Best 10 Microsoft 365 Backup and Recovery Solutions For Business (2026)
We reviewed the leading M365 backup platforms on workload coverage, recovery granularity, and how well they handle eDiscovery requests alongside standard data restoration. Native M365 tooling does not replace what these platforms deliver.
Written by
Caitlin Harris
Technical Review by
Craig MacAlpine
Quick Summary
Microsoft 365 does not provide a backup that meets enterprise recovery requirements — retention policies and version history are not substitutes for point-in-time restoration from a third-party backup. Third-party M365 backup solutions protect Exchange, SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive with granular recovery and eDiscovery support that native M365 tooling cannot deliver. We reviewed the top solutions and found Backupify Backup for Microsoft 365, CyberSentriq Microsoft 365 Backup, and OpenText CloudAlly Backup for Microsoft 365 to be the strongest on workload coverage and recovery granularity.
Backup and recovery solutions capture a point-in-time copy of a file, database, or even an entire computer and write the data out to a secondary storage device so that users can recover it in the future. This means that any data that’s deleted accidentally can easily be recovered, but it also means that files are protected against ransomware attacks, which involve a hacker holding data hostage until the victim pays a ransom.
Microsoft doesn’t provide native backup for Microsoft 365. The default settings only protect data for 30-90 days on average, which can lead to complications when organizations believe their systems to be backed up and later find that items have disappeared.
In this article, we’ll explore the top solutions designed to protect your organization against data loss through backup and recovery. We’ll give you some background on the provider and the key features of each solution, as well as the type of customer they are most suitable for. Features covered include real-time backups, rollback and restoration, role-based access to backups and reporting, and protection for remote sites and public cloud workloads.
Best Microsoft 365 Backup And Recovery Solutions Shortlist
- Backupify Backup for Microsoft 365
- CyberSentriq Microsoft 365 Backup
- OpenText CloudAlly Backup for Microsoft 365
- ManageEngine RecoveryManager Plus
- Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud
- AvePoint Cloud Backup
- Commvault Cloud
- Hornetsecurity 365 Total Backup
- Rubrik Microsoft 365 Protection
- Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365
Backupify, now part of Kaseya, handles cloud backup for Microsoft 365 environments covering Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams. We think the automated user detection and hands-off operation are the strongest selling points for small to mid-sized teams that want protection without babysitting the system.
Backupify Backup for Microsoft 365 Key Features
Backupify runs automated tri-daily backups with unlimited on-demand backups when you need them. The platform detects new users and archives departing ones automatically, which cuts down on license management overhead. Granular recovery lets you restore individual files, folders, or entire tenants without overwriting current data. Advanced search makes finding specific items fast when someone needs a particular email from months ago. SOC 2 Type II certification, HIPAA compliance, and AES 256-bit encryption with geo-redundant storage cover most compliance requirements without extra configuration.
What Customers Say
Customers consistently mention reliability as the standout feature. The setup process is straightforward, and the web console stays simple enough that you’re not training people for hours. Long-term users describe it as something that just works in the background. Something to be aware of is that backup scheduling is limited to three preset daily windows with no customization, and some users report that the interface can feel sluggish during routine operations.
Our Take
We think Backupify works best for small to mid-sized organizations that need compliance-ready backup without dedicated backup administrators. The Kaseya VSA integration adds value for MSPs already in that ecosystem. If you need backup frequency beyond three times daily or want custom scheduling, that’s a real limitation to factor in.
Strengths
- Automated user detection handles onboarding and departures
- Tri-daily backups with unlimited on-demand runs
- SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA compliance out of the box
- Granular restore without overwriting current data
- Kaseya VSA integration for MSPs in that ecosystem
Cautions
- Customers note backup scheduling limited to three preset windows
- Reviews mention the interface can feel sluggish at times
CyberSentriq (formerly Redstor) is a compliance-first M365 backup platform covering Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, Entra ID, and Azure workloads from a single console. We scored the solution 9/10 in our hands-on review and were particularly impressed by the independent data center infrastructure and built-in malware scanning capabilities.
CyberSentriq Microsoft 365 Backup Key Features
CyberSentriq stands out with built-in malware scanning across 14 attachment types; it’s the only MSP-focused product we tested that offers this. Coverage extends beyond core M365 to include Entra ID, Azure VMs, and Azure Blob Storage. Backups are immutable and stored on CyberSentriq’s own infrastructure, independent of Microsoft Azure, which is a strong selling point for data sovereignty. SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certifications are included, and the platform supports multiple backup sets with different retention policies per service.
