Discover the Power of Microsoft 365 Backup

In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received a record 880,418 cybercrime complaints, marking a nearly 10% increase from 2022, with reported losses exceeding $12.5 billion—a 22% rise from the previous year (IC3 Annual Report).

The most frequently reported crime was phishing schemes, accounting for approximately 34% of all complaints (FBI Cyber Crime Report). These statistics highlight the growing threat of cybercriminals intent on compromising critical business systems, with U.S. networks frequently targeted by both opportunistic and deliberate malicious activities.

To combat data theft and business disruptions, organizations must prioritize protecting and backing up their critical data. With much of this data stored in the Microsoft 365 cloud, Microsoft introduced Microsoft 365 Backup—a robust solution designed to offer businesses immutable backup protection against data destruction attacks, self-service backup and restore capabilities, and compliance with Microsoft’s stringent security and trust standards.

Microsoft 365 Backup provides in-place solutions with lightning-fast restorability directly from Microsoft, ensuring seamless business continuity. It allows users to back up and restore data from services like OneDrive, SharePoint, Exchange, and Teams. Historically, organizations relied on third-party tools for this purpose, but Microsoft’s native solution now offers a streamlined alternative, addressing a critical need for many of our clients at Professional Advantage.

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How do you estimate your costs on Microsoft 365 Backup? Microsoft recommends using their calculator available on this webpage. This tool allows you to calculate costs by analyzing the tenant’s storage usage, including OneDrive, SharePoint, and mailboxes.

Where is the storage located? The storage is configured through a Synapse relationship, where all data is automatically stored in Azure. By assigning an Azure subscription, the storage setup happens seamlessly in the backend. You specify the mailboxes and OneDrive accounts to back up, and the process is entirely native. Direct control over Azure storage is not required.

Can you choose the region where your data is stored? No. The region is determined at the subscription level. Once a subscription is provided and backups are enabled, the process is automated without the ability to manually select the storage location.

Are there any downsides to Microsoft 365 Backup? The main limitation currently is retention—data is retained for a maximum of one year. You cannot extend this retention period or customize snapshot timing. Snapshots occur every 15 minutes, with mailboxes and SharePoint data stored for up to one year. For longer retention needs, Microsoft recommends leveraging eDiscovery and retention hold capabilities.

Additionally, new users and SharePoint sites must be manually added after initial setup. While group membership can capture users at the start, any subsequent additions require manual intervention.

Back up your data in Microsoft 365 now!

Don’t leave the safety of your critical data in Microsoft 365 to chance; get Microsoft 365 Backup now. It is available for purchase from Tier 1 CSPs, such as Professional Advantage, starting at USD 0.15 per GB per month. Please contact us to request your personalised quote or book your demo to see how it works.

Got more questions for us? Get in touch.