Tech Talk: Andrew Hart
How are you currently backing up your Office and M365 data? If your response is, “Isn’t it already included?” then you are amongst the worrying large number of businesses which do not realise how critical it is to have third party backup.
According to Microsoft’s recent reports, the ‘Modern Workplace’ is evolving at lightning speed, with distributed teams, new business models, and complex security issues.
Customers can improve employee productivity and satisfaction and create more seamless communication and collaboration across locations and platforms while maintaining the security and integrity of systems and data.
Microsoft’s idea of the ‘Modern Workplace’ is exactly what is delivered… the ability to log-on to secure Microsoft Office and M365 cloud-based services, from any device and location, allowing you to work from anywhere.
Sounds great – so, what’s the downside?
Well, with more focus on digital services, data loss is a credible threat, especially when this can be a quantified business impact. This can also come in many forms, for example; accidental (or intentional) deletion of files and data, retention policies, security threats (internal and external), and compliance requirements. These can all cause irreversible data loss on an Office and Microsoft 365 platform.
As standard, there is a 30-day retention period built into Office 365. Beyond this, once your data is gone, it’s gone forever. Point in time restoration of data is out of scope for 365 – and remember, your 365 data links in to all your Office applications like Word, Excel and OneNote, not just email. If a file is deleted or infected on a local device, that change is automatically synced in OneDrive, meaning that the file is automatically deleted or infected on all synchronized devices.
It has become accepted best practice for businesses to opt for third party backup solutions that integrate with Office and Microsoft 365. There are many solutions available from the likes of Veeam, NetApp and SolarWinds, to name a few.
These solutions usually include role-based access control that helps you comply with current and up-coming data protection laws, while also allowing a different department or administrator to hold the rights for restores. You can set your retention rates and policies, with quick Recovery Points and Times.
Incomplete backup is a huge potential risk to your business. By using a third-party backup solution you’ll be safe in the knowledge that, if anything happens, you’ll still be able to work from your ‘Modern Workplace’.
Andrew Hart is Business Development Manager at IT solutions firm Capito
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