Does Microsoft back up your Office 365 data? There is a common misconception among the business world that Microsoft backs up all Office 365 data. So to answer your question: Microsoft doesn’t back up your Office 365 data. Despite the availability of numerous subscriptions and plans, the responsibility of data backup falls on your shoulders.
Data loss and ransomware are some of the real and possible threats to businesses looking to move to the cloud. The risk becomes considerably higher if you don’t have any credible data backup systems. With the apps available in Office 365, currently known as Microsoft 365, data backup has never been more crucial to any business. So if you want to know more, dig right in.
Secure is not Always Safe
On the brighter side, Microsoft has put in place strong mechanisms to ensure your data’s security. Microsoft data centers are geographically scattered, each having state-of-the-art protection. These centers are built to withstand disasters, threats from the environment, and unauthenticated access.
So, how secure are these centers?
- Restricted access limited by job function
- Motion sensors and breach alarms
- CCTV surveillance
- Multi-authentication systems such as biometric scanners and the use of badges
- Automatic fire extinguishing and prevention measures
- Racks to protect against natural disasters
- Data encryption and location secrecy
According to Microsoft’s Data Residency, your data will be replicated and stored in multiple data centers. This way, at any given time, your data is not only secure but also available.
Bringing a partner who is equally experienced in data security and cybersecurity is a plus for your business. Steadfast Solutions has a wide range of security features to monitor all your cloud activity and raise alarms if something doesn’t add up.
Microsoft Data Backup
Yea, you read that right! Microsoft does back up your data, just not for long periods as would third-party apps and systems.
According to Microsoft Security Compliance, SharePoint online data is backed up every 12 hours and retained for 14 days. Additionally, if you delete any data in SharePoint, it stays in the recycle bin for 93 days and is recoverable during this period.
Data loss and ransomware are some of the real and possible threats to businesses looking to move to the cloud.
Data loss should be a major concern to you and your business. If you lose your Office 365 data, there’s no guarantee that the long and complicated data recovery and restoration process will be successful.
Recovery and Restoration
Each of the apps has varied recovery and restoration policies and capabilities. Once the data is lost, maybe through deletion, it will stay in the recycle bin for 93 days. After this, it can no longer be recovered.
The good news is, apps such as OneDrive have rollback features. This means, if your data becomes corrupt, you can roll back the data to a certain point in time within 30 days. Unfortunately, any changes you may have made to the data post that point in time will not be visible.
Microsoft provides limited backup, recovery, and restoration of Office 365 data. However, this can only go so far. Therefore, you should invest in data backup systems that will provide better data handling than Microsoft 365. Also, it’s important to note that Office 365 data backup and security is a shared responsibility between Microsoft and you, as illustrated in the Office 365 Shared Responsibility Model.
As a leading expert in data backup, Steadfast Solutions will guarantee your Microsoft 365 data is backed up for an unlimited amount of time. Partnering with us will allow you to access all your data at any time and have safe rollbacks and recovery in case you lose any data. This way, you can focus your energy on the important matters of business growth.
What About the Cost?
Understandably, you have to be accountable for every cent your business makes.
Microsoft 365 business costs anywhere from $5 per user per month to $20 per user per month. These figures sound flexible and pocket-friendly. But what about the small and medium businesses that cannot afford such costs, yet need such apps?
Even though these apps are tailor-made for every business environment, the costs can be overwhelming to certain enterprises. Unfortunately, you can’t haggle with Microsoft when it comes to purchasing such services.
That’s is where partnering with Steadfast Solutions comes in. Regardless of the size of your business or workforce, you can easily afford the tailor-made apps that your business needs to operate optimally. And the cherry on top – you won’t have to invest in any additional hardware! After making the necessary purchases, you can reinvest the extra cash into business growth.
Compliance and Liability
While Microsoft has a compliance and security center, there are a lot of security features unavailable for Office 365 – both business and stand-alone platforms. Steadfast Solutions can help bridge this gap and ensure your business has everything it needs. Lacking a certain security feature shouldn’t be a hindrance to growth or profitability, but should be an opportunity to bring an expert on board.
On the other hand, when data is deleted, Microsoft has no way of knowing the circumstances surrounding the deletion. It could be a disgruntled employee, ransomware, or accidental delete. Unfortunately, when such an event happens, Microsoft is not liable for the lost Office 365 data.
The solution to this? An IT expert who will provide compliance, security, and is liable for your data is the right move to make. All you have to do is provide the necessary permissions for cloud access and let us do the rest.
Your Backup Plan is Crucial
Having said all that, it is safe to say, as a business owner, it’s crucial to have your full backup plan. Data retention for such limited times as those offered by Microsoft 365 might end up costing you more.
Additionally, having all those cloud services in one system translates to having all your eggs in a single basket that can break or experience power shortages at any time.
Therefore, to ensure continuity of business, full data backup, and restoration, having a partner like Steadfast Solutions is a wise business move.
In Conclusion
Microsoft 365 is crucial to any growth-oriented business, and so is a data backup system. At Steadfast Solutions, we strongly believe moving your services to the cloud is the way to go to meet the current competitive business world. You don’t have to do it alone. Go ahead and contact us at your convenient time. We will help you in every way and ensure your business is on the right track towards growth. For more information, feel free to contact us today, and we’ll be more than willing to assist.
