New Microsoft 365 Backup Solution Launched 2024!

Key insights

Introducing the Microsoft 365 Backup feature! This new tool is designed to protect data within Microsoft 365 from threats like ransomware and accidental deletions. It allows for setting up backup policies for SharePoint, Exchange, and OneDrive, to safeguard critical data within your organization.

Early Access and Setup. The Microsoft 365 Backup feature is currently in preview and will be broadly available to organizations in early 2024. Businesses can set up billing and once deployed, it can be accessed through the Microsoft 365 admin center under Settings. However, performance may be slower during this period as the service scales up.

Partner Integrations. Microsoft is collaborating with independent software vendors (ISVs) to integrate different versions of their applications with the Microsoft 365 Backup Storage platform. These partnerships aim to offer a centralized view for all backup requirements, potentially presenting additional features or streamlined workflows.

Business Continuity and Recovery. Microsoft 365 Backup focuses on reassuring business continuity by providing rapid and reliable data restoration. It's crucial not only to back up data but to restore it to a pristine state promptly in crises such as ransomware attacks or accidental data losses. The Microsoft 365 Backup tool facilitates this via both Microsoft's admin center and third-party applications built on its storage platform.

Architectural Overview. The service ensures ultra-fast backup and restore by keeping data within the service’s protected boundaries. To prevent data corruption by malicious attacks, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Exchange Online make use of immutable backups - meaning once data is saved, it cannot be altered. Furthermore, data redundancy across different datacenters ensures protection against physical disasters without requiring customer intervention.

Backup and Restoration Performance. Creating a backup policy initiates the protection process and it generally takes up to two hours for restore points to be prepared. Restoration performance directly influences data recovery time and can be optimized through certain in-place restoration techniques, with the first full site or account typically being restored in under an hour.

• Unlock new data protection capabilities with the Microsoft 365 Backup feature.


• Early 2024 release with an option to prepare billing and familiarize with settings via the Microsoft 365 admin center.


• Enhanced backup integrations through partnerships with independent software vendors.


• A focus on rapid recovery for business continuity with reliable restoration options.


• Immutable backups within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem offering robust protection against data corruption and physical disasters.


• Policies to initialize backup protection which becomes effective shortly, alongside swift and prioritized restoration performance.

More on Microsoft 365 Backup

Microsoft 365 Backup represents a significant advancement for organizations looking to bolster their data protection strategies. As data breaches and ransomware continue to present real threats to businesses, the ability to quickly and reliably restore critical data can mean the difference between a minor setback and a major crisis. The feature is a testament to Microsoft's ongoing commitment to providing comprehensive security and recovery solutions within its ecosystem. This service enhancement emphasizes the importance of resilience in modern cloud environments, allowing users to maintain productivity and security even in the face of unexpected challenges. By integrating backup services with its widespread productivity suite, Microsoft offers businesses of all sizes an added layer of confidence in their day-to-day operations.

Microsoft 365 Backup has finally arrived!! Discover the exciting new backup and restore feature in Microsoft 365! Protect your organization's data from ransomware attacks and accidental deletions with this amazing tool.

Learn how to set up backup policies for SharePoint, Exchange, and OneDrive, and ensure the safety of your critical data. Don't miss out on this long-awaited feature - subscribe now to stay updated!

Overview of Microsoft 365 Backup (Preview) - The feature is currently in its preview phase and is expected to roll out to organizations in early 2024. You will be able to set up billing as described in the provided resources. Once Microsoft 365 Backup is deployed, it will be accessible from the Microsoft 365 Admin center under Settings.

During the preview, there might be slowdowns in the performance and speed of web interfaces, initial configuration, and restores as the infrastructure is optimized. This aims to enhance the user experience by removing latency issues.

Microsoft and partner offerings - Microsoft 365 Backup is outlined in the Microsoft 365 Admin center. Partnership with independent software vendors (ISVs) allows differentiated applications to be integrated with Microsoft 365 Backup Storage platform. These applications provide a unified management system for all data backup needs and may offer enhanced experiences.

For partner applications, operation and payment of the Microsoft 365 Backup tool will be through the partner's software. These applications aim to provide a comprehensive view of the data backup estate and are expected to offer additional features and workflows.

Scenarios and value proposition - Microsoft 365 Backup delivers continuity assurance, which is a critical concern for businesses. Offering reliable and speedy restore capabilities is essential, as it's not just the backup process but the ability to quickly restore data to a healthy state that matters.

In scenarios like a ransomware attack or accidental data deletion, it's critical to be able to restore business operations swiftly. Microsoft 365 Backup provides this capability through both the Microsoft 365 Admin center and third-party applications that are built on the Microsoft 365 Backup Storage platform.

Benefits of the backup solution include fast backup and restore within hours, full site and account restore fidelity, roll forward granular file-level restores, full Exchange mailbox item restores, consolidated security, and compliance management.

Architectural overview and performance expectations - Microsoft 365 Backup offers ultra-fast backup and restore by maintaining backups within the service's data boundaries. It protects against common business continuity and disaster recovery scenarios and has built-in protections like data replication across geographically separate data centers.

Data is immutable and protected from malicious overwrites with additional resilience built directly into services like OneDrive and SharePoint. Data never leaves the Microsoft 365 data trust boundary or geographic data residency locations and has multiple redundant copies to protect against physical disasters.

