Microsoft 365 is a powerful suite of cloud-based productivity tools that has become useful to businesses of all sizes. However, it’s important to remember that Microsoft 365 data is not immune to loss or corruption.
Although Microsoft 365 has a built-in retention feature, it’s important to have a backup solution that is off-site, immutable, and granular – that’s where third-party cloud backup solutions come in.
Off-site: A data storage location that is separate from where the original data is stored. Cloud storage is an example of off-site storage.
Immutable: An immutable backup is a copy of your data that is fixed – meaning that it can’t be altered or deleted.
Granular: A granular backup is one that allows you to restore parts of the data instead of having to restore all of it.
Apart from having an off-site, immutable, and granular backup solution, here are 5 more reasons why Microsoft 365 backup is critical:
1. Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts your data and demands a ransom payment in order to decrypt it. If your data is encrypted by ransomware, Microsoft 365’s backup will not be able to help you restore it.
2. Human Error
Employees can accidentally delete or modify data, even if they have the best intentions. A third-party cloud backup solution can help you protect against human error by providing a way to restore deleted or modified data.
3. Natural Disasters
If your data centre is destroyed by a natural disaster, such as a flood or fire, your data could be lost. A third-party cloud backup solution can help you protect against natural disasters by storing your data in a different location.
4. Legal and Compliance Requirements
Many businesses are subject to legal and regulatory requirements that mandate the retention of certain data. Although Microsoft 365 has built-in eDiscovery capabilities, a third-party backup solution is designed to ensure that you’re in compliance with these requirements.
5. Retention Policies
Microsoft 365 retention policies can be complex and hard to keep up with, and at the end of the day, they’re not designed to be backups, but rather to help organisations meet compliance requirements. If you’re not careful, you could end up deleting important data that you’re legally required to keep. Cloud backup solutions can offer longer retention periods that are easier to understand and manage.
By having a third-party cloud backup solution in place, you can help ensure that your data is protected from a variety of threats. This will give you peace of mind knowing that your data is safe, even if something happens to your Microsoft 365 environment.
