Let’s discuss the importance of 365 backups…Business is changing, and organizations across the globe are spreading out with more and more employees transitioning into remote, work from home positions, this means that Office 365 adoption is skyrocketing. And while Microsoft delivers high availability of files, content, and communications, including email services within their applications – they are not accountable for protecting your data. You are.
Even though Microsoft hosts the infrastructure, this doesn’t replace your responsibility to backup business-critical Office 365 data. Of over 1,000 IT Pros surveyed, 80% experienced data loss in the cloud. The Office 365 Shared Responsibility Model states:
With Microsoft 365, it’s your data — you control it — and it is your responsibility to protect it.
So, what’s your plan for long-term retention?
You need a dedicated, comprehensive and flexible Office 365 data management solution, that only a trusted vendor can provide.
We offer 365 Backups that eliminate the risk of losing access and control over your Office 365 data, including Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business and Microsoft Teams — so that your data is always protected and accessible.
In this blog you’ll learn the most common causes of data loss in Office 365, why relying on the Recycle Bin or One Drive isn’t enough, and what you can do to protect your organization’s essential Office 365 data.
First, and most obvious, is accidental deletion. Mistakes happen, users can easily delete data and conversations in SharePoint, Groups or Teams, or overwrite versions of existing data. An employee can mistakenly delete a file or folder, if they get a notification for running out of space, they might clear the OneDrive files by removing documents that are old or seem less important to create space. They also might delete old emails that might contain important attachments of data.
Data Deletion isn’t permanent IF it is noticed right away because you can effortlessly restore from the Recycle Bin… deleted files are only held in the Recycle Bin temporarily.
This kind of data could get lost forever unless they backup Microsoft 365 data.
Disgruntled employees may sabotage or delete critical files, we hope this issue doesn’t occur, but it can happen and it’s better to be safe. Sometimes, by the time the damage is discovered, it might be too late to revert or recover it. A Microsoft 365 backup solution, on the other hand, would have multiple iterations of the same file, meaning it would be much easier for you to restore.
An outsider might gain access to Office 365 files and folders via a stolen laptop with a weak password. Worst case situation: an Office 365 global administrator wipes user accounts on his way out the door and locks other admins out…thankfully these are very rare occurrences, but they can still happen.
Another common misconception about Office 365 data is that it is safe from ransomware and other types of malware. This definitely is not the case.
Do you know how ransomware attackers gain access to your data? They use a cloned email with a virus attachment and send it to the members of your organization, impersonating an employee or a business contact. Even if almost all of them recognise it as spam, it just takes one click from an unsuspecting employee and that is all that’s needed to infect the entire organization!
According to Bleeping Computer, a phishing attack had happened through emails that had claimed to be “undelivered.” Once the recipients clicked on the “Send Again” button, they were redirected to a phished web page that resembled the Microsoft login page. When the users tried to log in, they mistakenly gave away their passwords, leading to account compromise.
OneDrive Sync Client enables you to sync files between your computer and the cloud, so you can get to your files from anywhere – your computer, your mobile device, and even through the OneDrive website at OneDrive.com.
Although you can use this feature to access your Microsoft 365 files and data from anywhere, store and sync them, there are susceptibilities associated with its usage.
If your desktop gets affected with malware or virus and if it were configured to sync immediately to the OneDrive Sync Client – this could immediately infect your OneDrive files on the cloud, spreading quickly and corrupting your data.
Unless you are prepared with a Microsoft 365 backup solution, you cannot always expect your data to be available all the time just because it is in the cloud.
SaaS shutdowns and outages happen more often than you would think.
As a business, you want to know that your data will be there when you need it, and particularly when you need it to show proof of compliance or for other legal inquiries. Without a backup, and if a breach occurs, you’ll be left without the resources that you need to deal with legal matters quickly. This can have a disastrous effect on your business as costs soar and legal action prevails. Taking the initiative to have a Microsoft 365 backup system in place ensures that you won’t have files missing when you need to pull information quickly.
Backup is the best way to protect against unintentional or malicious file deletion, other user mistakes, ransomware and data corruption. Microsoft’s tools offer some protection, but third-party backup solutions ensure that you can restore quickly and meet data retention and sovereignty requirements for all Office 365 data.
