Microsoft (News - Alert) 365 has become the backbone of critical operations for businesses of all sizes in various industries. According to estimates, approximately 345 million people (paid) currently subscribe to Microsoft 365.1 It offers a suite of powerful cloud-based tools, including Outlook, OneDrive, Exchange Online, SharePoint and Teams, facilitating seamless collaboration and productivity.
Cybersecurity Ventures forecasts that, by 2025, the total volume of data stored in the cloud will hit 100 zettabytes, which will represent half of the world's data at that point.2 With the increasing reliance on cloud-based services, such as Microsoft 365, the question of data protection becomes vital. While Microsoft provides some level of data protection, relying solely on the cloud provider’s native features isn’t enough to ensure comprehensive protection. Therefore, organizations must implement a dedicated backup solution to safeguard their critical data.
In this article, we examine why backing up M365 data is essential for a business’s survival and how to choose the right backup solution.
Understanding Microsoft 365 backup
What exactly is Microsoft 365 backup? Simply put, M365 backup refers to the process of creating a copy of your data stored in the Microsoft 365 environment and storing it in a secure location, separate from the primary data source. Unlike traditional on-premises backup solutions, M365 backup solutions, such as Spanning Backup, are designed to work with the unique architecture of cloud services, ensuring data is protected even when it is stored in the cloud.
Microsoft offers several built-in data protection features, such as retention policies, version history and compliance tools like the Microsoft 365 Security and Compliance Center. These features provide a basic level of protection, but they are not a substitute for a full-fledged backup solution. For instance, Microsoft’s retention policies are time-limited and may not cover all data loss scenarios, such as accidental deletions or cyber attacks. This is where third-party M365 backup solutions come into play. These solutions offer comprehensive protection by providing granular recovery options, extended retention periods and enhanced security against sophisticated threats.
Risks of not having Microsoft 365 backup
The absence of a dedicated M365 backup solution exposes organizations to several risks, including:
Accidental deletion
One of the most common risks is data loss due to accidental deletion. Employees might inadvertently delete important files or emails, resulting in the loss of critical business information, customer records or proprietary data.
Deleted items, including OneDrive files in SharePoint, are moved to the recycle bin, where they can be restored within 93 days. OneDrive files that are deleted, corrupted or infected with malware can be restored to a previous point in time. However, once items are permanently deleted from the OneDrive Recycle Bin, they cannot be recovered.
In Exchange Online, deleted emails first move to the Deleted Items folder (retained for 14 days) and then to the Recoverable Items folder if deleted again. Admins can recover these within 30 days through the Exchange Admin Center.
IBM (News - Alert) reports that, in 2023, organizations took an average of 207 days to identify data breaches, well beyond the 30-day retention period.3
Without proper backup and recovery mechanisms, data deletions, cyber threats and data breaches can lead to significant operational disruptions, financial losses and tarnished brand image.
Malicious insiders
Malicious insiders, such as disgruntled employees, pose a significant threat as they may intentionally delete or corrupt data. Since they have legitimate access to sensitive information and systems, it’s easier for them to exploit vulnerabilities from within. They may misuse their privileged access to bypass traditional security measures for personal gain, sabotage (such as wiping out second-stage Recycle Bins) or to leak confidential data. Detecting and mitigating insider threats is particularly challenging due to their knowledge of internal processes, making them one of the most dangerous security risks organizations face.
Cyber attacks
Cyber attacks, particularly ransomware, are another growing concern. Attackers increasingly target Microsoft 365 environments due to their widespread adoption, encrypting data and demanding ransom for its release. Without a backup, organizations might find themselves at the mercy of cybercriminals, with no guarantee of data recovery even after paying the ransom.
Compliance and legal risks
Another critical issue is compliance with data retention regulations, such as GDPR and HIPAA. Failure to adhere to these regulations can lead to serious legal and financial repercussions. A robust M365 backup solution ensures that data is retained according to regulatory requirements, thereby mitigating compliance risks.
Downtime and business continuity
Data loss can lead to significant downtime, halting business operations and damaging the organization’s reputation. Downtime can also occur due to glitches on the cloud provider’s end. While Microsoft’s data centers are protected by state-of-the-art security infrastructure and processes, they aren’t immune to downtime. In July 2024, a Microsoft 365 outage occurred due to a configuration change in Azure, impacting users in the Central US region.4
The disruption blocked access to several Microsoft 365 apps and services, including Microsoft Defender, Teams, PowerBI, OneNote, OneDrive for Business, SharePoint Online, Windows 365, Microsoft Purview and the Microsoft 365 admin center, to name a few. Microsoft had experienced similar incidents in January 2023 and July 2022.
The longer it takes to recover from downtime scenarios like these incidents, the greater the impact on productivity and customer trust.
