Published 29 Feb 2020

Microsoft’s subscription-based Office 365 productivity suite brings a number of benefits, but one of its most powerful features is its integration with the cloud. With all your documents and files stored on the cloud, you can easily work on them anywhere with your favourite devices and share them with co-workers, as well as work on documents collaboratively.

If you’ve already made the move to Office 365, or plan to do so soon, you may be tempted to think that its cloud integration means that all your documents are automatically backed up. While Office 365 does offer the ability to set a retention policy, many organisations prefer to go with a third-party backup solution that integrates with Office 365.

In short, while Office 365 is a very effective tool for equipping what Microsoft calls ‘The Modern Workplace’, where workers can log on securely from anywhere on any device, it does not specialise in data backups and recovery. The main limitation is the standard 30-day retention period, after which any retained copies dissipate into the cloud. For example, if a user accidentally deletes a file on a local device, this change will be mirrored in OneDrive and then passed onto other synchronised devices. If the error is only noticed months later, a recovery will be impossible. You also cannot easily perform a point-in-time recovery, which is useful in situations like after a ransomware attack for being able to revert back to the previous day’s data, for example.

There’s also the 3-2-1 backup rule to consider. This well-established piece of wisdom asserts that at least three (3) copies of data should exist. Of these, two (2) copies should be stored on different media to reduce the chances of them failing at the same time. Finally, one (1) copy should be kept offsite to avoid losing data in the case of a disaster, such as a fire destroying the building. These basic rules may seem fairly obvious, but relying purely on Office 365’s retention features would violate all three of them.

Businesses often underestimate the number of possible ways to lose data. For example, cybercriminals frequently target Office 365 admin accounts with phishing campaigns, sometimes with highly-focused spearfishing lures. Once equipped with admin access, a cybercriminal may be able to modify the retention polices to facilitate an attack.

The risks of an insufficient backup strategy cannot be overemphasised. This is why many organisations choose to use one of the third-party solutions that integrate with Office 365. These give you full control over your retention policies and enable you to create recovery points that can be reverted to following a data-loss event.

At Pro-Networks, we recognise the importance of a sound backup and disaster recovery strategy. As part of our Office IT support, we can provide customers with a backup solution for Office 365. With options starting at just a few pounds a month, it’s an extremely cost-effective way to gain peace of mind.

 

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