Why you should consider a 3rd party for Office 365 backup

Have you considered a 3rd party option to secure your Office 365 data? You may be surprised to learn just how vulnerable your data is if you haven’t backed it up outside of Office 365. If the worst happens and your Office 365 files and documents go missing, you don’t want to start learning how to restore them on the fly.

A 3rd party backup option for Office 365 and all other files eliminates a huge risk to your business while providing you with peace of mind.

Surprise, Office 365 doesn’t backup your data

There is a common misconception about the safety of data in Office 365. Yes, it’s relatively secure in the cloud compared to a server in a cabinet, but that doesn’t mean accidents or outages can’t result in losses.

The Microsoft Services Agreement states “all online services suffer occasional disruptions and outages, and Microsoft is not liable for any disruption or loss you may suffer as a result.”

Although rare, disruptions to your data do occur within Office 365, and, in those cases, your business is responsible for ensuring your files are safe. It is critical that you have a secondary copy of all of your important digital assets, to ensure you never have significant disruption to your business functions due to a recovery issue.

Office 365 vulnerabilities

Only one source of protection

You can’t protect your data if you just back it up to one source. If you only back up your files with the protections that Office 365 offers, you won’t have access if that system goes down. Using the same device or cloud option to back up your files will result in a total loss of data should the worst happen.

The premise of a backup is to store data securely in a second or even third location, so if one happens to malfunction, you don’t lose your data.

Only able to recover what you know about

If you delete a file by mistake, it’s usually easy enough to recover it from your Recycle Bin. It’s simple to find because you know what you’re looking for and not much time has passed. But if malware deletes files without anyone noticing, you won’t have the same time to react. You may not notice the files are missing until you need them, and by then, it could be too late. Another unfortunate scenario is that malware could delete thousands of files at once. You may technically be able to find them by sorting through your Recycle Bin, but it would take countless hours to track every file down.

Microsoft office 365 backup and recovery policy

It’s not enough to rely on Microsoft systems to store your business data. In fact, Microsoft itself recommends that businesses have 3rd party data backup services in place:

“In the event of an outage, you may not be able to retrieve Your Content or Data that you’ve stored. We recommend that you regularly backup Your Content and Data that you store on the Services or store using Third-Party Apps and Services.”

If you lose access to your Office 365 files or they’re corrupted or go missing, what would the consequences be to your business?

Using a 3rd party for Office 365 backup

Using a 3rd party for Office 365 backup is an essential step towards protecting your business. It protects against security threats (both internal and external), accidental or purposeful deletion of critical data, and ensures you won’t lose any documentation needed for legal purposes. For example, the IRS requires that businesses store their financial records for a minimum of six years. It may be hard to explain to the IRS that you’ve lost your financial records due to a failure to secure them.

World Backup Day 2020

2020 World Backup Day is on March 31st. It’s a day dedicated to ensuring businesses secure their digital assets and intellectual property. 1 in 10 computers are infected with viruses each month, according to the World Backup Day website. Is your business prepared for an unfortunate and potentially catastrophic loss of data?

Take the opportunity on March 31st to prioritize the security of all of your business data. Assess your Office 365 backup and recovery plan as well as any other files your business would be lost without. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Business IT with a COUPLE of GURUS

A COUPLE of GURUS can secure and streamline your business IT. They have over 18 years of experience helping businesses like yours with IT projects, cybersecurity and compliance, cloud services, and managed IT services.

Contact a COUPLE of GURUS to find out about our backup and recovery solutions and to learn more about our Office 365 backup pricing.