For most businesses, Microsoft 365 has become synonymous with productivity and security. But few businesses truly stop to consider how much critical data is stored on this platform each day. If anything goes wrong, all of that information can be lost. And when Microsoft 365 controls almost every step of your workflow, the damage can be more far-reaching than you might expect.
To head off potential problems, you’ll need to backup Microsoft 365 data. But why? And how can you accomplish this effectively?
Not using 365? Discover expert Google Workspace backup solutions
The Problem With Cloud Services
Software-as-a-Service platforms (such as Microsoft 365) are incredibly useful, but often poorly understood. One particularly dangerous misconception is the idea that they don’t need to be backed up. Many businesses assume that the provider will handle this on their own, or that data cannot be wiped from the cloud.
This is far from the truth. In reality, cloud services operate on a shared responsibility model. When using 365, for example, Microsoft accepts responsibility for maintaining their own servers but does not guarantee that data will never be lost. They cannot control all factors, and they know this. A cyber-attack or simple mistake by one of your own employees could erase important files, and there is nothing Microsoft can do to prevent this.
There is also still some amount of risk on their end. Despite their best efforts, unexpected glitches do occasionally occur. By the time they even notice the problem, your data could be gone. While Microsoft 365 does offer solutions such as the recycling bin or retention policies, these are designed to be a limited, short-term safety net rather than a long-term backup. Proper cloud backups are crucial to ensure the long-term success of your business.
What Data Loss Could Cost You
On October 9th this year, Microsoft experienced a global outage that impacted thousands of users. Mission-critical applications such as Teams, SharePoint, and Azure were affected, causing frequent disruptions for businesses over the next few days.
For those suddenly locked out of crucial work platforms, this meant:
- Data loss
- Downtime
- Poor customer experiences
- Reputational damage
- Reduced profitability
If it happened to them, it could happen to you just as easily. Next time, it might be your data storage that is suddenly and inexplicably offline. In this worst-case scenario, a backup makes all the difference. It is the reason you can keep operating while other businesses are forced to close down for the day.
So how can you choose one?
Finding The Best Microsoft 365 Backup Solutions
The best Microsoft 365 backup solutions do more than just store information – and the worst could cause more harm than good. Here are some important traits to look for when shopping around:
- Separation: The biggest mistake businesses make is “Backing up” their data to the same platform they use for everything else. OneDrive is not a backup solution for Microsoft 365. It is part of the platform, and will fail just as quickly as the rest. Your backups must be under a different provider.
- Granular Restoration: Not all emergencies take place on a large scale. Sometimes it’s just one essential file that got deleted by mistake. The ability to restore single pieces of data at a time is critical.
- Security: Many highly-regulated businesses use 365 specifically because of its strong security features. Using unsecured backups defeats the purpose by leaving all of your data vulnerable. Ensure that any backup solution you use is capable of meeting your current 365 security configurations, if not surpassing them.
- Immutable Storage: You should have the ability to create immutable backups (copies which cannot be changed after being written), to reduce the risk of accidental or malicious tampering.
- Self-Service: You shouldn’t need to rely on an IT person to restore backups. The process should be simple enough that you can do it yourself.
Addressing Common Challenges
Even once you have chosen a Microsoft 365 backup, it isn’t always smooth sailing. A number of problems can crop up that damage their effectiveness:
Cost Control
Most backup services cost money. The more backups you have (and it is often recommended to have many), the more you pay. If you are not careful, this can result in expenses that quickly spiral out of control.
The Solution: Keep track of how much you’re spending and where the money is going. Perform regular assessments to ensure all services your business is paying for are actually being used, and cut any that are not.
Complexity
Everyone knows how to save a document to OneDrive, but your staff may not understand how to use an external backup system. This may lead to errors. Worst still, employees may refuse to use backups entirely.
The Solution: Provide additional training and support for employees, so they can understand how these solutions work and use them effectively.
Long-Term Management
Managing backups often becomes an issue, especially for platforms like Microsoft 365. Staff are used to saving files directly within that application and then moving on. The software may also require patches and updates. Over time, backups can become outdated, inaccurate, or messy. You may not have the necessary internal resources to prevent this.
The Solution: Partner with an experienced backup specialist who understands your needs. They can take care of long-term management while you focus on running the business.
FAQs
Doesn’t Microsoft Already Backup My Data?
Microsoft does not sufficiently backup your data. They offer options such as saving to OneDrive, or implementing retention policies, but none of these will help you in the event of a major outage such as the one experienced in October 2025. If your data is not backed up to a secondary location that isn’t reliant on your main provider, then it is not backed up.
Do I Actually Need an Active Backup for Microsoft 365?
You absolutely need to backup all 365 data. The global outage mentioned earlier in this article was far from a freak accident. It represents a greater trend of service disruptions and errors that Microsoft has recently experienced. Any information not backed up could be lost in the next big outage.
Which Parts of Microsoft 365 Can Be Backed Up?
Any data stored within Microsoft 365 can be backed up, using the correct technique. That includes things like emails and Teams conversations, which many businesses don’t even consider. If you’re unsure how to accomplish this, speak to a cloud backup expert.
What is Microsoft 365 Backup Pricing?
Microsoft 365 backup pricing will greatly depend on which solution you have chosen, whether it is managed in-house or externally, and how much information is being stored. You will need to do some research to determine exactly how much your backups will cost
How Often Should Microsoft 365 Data Be Backed Up?
Ideally, all 365 data should be backed up at least once per day. This will help minimise the occurrence of serious emergencies. However, the exact frequency you require will depend on your unique circumstances (business size, industry, workloads, etc). The more often you can backup data, the better.
When Disaster Strikes, Will You Be Ready?
It’s easy to think your Microsoft 365 data is safe. But one day, it might not be. At a moment’s notice, you could be entirely reliant on backups to save you. The question you need to ask yourself is: if that happened, would your business be able to recover?
If the answer is no, then you’re in trouble. But Cybersecure can fix that. Our specialised Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) model ensures that all data is protected, no matter what happens. If you’re concerned about your 365 data, get a quote for our SaaS backup services today.