Microsoft 365 is the cloud-powered software solution for businesses. It combines all the usual office software from Word to Excel to communication tools such as Teams. If you’re reading this as a MD or part of the Senior Management Team or as a business without in-house IT support, then you could be forgiven for not knowing the ins and outs of Microsoft 365. However, there is one crucial piece of information we’d like to push for peace of mind: backing up your cloud data that is in Microsoft 365.
Why aren’t Microsoft backing up my cloud data?
At some point when you have agreed to use Microsoft 365 you’ll have received terms and conditions that highlight their responsibility under their shared responsibility model. The services agreement says:
We strive to keep the Services up and running; however, all online services suffer occasional disruptions and outages, and Microsoft is not liable for any disruption or loss you may suffer as a result.
Basically, this highlights that Microsoft 365 may suffer from downtime. And if this happens, Microsoft will not be liable for any data loss. Now, you might be willing to take the business risk that if Microsoft 365 does go down, it won’t have any impact on your data. But Microsoft themselves advise:
We recommend that you regularly backup your Content and Data that you store on the Services or store using Third-Party Apps and Services.
In plain English, this is saying: back-up your files, user data, and anything else you have on Microsoft 365.
What are the risks of not backing up Microsoft 365?
The cloud-powered solution delivers 99.99% uptime. Over the course of the year, it is estimated that an outage would be 8 hours or more, a typical working day for most of us. That might be a risk your business can absorb but when reports highlight that the solution is already on its sixth outage of the year it might make you think differently.
We might have said enough to convince you. We hope so. If that’s the case and you are a business without in-house IT support and have outsourced IT then speak to your experts. It might be that they are already backing up your cloud data and you’re covered. If not then we’d recommend you speak to them about how to back-up Microsoft 365.
If you’re still debating the cost against risk calculation then let us just highlight that:
- An outage might not be the only reason for loss of data. Human error could accidentally delete essential files, records, or information without any way to recover them.
- Cyber attacks are increasingly frequent and while IT security can help prevent them there can be a human error element to click on a risky link and expose your systems. Again, resulting in a loss of data.
- Replacing data would be a significant time implication for your team. As well as the time the data loss has taken the time to replace could be even more extensive. Is that time that you are happy to spend should the worst occur?
- A loss of data, depending on how it is lost, could mean a breach against compliance. This could see your risk expounding from just one of data loss to one that could mean a hefty fine.
What should you do to back-up Microsoft 365? Talk to your IT provider
Backing-up Microsoft 365 requires a managed solution, it might be that your IT provider is already doing this but if not ask them to back-up your data. It is one of the services we offer in partnership with HornetSecurity. Our solution is the only one in the UK which also backs up Teams data. Meaning that should you suffer a loss here, you can get back those online conversations that can contain crucial pieces of information.
Talk to your EBS account manager today if you are at all concerned about Microsoft 365 and data loss. Or, if you’re not already working with us, drop a line via our live chat or call 0121 384 2513 and our team is happy to help.