Your data within Office 365 is NOT automatically backed up.
Let me explain:
Microsoft does perform backups of Office 365 However, they are not responsible for the protection and retention of user’s data. The protection that Microsoft provides is part of a shared-responsibility model. Their responsibility is to provide:
- physical security in their data centers
- data storage replication and redundancy
- guarantees of uptime and privacy controls
- protection from natural disasters that affect their data centers, hardware or software failures on their part, power outages, operating system errors, etc.
It is YOUR responsibility, however, to:
- protect your data from human error (due to malicious activity or innocuous accidents),
- protect your data from misconfigured workflows,
- protect your data from hackers,
- protect your data from viruses.
So, if a user mistakenly deletes a critical file, then what?
It’s not Microsoft’s responsibility. Any help you get from Microsoft in times of crisis is minimal at best, and subject to long waiting times, working through support tickets. Typically, there’s a retention period of up to 30-days built into Office 365. But after that, once data is gone, it’s GONE. There are no recycle boxes to restore from.
Backing up your users and data is truly your responsibility and if you are not proactive about that, you could come unstuck should the worst happen. Think about the Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and other Office 365 files that your business uses on a daily basis… How would you manage if they were suddenly gone?
What do Microsoft advice about Office 365 backup?
Microsoft themselves state (in their service agreement for Office 365):
If you’re reading this and realise that you had been relying on Microsoft to backup your crucial Office 365 business data, then you need to seriously consider putting a 3rd-party backup in place to protect it. Don’t leave it to chance.
Choosing a 3rd-party backup solution for your Office 365 data
datamills can advise on all your backup needs, and help you to find the right solution for your business. Have a look at our on-site backup and off-site backup solutions, and give us a call on 0114 287 0510 to discuss your particular situation.