Misconceptions about cloud data protection
A common misconception is that cloud-based data is inherently secure and does not require a backup. However, this is a dangerous assumption. In fact, in a recent survey, a staggering 95% of organizations said their organizations experienced cloud-related breaches in the past 18 months.5 While cloud providers like Microsoft do offer some level of data protection, they do not guarantee full recovery in all scenarios. High-profile data loss incidents in cloud environments, such as the BBC and Snowflake data breach events, highlight the importance of a dedicated backup strategy.6, 7
Choosing the right Microsoft 365 backup solution
When selecting a Microsoft 365 backup solution, there are several key features to consider. Look for a solution that offers:
Comprehensive coverage
Ensure the solution covers all critical Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams. The solution should be able to back up emails, files and chats.
Advanced recovery capabilities
Look for a solution that enables seamless search and restore functionalities, such as granular search-based restore and point-in-time restore. Granular recovery options are essential, allowing you to restore specific items, such as emails or files, rather than being forced to restore entire mailboxes or drives. Point-in-time restore allows you to restore data to a specific moment in time, which is particularly useful if data corruption, accidental deletion or malicious activity occurs.
Flexible retention policies
Flexible retention policies are essential because they allow you to customize data retention to meet your business needs and compliance requirements, such as long-term retention.
Automated backups
Automated backups are a game changer, guaranteeing your data is consistently backed up without the hassle of manual effort. Also, evaluate the backup frequency options — whether they are continuous, daily or customizable based on your organization's needs.
Robust security
The backup solution should offer robust security features, including encryption of data in transit and at rest, intrusion detection, role-based access controls and compromised credential monitoring, to ensure the security and availability of your Microsoft 365 data.
Integration and scalability
Ensure the solution integrates seamlessly with your existing IT infrastructure and other tools you use for data protection, such as anti-phishing software. Scalability is another vital consideration. As your organization grows, your backup solution should be able to scale with you.
Vendor reputation and expertise
When evaluating backup vendors, it’s important to consider their reputation and expertise in cloud backup solutions. Look for vendors with a proven track record and strong customer support, as well as clear service-level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee uptime and recovery times.
Strengthen Microsoft 365 data protection with Spanning Backup
While Microsoft 365 offers a powerful suite of productivity tools for organizations, it’s still vulnerable to data loss and corruption. Without a dedicated Microsoft 365 backup solution, your organization is susceptible to data loss, compliance breaches and significant downtime. It’s important to remember that M365 backup is not an option but a critical component of your overall data protection strategy.
Third-party backup solutions, such as Spanning Backup, play a crucial role in enhancing data security by addressing the limitations of Microsoft's native backup and recovery features. While Microsoft provides basic data protection, it often lacks comprehensive backup and recovery capabilities to meet specific compliance requirements, recovery time objectives and long-term retention policies. Third-party backup solutions can store backups in multiple locations, including off-site or different cloud environments, further safeguarding data from localized incidents. By integrating these solutions, your organization can ensure a more robust, flexible and reliable data protection strategy that complements and extends Microsoft's native capabilities, ultimately tightening overall data security.
Spanning Backup for Microsoft 365 provides enterprise-grade, automated protection of your Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business and Microsoft Teams data. Experience an industry-leading solution offering more granular control, automated daily backups and the ability to recover data from various points in time, minimizing the risk of data loss and downtime due to accidental deletions, ransomware attacks or system failures. Additionally, you can preserve historical accounts and data without keeping the user’s Microsoft 365 license active (saving costs!) with the archive licensing feature. Spanning gives you peace of mind with flexible data protection, offering retention policies from one year to infinite.
Get your demo today and see why over 2.4 million users rely on Spanning to protect their critical Microsoft 365 data.
About the author: Jenn Sipala is a growth marketer with 20 years of experience in B2B. Her 15-year journey at Unitrends spanned a variety of hats and formed a deep connection into the data protection space. After Kaseya’s (News - Alert) acquisition of Unitrends, Jenn now serves as the VP of Product Marketing across Kaseya’s unified backup suite – including Spanning, Unitrends, Datto and Backupify (News - Alert). Jenn supports a team of rockstars based in Boston, Vancouver, Columbia and London, and is responsible for the strategy, development, and execution of backup initiatives.
Sources:
- https://usesignhouse.com/blog/microsoft-365-suite-stats/
- https://cybersecurityventures.com/the-world-will-store-200-zettabytes-of-data-by-2025/
- https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
- https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/major-microsoft-365-outage-caused-by-azure-configuration-change/
- https://www.tenable.com/cyber-exposure/2024-cloud-security-outlook
- https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/may/29/data-breach-exposes-details-of-25000-current-and-former-bbc-employees
- https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/12/snowflake-shares-slip-after-att-says-hackers-accessed-data.html
Edited by Erik Linask