What We Found In Our Review
We were impressed by the coverage and infrastructure independence. CyberSentriq is UK-headquartered with its own data center infrastructure, which avoids the single point of failure risk that comes with Azure-only storage. The permission-per-service approach allows different service accounts per workload, and cross-user restores work well with deleted user data retained as an inactive seat. With that said, the admin interface requires too many clicks for routine tasks, with frequent redirects that slow down navigation. Granular search and item-level restore are the weakest of any product we tested, and audit logs have minimal detail with no export option.
Our Take
We think CyberSentriq fits MSPs and mid-market organizations in regulated sectors that prioritize data sovereignty and compliance. The independent infrastructure and malware scanning across 14 attachment types are real differentiators. Teams needing strong search capabilities or a polished admin interface should be aware of the trade-offs.
Strengths
- Built-in malware scanning across 14 attachment types
- Covers M365, Entra ID, Azure VMs, and Azure Blob from one console
- Own data center infrastructure independent of Microsoft Azure
- SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certified with immutable backups
Cautions
- Admin interface requires too many clicks for routine tasks
- Granular search and item-level restore are limited
OpenText CloudAlly is one of the fastest M365 backup solutions to deploy, with backups running within minutes of initial setup. We scored the solution 9/10 in our hands-on review and were particularly impressed by the restore speed and end-user self-service recovery experience.
OpenText CloudAlly Backup for Microsoft 365 Key Features
CloudAlly provides unlimited storage by default at $3 per user per month. Active Directory integration automatically discovers and backs up new users without manual enrollment. The platform indexes email body content and attachments for search, which gave it the strongest search capabilities of any product we tested. Cross-user restores and self-service recovery for end users work without IT intervention. Backup data sits on AWS infrastructure, independent of Microsoft Azure. ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance certifications are included with global data center options.
What We Found In Our Review
In our testing, CloudAlly restored a 3.8GB Exchange mailbox in under one hour with no corruption, outperforming several higher-priced alternatives in side-by-side testing. The end-user self-service recovery experience is arguably the strongest we’ve tested; users can find and restore their own files without IT involvement. Backup data is stored on AWS, which avoids the Azure single point of failure risk. With that said, there’s no ransomware or malware scanning at all, and backup frequency is limited to once per day by default. A three-times-daily option is available as a paid add-on at $6 per user per year.
Our Take
We think CloudAlly is one of the strongest options for SMBs and mid-market teams wanting reliable backup with minimal complexity. The fast deployment, unlimited storage, and strong search make it a practical choice at $3 per user per month. Organizations in highly regulated environments needing SOC 2, FedRAMP, or malware scanning should evaluate alternatives with stronger security certifications.
Strengths
- Fastest deployment we tested with backups running in minutes
- Unlimited storage at $3 per user per month
- Strongest search with email body and attachment indexing
- End-user self-service recovery without IT involvement
Cautions
- No ransomware or malware scanning
- Backup frequency limited to once per day by default
ManageEngine RecoveryManager Plus is a unified backup and restoration tool covering Active Directory, Azure AD, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Exchange from a single console. We think the restart-free AD recovery and multi-platform consolidation are the features that set it apart for organizations managing hybrid IT environments.
ManageEngine RecoveryManager Plus Key Features
The centralized dashboard manages multiple AD domains, Azure tenants, and Exchange organizations without switching between tools. Incremental backups cut down on storage requirements and backup windows. Attribute-level restoration lets you recover specific object properties rather than rolling back entire objects. Restart-free recovery is the standout feature; you can restore AD objects without bringing down domain controllers, which matters for production environments that can’t afford downtime. Flexible storage options include Azure Blob, Azure file shares, and on-premises destinations. A built-in recycle bin simplifies recovery of deleted objects and containers.
What Customers Say
Customers consistently highlight the interface as easy to navigate. The dashboard pulls backup status and recovery options into one view, which teams appreciate during incident response. The application support range gets called out as a key benefit. Something to be aware of is that advanced features require additional configuration work upfront, and some users note the platform may be more than needed for AD-only environments.
Our Take
We think RecoveryManager Plus makes sense if you’re running hybrid infrastructure and want to stop managing separate backup tools for each platform. The flexible storage options match varied compliance requirements. At $195 per year for 25 users, the per-seat cost is low relative to the coverage. If you only need AD backup without multi-platform complexity, simpler options exist.
