Please note: This post was written by Highlander prior to their rebrand to FluidOne Business IT - Sheffield.
Microsoft 365 has become invaluable to many businesses. In fact, between April and October 2020 Microsoft experienced a 53% jump in daily active user (DAU) numbers from 75 million to 115 million. It’s an extraordinary jump in just 6 months.
The indirect consequence of this is the amount of company data now stored on Microsoft platforms. Seamless scaling of email data, plus cloud-based file storage such as OneDrive and SharePoint, in particular are powering this. The rise in remote working and ease of data access are increasingly making Microsoft cloud services a natural magnet for your data. But when the service is so easy to use and consume, it’s also easy to overlook some of the rigors and measures you might otherwise have had in place were all these systems still located on-premises.
Backup is one such consideration. Many people believe that by using Microsoft cloud-based tools, they no longer need to consider how their data, whether that be user details, emails, apps or files, is backed up.
Why Microsoft backups matter
Firstly, it’s important to make clear that Microsoft backs up your data. The consideration is more about the duration the backups are held. Scrutinising this a little closer may reveal the regime in operation does not offer the reassurances you seek. Likewise, it’s also important to stress that the Microsoft tools your business uses are incredibly secure.
Although all the data stored in the Microsoft cloud is held securely, this isn’t a suitable alternative to a robust backup strategy. Microsoft does all that it can to protect your data and prevent unexpected data loss, but if the unexpected happens you might not be able to recover your data as easily as you would like.
With that in mind, here’s 3 reasons why you need to consider implementing a Microsoft backup.
1) Damaging data deletion
Did you know that over 50% of road traffic accidents occur on roads close to home? While this has nothing to do with cloud backups, it highlights how even familiarity doesn’t mean you can avoid unfortunate errors or mistakes.
Even when your team are using familiar Microsoft tools, there’s always the potential for user error that causes the accidental deletion of files, applications, or even entire users and their associated SharePoint sites.
Should this happen then Microsoft has some procedures in place. So called ‘soft deletions’ can be recovered fairly easily with this data held for up to 30 days.
It’s once this period has passed however, or once the original deletion has been confirmed, that you can encounter additional data recovery challenges.
Once the deleted data has reached this state, what is known as ‘hard deletion’, it can no longer be recovered through the Microsoft platform meaning that without an appropriate backup in place that data could potentially be lost forever. A heavy price to pay for one unfortunate mistake.
2) A safety net for security threats
Microsoft has a host of modern security capabilities already in place to protect your users and their data from the latest cybersecurity threats, all of which are included within Microsoft Enterprise + Security.
However, even with a sophisticated security posture, there’s still the potential for your data and systems to be unexpectedly compromised by viruses such as malware. Should you suffer a breach, Microsoft’s security tools can help you to minimise its impact to avoid widespread infiltration, but you might still be at risk of losing certain aspects of your data for good without access to secure backup.
3) Unwanted disruptions and outages
Downtime of any kind can be hugely disruptive for your business, not least when unexpected technical issues or disruptions prevent your users from accessing important cloud-based apps and data.
Should you experience unwanted power outages or hardware failures, you could be prevented from accessing the data you and your people need, with more severe issues potentially leaving this data at long-term risk, even rendering it inaccessible.
Fortunately, with access to an appropriate backup solution you can continue to access your data during an extended period of disruption, recovering an existing version of your files stored safely in an alternative location.
Help is at hand with Highlander and AvePoint
Thanks to our partnership with AvePoint, we can help your business implement a comprehensive Microsoft backup solution designed and built by an expert team with more than 20 years of Microsoft experience behind them.
The first 100% Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Microsoft backup, AvePoint’s innovative solution delivers fast and effective backups built around the needs of your business, with a flexible approach that avoids unwanted bottlenecks.
AvePoint’s sophisticated SaaS platform is just one way your business can get more from the extensive Microsoft platform as part of the modern, mobile workplace. One built with the needs of long-term remote working in mind.
To learn more about how you can create the modern workplace with Microsoft, and better prepare your business for the future of work, download our latest eBook – Unleash the potential of remote business.
You can download your copy here. Alternatively, to learn more about AvePoint, get in touch with a member of the team.