During the preview, performance may not meet the general availability targets, with slower web interfaces, configurations, and restorations as the infrastructure is scaled up.

Backup policy performance - A new protection policy triggers the backup process for selected SharePoint sites, OneDrive accounts, and Exchange mailboxes. It takes about 60 minutes to process the activation and another 60 minutes to create publish restore points. Restore points are created as soon as the policy activation is confirmed, even if they take additional time to appear in the restore tool.

Restoration performance - The recovery time objective or the time to restore data to a healthy state is crucial. For OneDrive and SharePoint restores, using 'in-place 'restore to the same URL and choosing 'faster' restore points will lead to quicker recovery times.

For Exchange Online restores, “faster” restore points are not necessary. For a normally distributed tenant, it takes less than one hour for the first full site or account to be restored. Additional sites or accounts will follow promptly after the initial restore.

Performance expectations during the preview may vary from the general availability targets, but they aim to provide a benchmark for expected service levels.

Expand Your Understanding: The Essence of Microsoft 365 Backup

Microsoft 365 Backup is poised to be a transformational feature for organizations, arming them with the necessary tools to safeguard against data loss. Its integration offers an efficient, reliable solution for data restoration. With the gradual rollout planned in 2024, businesses will soon have access to a comprehensive backup and restore functionality within the Microsoft 365 Admin ecosystem. The anticipated assurance provided by Microsoft's backup feature is set to significantly improve business resilience, giving Microsoft 365 administrators a robust line of defense against data breaches and unplanned data loss incidents.

Exciting times ahead for Microsoft 365 users! The new backup and restore feature in Microsoft 365 has just been unveiled, promising enhanced protection for organizational data.

Now, users can safeguard against ransomware attacks and unintended data losses by setting up backup policies for essential services like SharePoint, Exchange, and OneDrive.

This pivotal update has been eagerly awaited and subscribing to updates will keep you informed on all the latest developments.

Key Features of Microsoft 365 Backup

• Introduction of backup policies for SharePoint, Exchange, and OneDrive
• Defense against data threats like ransomware and accidental loss
• Easy setup through the Microsoft 365 Admin interface

The Microsoft 365 Backup service is currently in a preview phase and will be rolled out in early 2024.

Billing setup is straightforward, as explained in the official documentation, and the feature will appear in the Microsoft 365 Admin center under Settings.

Do note that while in preview, certain aspects like the performance of initial configurations and restores may be slower than in the final release.

Microsoft 365 Backup is designed in collaboration with independent software vendors for an optimized experience.

The operation of third-party applications integrated with Microsoft 365 Backup Storage platform will ensure streamlined backup management across various data estates.

These partnerships enable a unified view for managing and restoring backups efficiently and effectively.

Microsoft 365 Backup focuses on offering unwavering business continuity,

With this backup solution, companies can expect quick and reliable data recovery to maintain their operations without extended interruptions.

This service operates seamlessly through both the Microsoft 365 Admin center and third-party software built on the Microsoft 365 Backup Storage platform.

Further Insights into Microsoft 365 Backup

Backup and recovery times are swift with Microsoft 365 Backup, ensuring operational continuity with high restore fidelity, whether for entire SharePoint sites, OneDrive accounts, or Exchange mailbox items. The design of this solution ensures that your Microsoft 365 Admin can manage security and compliance while maintaining data within the stipulated data trust boundaries and geographic locations.

Despite the current preview period potentially exhibiting slower performance, the architecture of the Microsoft 365 Backup service promises immutable backups and redundant copies of data across disparate datacenters that foster enhanced disaster recovery capabilities. With the imminent general availability, the performance is expected to meet targets that will see significant time reductions in restoration processes.

Read the full article Microsoft 365 Backup has finally arrived!!

People also ask

Does Microsoft 365 automatically backup?

Microsoft 365 provides certain built-in features that could be considered as a basic form of backup. For instance, Exchange Online has retention policies, and SharePoint Online offers versioning and recycle bins. However, these should not be confused with a complete backup solution. They are designed for data governance and recovery of recently deleted items rather than as comprehensive backup services that can protect against data loss scenarios such as accidental deletions, security breaches, or data corruption over the long term.

Do you really need to backup Office 365?

Yes, it is generally recommended to back up Office 365 data. While Microsoft guarantees the infrastructure and ensures that the service is always running, the responsibility of protecting data often falls on the users, as per the Shared Responsibility Model. Hence, it's crucial for users to adopt a third-party backup solution to protect against data loss from accidental deletions, ransomware, or other security threats that could result in irreversible loss of data.

How long does Office 365 backup my data?

Office 365 on its own doesn't back up data in the traditional sense but instead retains and preserves data based on its retention policies. The retention duration can vary depending on the service (like Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, or Teams) and can range from 30 days for items in the recycle bin to indefinite retention if policies are set accordingly. For a proper backup that can be stored for a desired length of time, third-party backup solutions need to be used.

What is Office 365 backup?

Office 365 backup refers to the process of making a copy of your Office 365 data to protect against data loss, corruption, or deletion. Backup solutions for Office 365 typically provide an independent copy of the data which is stored in a separate location from the primary data in Microsoft's cloud. This practice ensures that, in the event of data loss, there is a backup from which to restore your data. Office 365 backup is commonly achieved through various third-party solutions as Microsoft's native options are limited and not specifically designed to function as thorough backup services.

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