Strengths
- Restart-free AD recovery keeps domain controllers online
- Single console covers AD, Azure AD, M365, and Google Workspace
- Attribute-level restoration avoids full object rollbacks
- Built-in recycle bin for deleted objects and containers
- Competitive at $195 per year for 25 users
Cautions
- Reviews mention advanced features require upfront configuration effort
- Customers note it may be more platform than needed for AD-only use
Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud
Acronis is a leading backup software, disaster recovery, and secure data access provider. Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud is their cloud-native platform for Microsoft 365, offering file backup, disaster recovery, and integrated ransomware protection across Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and Entra ID. It’s available as a standalone service or as part of a broader Cyber Protect package that also includes automated infrastructure, web, and endpoint protection.
Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud Key Features
Acronis runs up to six daily backups for Microsoft 365 data, giving tighter recovery point objectives than most alternatives. Built-in ransomware protection is AI-powered, preventing unauthorized file modification and encryption and verifying the authenticity of backup copies before restoration. The web-based management console lets admins monitor all data protection tasks from any location. Protection spans 20-plus virtual, physical, cloud, and mobile platforms, including on-premises endpoints, Azure VMs, and servers. Over 50 global data center locations provide the widest data residency options we’ve tested, and two immutable storage modes (Governance and Compliance) cover different regulatory requirements. Unlimited storage is included. Acronis has built industry-specific data protection programs for automotive, healthcare, energy, and government sectors, and the platform is available in 26 languages across 150 countries.
What We Found In Our Review
We were impressed by the retention and resilience capabilities. Acronis completed a full mailbox restore in under one minute in our testing, which is strong. The Express backup option uses Microsoft’s own storage to avoid API rate limits, which is a useful approach. SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, and HIPAA compliance are included with MFA required by default. With that said, there’s no keyword search across all mailboxes; you have to search within each individual mailbox. SharePoint recovery is all-or-nothing with no granular file or folder restore, and there’s no bulk restore for Exchange mailboxes.
Our Take
We think Acronis fits MSPs and mid-to-large organizations that prioritize ransomware resilience and granular retention with broad infrastructure coverage. The six daily backups, 50-plus data center locations, and under-one-minute mailbox restores justify the investment at approximately $3.48 per user per month. Teams with basic Microsoft 365 backup needs only may find this more platform than required.
Strengths
- Up to six daily backups with unlimited storage
- Full mailbox restore completed in under one minute in testing
- Over 50 global data center locations for data residency
- Built-in ransomware scanning with two immutable storage modes
- Industry-specific programs for automotive, healthcare, energy, and government
Cautions
- No keyword search across multiple mailboxes simultaneously
- SharePoint recovery is all-or-nothing with no granular restore
AvePoint Cloud Backup
AvePoint Cloud Backup is an enterprise-grade M365 backup platform designed for large, regulated organizations, available for teams of 500 users or more. We scored the solution 9/10 in our hands-on review and were impressed by the depth of coverage and governance capabilities that very few alternatives come close to matching.
AvePoint Cloud Backup Key Features
AvePoint offers the broadest M365 coverage we’ve tested, including Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams including 1:1 chats, Dynamics, Azure, PowerBI, Power Platform, and Entra ID. Cloud Backup Express delivers up to 144 backup snapshots per day with restore speeds of up to 2TB per hour. Behavior-based ransomware detection monitors mass encryption, bulk deletion, and suspicious admin activity, with color-coded restore snapshots showing green (safe), yellow (unusual activity), and red (ransomware-affected) status. BYOK encryption, bring-your-own-storage, and 21 data residency locations support strict compliance requirements.
What We Found In Our Review
Put simply, AvePoint offers a depth that very few M365 backup services we’ve reviewed come close to matching. The System Auditor retains three years of admin actions, and the automated weekly offboarding detection for departed employees is a practical governance feature. Granular RBAC with customizable security policies by group is strong, and the Job Monitor provides searchable, filterable, exportable logs. With that said, there’s no keyword search of email body content or attachments, and a full mailbox restore took over two hours for a 5GB mailbox in our testing, which is slower than several lower-priced alternatives. Deployment took about one hour and the container configuration has a significant learning curve.
Our Take
We think AvePoint fits large enterprises with strict compliance, geographic distribution, and governance needs. The 144 daily backup snapshots, ransomware detection with color-coded restore points, and 21 data residency locations are real differentiators. The 500-user minimum and $4 per user per month pricing mean this isn’t for SMBs, and teams wanting simplicity should evaluate lighter alternatives.
