With Microsoft Office 365, critical applications and data exists on the cloud. This may lead people to think that information is protected on the cloud. However, the details of Office 365’s data protection and backup strategy are not so clear. Basic tools exist within the system. For most companies, however, it will not be enough for a solid recovery plan.
Microsoft specifically provides protection against loss of service due to its own hardware failure. They also offer some standard short-term protections against basic user or administrator error. These are simple features like the recycle bin, or a soft delete.
It is up to your organization to decide how to protect against broader data loss as it relates to your business continuity.
Why back up Office 365?
Microsoft itself suggests backing up content and data within its service agreement. All of its backup protection is inside Office 365, which does not help if the system goes down. It is also wise to back up critical data using a separate storage location or medium. And data from Office programs may be spread across the cloud, necessitating a backup system that can find it all.
For companies with strict compliance and data archive requirements, the built-in functionality may not be enough. Regulations usually require organizations to keep data and information for many years, but Office 365 has a limited time backup.
Enabling some of the additional Office 365 features, such as expanded versioning, can help with some of the backup concerns. However, this can lead to a much higher monthly bill than expected. The versions and data protection go against your Office 365 data storage quota. If you go over, you will pay more per month.
You also need to note that if users restore data using Office 365’s built-in features, the restored data will overwrite the existing data, without a rollback option. Should someone accidentally delete a file without realizing it or a malware infection removes files, you need to restore without worrying about time limits. And if a ransomware attacker strikes your company, you need to know you can get at that data without paying the price.
These are just a few examples why a robust backup strategy is critical. There are many benefits to using Office 365. With a good backup plan, your company can use O365 with peace of mind.
How to back up your data?
If you have internal IT staff one way to back up Office 365 is to find a third party application what will interface with the cloud architecture of Microsoft. Although the easiest, cost-effective way to back up Office 365, for most businesses, is to ask your Managed IT Service Provider to assist you.
Our backup and disaster recovery solutions include protecting your on-premise systems and data as well as your cloud hosted data to ensure that you can access and restore your critical, sensitive data whenever you need it. With continuous save points, you can restore your systems from any time point, ensuring continuity.
Businesses cannot ignore the catastrophic cost of losing files and dealing with downtime after a disaster. These costs make a strong backup a valuable prospect.
The ideal Office 365 backup tool is centralized, capturing all the data created by your users. It should allow for a high degree of control so that your IT staff or Managed IT Service Provider can determine what needs to be backed up, when, and how long those backups should exist.
Tor Technologies is a certified Microsoft Partner, which means we have the experience and knowledge to support all of Microsoft’s solutions. We know how to make Office 365 work best for your needs, optimizing all aspects including backups. Get in touch with us to determine the best backup strategy for your organization. Our talented and dedicated team is looking forward to your call. Send us a message to get started working with our team today.