of the parts of the platform but the information that sits on top of that platform is your responsibility alone.
Do Microsoft back up my data in Microsoft 365?
Microsoft offer some very basic backup features in Microsoft 365 through features such as the recycle bin in SharePoint online but we would not recommend relying on these alone.
Microsoft 365 backup solutions
The good thing is, there are a number of dedicated tools available to keep your Microsoft 365 safe. There are two main products we recommend to our clients.
Barracuda Cloud-to-Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365
First up is Cloud-to-Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365 from Barracuda.
Barracuda Cloud-to-Cloud Backup is a versatile and user-friendly solution designed to protect your Microsoft 365 data, which includes Teams, Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and OneNote. It simplifies the backup and recovery process, allowing for restoration of individual files and folders, eliminating the complexities and costs often associated with SharePoint file recovery. It has a great set of features including: point-in-time retrieval, scheduled and on-demand backups, data deduplication, and compression. This makes the most of your storage space while ensuring you still have a comprehensive backup available.
Another nice feature is how Barracuda Cloud-to-Cloud Backup helps guard your data against ransomware attacks. It provides an extra layer of security with features like immutable storage, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), role-based access control, and end-to-end encryption.
Barracuda Cloud-to-Cloud Backup is a fully cloud-based solution, which means it can be managed simply and from anywhere. Your Microsoft 365 data is already in the cloud, and retaining encrypted backup files in the same network offers enhanced performance and greater scalability.
The solution is designed to be easy to use, with the ability to sign up and initiate your first backup within minutes.
Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365
Our second recommendation is Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365.
Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365 is a market-leading solution, ensuring the protection of your critical Microsoft 365 data, covering Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Teams. With over 16 million users protected, it’s widely considered to be the leader in Microsoft 365 backup.
Veeam offers flexible deployment options, including on-premises and cloud storage, and supports managing it as a service. This solution prioritises data security, protects against accidental deletions and security threats, and provides rapid recovery of data.
Another standout feature is that Veeam offers recovery points as often as every five minutes. This ensures you always have access to an up-to-date backup.
The final thing to mention is the scalability and advanced security features offered by Veeam such as immutability, multi-factor authentication, and encryption. These make it a viable option all the way up to enterprise-sized businesses.
In short, Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365 is one of the most comprehensive and secure Microsoft 365 backup solutions available today.
Next steps
By now, you should have a good idea of why a backup is a vital consideration for Microsoft 365 and have some excellent options for putting a solution in place.
If you would like to find out if you have a suitable backup for Microsoft 365, we are offering a free audit to make sure you are protected. Don’t miss out securing your vital business systems, contact us to get yours booked in today.