Fun fact: Microsoft Office 365 is the most widely used productivity cloud in the world.

And most of their clients? Businesses that deal with a lot of sensitive data like the financial industry.

This makes Office 365 users a lucrative target for ransomware and other cyberattacks. And this isn’t just some theory. 

Just this month, 5,000 business owners – all Office 365 users – were victimized by a phishing scam.

Even if you if it’s not a phishing scam, there are ways you can lose your data such as:

  • Accidental deletion
  • Ignoring security protocols
  • Hardware failures

We also know that Microsoft can’t be held responsible for any data loss. Here’s what it says on their Service agreement: 

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

And losing your data is an expensive mistake. Sometimes, even irreversible. That’s why responsible business owners back up their Microsoft Office 365 data.

 

What Benefits Does A Microsoft Office 365 Backup Give You?

  • No wasted time and effort

In any business, time is money. Think of how long you could spend trying to recreate lost data. What could you have been doing instead?

Time wasters like this come at a cost: opportunity cost. 

  • Go Beyond The Limits Of Microsoft’s Basic Protection

Although Microsoft offers some protection to keep your data safe, it’s not enough. And the proof is in the services agreement we cited earlier.

Even the developers of Office 365 recommend you get third-party backup. 

  • Access Your Data Even During A Massive Outage

We know this will happen again because it’s already happened before. In January 2019, Microsoft suffered from two-day outage issues. 

Having your own backups eliminate this problem and lets you continue your operations.

 

What Does A Great Office 365 Data Backup Solution Look Like?

The specifics of your backup solution will be customized according to your need. But at the very least, it should have three elements:

  • User-Friendly Interface

Unless you’re in the tech industry, your average employee is not going to be a tech whiz. And if the interface isn’t user-friendly, it’s going to be hard to:

  • Restore data remotely and quickly which can cost you money if a project relies on it; and 
  • Prevent user errors which can impact how well the backup solution works

For comparison, the user interface should be as easy to use as Office 365.

 

  • Strong Data Encryption

Having data backups isn’t just about preserving your data. Especially for sensitive information, no unauthorized person should be able to access them. 

Make sure that everything is secure from transit to storage. And to feel at ease, ask as many questions as you need on how your data is secured.

  • Single File Search and Recovery

Let’s say you want to restore just this one file. You shouldn’t have to restore the whole database, right?

Your experience should be like getting it from the Recycle Bin. And with the single file search and recovery option, that’s exactly how it would be. 

One data disaster – that’s all it takes for you to lose your data or spend thousands of dollars trying to recover it. Schedule a free consultation with one of our CTS consultants to find out how we can protect you from the expensive consequences of data loss.