Microsoft 365 Default Backup Is Good, But It’s Not Enough – Part 1

Data backup is an essential part of any business, as it ensures that you can recover your information in case of any unexpected event such as cyberattacks, hardware failures, or natural disasters. Microsoft 365 is a cloud-based platform that provides several applications for productivity and collaboration, including OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, and Exchange. In this blog post, we will explore how your data is backed up in Microsoft 365 and if it differs for each application.

Microsoft 365 uses multiple data centers to store your data, and it replicates the data across various locations for high availability and reliability. This means that if one data center experiences any issue, your data is still available from another data center. The data centers used by Microsoft 365 also employ advanced security measures to protect your data from unauthorized access.

Microsoft 365 Built-In Backup Features

When it comes to data backup, Microsoft 365 has several built-in features that ensure your data is protected and recoverable in case of any accidental or intentional deletion, corruption, or data loss. Here are some of the Microsoft 365 default backup key features:

1. OneDrive backup: OneDrive is a personal cloud storage service that allows you to store and access your files from anywhere. Microsoft 365 provides a feature called “Version history” that allows you to restore a previous version of a file if you accidentally delete or make unwanted changes to it. Additionally, OneDrive also has a “Recycle bin” that stores all deleted files for up to 93 days, giving you enough time to recover any accidentally deleted files. If you need to restore OneDrive data after the 93-day retention period, you can contact Microsoft support and things get more complicated and maybe more expensive.
2. SharePoint backup: SharePoint is a collaboration platform that allows teams to store, organize, and share information. SharePoint also has the “Version history” feature that allows you to restore a previous version of a file or page. Additionally, SharePoint has a “Recycle bin” that stores deleted items for up to 93 days. If you need to recover SharePoint data after the 93-day retention period, you can use the SharePoint Online Management Shell to recover deleted items. It’s worth noting that SharePoint data is backed up every 12 hours, which means that you can recover data from a maximum of 12 hours ago.
3. Teams backup: Microsoft Teams is a collaboration platform that allows teams to chat, meet, and collaborate in real-time. Teams data, including chats, files, and meetings, is stored in Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 automatically backs up Teams data, including chat messages, channel conversations, and files, once every 24 hours. You can use the Microsoft Teams admin center to recover deleted Teams data within 30 days of deletion. If you need to recover Teams data that’s older than 30 days, you can contact Microsoft support.
4. Exchange backup: Exchange is an email and calendar platform that allows users to send and receive emails, schedule meetings, and manage their contacts. Microsoft 365 automatically backs up Exchange data, including emails, calendars, and contacts, every 12 hours. Exchange also has a “Recoverable Items” folder that stores deleted items for up to 30 days. If you need to recover Exchange data that’s older than 30 days, you can use the Exchange Online Management Shell to recover deleted items.

Conclusion

Out of the box, Microsoft 365 default backup provides robust backup features that ensure your data is protected and recoverable in case of any unexpected event. While the backup features for each application may differ slightly, they all provide a way to recover data in case of accidental or intentional deletion. By utilizing these backup features, you can have peace of mind knowing that your data is protected and can be recovered in case of any data loss. In the next post, we’ll talk about what else you should consider to protect your data.

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