Microsoft 365 can solve numerous problems. Comprehensive data backup is not one of them. They place responsibility on you, the business, to back up your data. And so they should. Their priority is managing and maintaining the Microsoft 365 infrastructure. They do this by offering “geo-redundancy.” This only provides protection against a site or hardware failure. To help shift your mindset here’s an overview of why backing up your 365 data elsewhere is a non-negotiable.
Gaps in retention
Whilst Microsoft does back up a portion of your data, it’s only for a very short time frame and it’s very far from an all-encompassing solution. Microsoft itself recommends that you deploy a third party backup solution as they recognise that their backup and retention policies aren’t designed to handle say, malware corrupting your entire system. To make your backups bulletproof, you should invest in a separate “point-in-time” backup and restoration solution. As the name suggests, this will allow you to return to a point-in-time prior to any issues and store all your data with zero gaps.
Accidentally deleting data
Accidental deletion isn’t reserved for the absent-minded. Imagine a senior manager creates a strategy document and leaves the company soon after. That person’s 365 account is deleted to prevent them from accessing company data. Because an active 365 license is needed to access any data created by a user, this account deletion will be replicated across the network. So if this document hasn’t been backed up to a separate location, it’s lost permanently.
Ransomware hackers always pose a threat
Such an attack has the potential to force some serious data losses. Cybercriminals will carry out attacks to block access to your data, holding it “hostage” until they are paid a ransom. If left unpaid, the ransomware will often attempt to spread throughout the rest of your network. It will hold more data hostage and even delete it permanently if demands are ignored. The only reliable solution to this is having a complete, separate archive of all the data your business would miss if deleted.
Legal and compliance requirements
Regulations such as GDPR often require firms to hold compete records by law for many years. This encompasses everything from email attachments, to Microsoft Office docs. Highly regulated industries like law, finance and healthcare will have particularly large requirements. Such regulations will often demand firms maintain access to a broader variety of files, right from the firm’s inception. This is something Microsoft 365 won’t be able to keep up with.
Regardless of your industry, you can’t afford to be without your data. It’s simply part of maintaining business continuity. Data backup and archiving is essentially an insurance policy against the worst. And if you’re relying entirely on Microsoft to provide this, then you’re far from covered.
Ask us for more details on backup options for your Microsoft 365.
Why Microsoft 365 Backup is Essential