The different services in Microsoft 365 are accessible almost all the time, thanks to Microsoft’s 99.9% uptime record. However, the one aspect in which Microsoft 365 falters is in providing a way to recover from unexpected data loss. The data retention capabilities that Microsoft offers are not viable solutions for all data loss scenarios, as they are very minimal.
RecoveryManager Plus, the enterprise application backup and recovery component of AD360, on the other hand, completely eliminates the risk of losing your Microsoft 365 data, including Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and OneDrive for Business.
Microsoft 365, like all other Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products, employs the shared responsibility model, which dictates that Microsoft is wholly responsible for Microsoft 365’s global infrastructure and 24/7/365 availability. Data classification and accountability is the customers’ responsibility.
While Microsoft takes care of physical security in their data centers, data accountability still lies with the customer. Customers need to make sure that they have a reliable way to recover from any data loss.
Microsoft itself explicitly recommends users back up all Microsoft 365 data in section 6.b of the Microsoft Services Agreement.
Still not convinced about the need to back up your Microsoft 365 data? Read this e-book to find out the different aspects in which Microsoft lags and how a robust Microsoft 365 backup solution can help you overcome the limitations of Microsoft.
Read nowin your Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and OneDrive for Business environments.
on your Exchange Online and OneDrive for Business environments in a few simple clicks.
with customizable retention policies and efficient eDiscovery.
Back up all items in your Microsoft 365 mailboxes, including emails, calendar entries, contacts, journals, notes, posts, and tasks. Export an entire mailbox or just a part of it to PST.
Back up all site collections, sites, lists, and document libraries (including Microsoft OneNote notebooks).
Back up all files and folders in your OneDrive for Business environment.
Back up all chats and media shared in Teams messages and channels and notes stored in Team OneNote Notebooks.
Store your Microsoft 365 backups in Azure Blob Storage and Azure file shares.
Incrementally back up just the changes made to mailboxes and sites since the last backup cycle. Define a retention period for your Microsoft 365 backups, and automatically discard older backups.
Back up all items in your Microsoft 365 mailboxes such as emails, calendar entries, contacts, journals, notes, posts, and tasks.
Back up all site collections, sites, lists, and document libraries (including Microsoft OneNote notebooks).
Back up all files and folders in your OneDrive for Business environment.
Schedule periodic backups and incrementally back up just the changes made to mailboxes and sites since the last backup cycle.
Define a retention period for your Microsoft 365 backups and automatically discard older backups.
Get mail notifications about the status of completed backup and restoration operations carried out in your Office365 tenant.
Restore emails, mailbox items, and documents instantly, no matter if the deletion was accidental or malicious.
Recover from mailbox and OneDrive for Business ransomware attacks quickly. Restore entire mailboxes and OneDrive for Business sites to a point in time before the malware attack.
Export entire mailboxes to PST format and secure them with a password.
Configure long-term retention policies with RecoveryManager Plus and store Microsoft 365 backup data for any duration as mandated by compliance regulations.
Recover the exact mailbox items or documents you need from Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and OneDrive for Business backups with advanced granular search and preview functionality.
Stay compliant with regulations no matter what your Microsoft 365 subscription plan is, as litigation hold as a feature is only available in Microsoft 365 Enterprise E3 and above.
Back up all mailboxes in your multiple on-premises Exchange organizations and Microsoft 365 tenants from a single console.
Restore backups of Microsoft 365 mailbox items to a mailbox in your on-premises Exchange and vice-versa.
Perform backups of unique and localized versions of Microsoft 365, including support for Microsoft 365 U.S. Government (DoD and non-DoD), Microsoft 365 Germany, and Microsoft 365 China.
AD and Entra ID
for 250 user objects
Exchange (on-premises and online)
for 100 mailboxes
for 100 mailboxes
SharePoint Online
for five sites
OneDrive for Business
for 25 sites
Google Workspace
for 25 users
Zoho WorkDrive
for 10 users
Microsoft does not provide a backup and restoration feature for your Microsoft 365 data. Microsoft only provides retention policies to protect your data, but there are limitations. When a retention policy is applied to your Exchange Online mailboxes, or SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business sites, end users cannot delete items in their mailboxes or sites. This can drastically increase the size of your mailboxes and sites over time. That's why you need to invest in a third-party backup solution and even Microsoft recommends it. To learn more, click here.
No. Microsoft periodically backup all files and folders in your SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business sites as a part of its contingency planning. These backups are used to restore data to your SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business sites in case any of Microsoft’s data centers are damaged. However, these backups cannot be used to restore your data when you might need them. Deploying a third-party solution that can back up all files in your SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business sites is recommended by Microsoft.
When Exchange Online mailbox items, such as email, contacts, journals, notes, posts, and tasks, are deleted, the deleted items are held in the Recycle Bin for 30 days. Calendar entries are retained in the Recycle Bin for 120 days.
Deleted emails are retained for 30 days and can be recovered by the administrator. Beyond this time period, they cannot be recovered unless you deploy a third-party backup solution for your Exchange Online mailboxes. An Exchange Online backup and recovery solution like RecoveryManager Plus allows you to restore deleted emails no matter when they were deleted.
Deleted items in SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business sites are retained for 93 days and can be restored by the administrator.
Deleted items in SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business sites are retained for 93 days and can be restored by the administrator. After 93 days, administrators can submit a request to Microsoft to obtain a copy of the data from an earlier backup within the next 14 days. Microsoft cannot provide you with a copy of the item. Restorations from backups can only be completed for site collections or subsites, not for specific files, lists, or libraries. Also, a service-level agreement does not apply to requests made after the 93 days, so it might take a long time for Microsoft to provide the data you require.
It is considered a best practice to deploy a third-party backup and restoration solution for your SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business sites. This helps you significantly improve your recovery time objectives (RTOs). Microsoft also offers this recommendation in its Microsoft Services Agreement.