Strengths
- Broadest M365 coverage including Dynamics, Azure, PowerBI, and Power Platform
- Up to 144 daily backup snapshots with 2TB per hour restore speed
- Behavior-based ransomware detection with color-coded restore points
- BYOK encryption and bring-your-own-storage supported
Cautions
- 500-user minimum with no option for smaller teams
- No keyword search of email body content or attachments
Commvault Cloud
Commvault is a market leader in data and information management, with consistent recognition in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Backup and Recovery. Commvault Cloud is their enterprise data backup platform, designed to protect data across all workloads in both cloud and on-premises environments via a single web-based interface. We think the GCC High support and zero-trust architecture are the features that set Commvault apart for government and regulated-sector organizations.
Commvault Cloud Key Features
Commvault Cloud automates file retention processes and proactively discovers newly added datasets through policy-driven rules, removing the need for lengthy scripts. Data is deduplicated before being encrypted and written to a secure cloud location. Role-based access control lets admins assign permissions to individual users or user groups, enabling a secure self-service environment that reduces IT team workload. Recovery options include point-in-time, in-place, out-of-place, item-level, and self-service restore down to individual file level. Commvault supports Commercial, GCC, and GCC High Microsoft 365 environments from a single platform, which is rare in this category. Automated, air-gapped backups run without manual intervention, and zero-trust access controls with WORM compliance locks meet strict regulatory requirements. In 2026, Commvault expanded its Microsoft integration to connect with Sentinel and Security Copilot for AI-driven threat detection and recovery.
What Customers Say
Customers consistently praise the reliability once everything is running; operating smoothly in the background is a recurring theme. The unified management across on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments reduces tool sprawl. With that said, initial setup requires significant planning and technical expertise. Console navigation can feel heavy for routine tasks, and upgrades need careful scheduling.
Our Take
We think Commvault Cloud belongs on your shortlist if you operate in regulated sectors or government environments needing GCC High support. The compliance features, eDiscovery capabilities, and audit-ready reporting justify the complexity, and the protection it delivers is worth the setup effort for larger enterprises managing a range of file systems, applications, databases, and cloud-native SaaS. Smaller teams without dedicated backup expertise may struggle with the learning curve.
Strengths
- Supports Commercial, GCC, and GCC High M365 environments
- Zero-trust architecture with WORM compliance locks
- Granular recovery options including self-service restore
- Policy-driven automation removes the need for lengthy scripts
- eDiscovery and audit-ready reporting for regulated industries
Cautions
- Users report initial setup requires significant planning
- Reviews note console navigation feels heavy for routine tasks
Hornetsecurity 365 Total Backup
Hornetsecurity 365 Total Backup is the evolution of Altaro’s Microsoft 365 backup product, following Hornetsecurity’s acquisition of Altaro in 2021. The platform retains Altaro’s SMB and MSP-focused approach to Microsoft 365 backup, now combined with Hornetsecurity’s email security and archiving capabilities in a single platform. We scored the solution 9/10 in our hands-on review and were particularly impressed by the intuitive interface and the value of combining backup with email security in one console.
Hornetsecurity 365 Total Backup Key Features
Hornetsecurity 365 Total Backup covers Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams including 1:1 chats, Planner, OneNote, and Entra ID with unlimited storage and unlimited data retention. Backups run multiple times per day and support full and granular restorations, with recovered content sendable to the original location, an alternate location, or a secure download. The platform stores data on Hornetsecurity’s own physical data center infrastructure, independent of Microsoft Azure, across six data residency regions covering Europe, UK, US, Canada, France, and Switzerland. New accounts are added to backup automatically without manual intervention. Two-admin approval is required for destructive actions such as deleting backups, which protects against insider threat and accidental deletion. At $2.75 per user per month with unlimited storage and retention, the pricing is competitive.
What We Found In Our Review
We found Hornetsecurity to be one of the simplest and easiest backup products to manage. The interface is very intuitive, and new accounts get added to backup automatically without manual intervention. At $2.75 per user per month with unlimited storage and retention, the pricing is competitive. This is really beneficial if you’re looking for a backup solution alongside email security, as the 365 Total Protection plans bundle backup, archiving, ATP, and phishing filtering together. With that said, admin permissions are all-or-nothing with no granular RBAC, and there’s no tenant-wide keyword search within the backup module. Search is limited to metadata rather than email body or attachment content.
Our Take
We think Hornetsecurity is a strong option for MSPs and mid-sized organizations wanting reliable Microsoft 365 backup without operational overhead. The combination of backup and email security in one console reduces tool sprawl, and the own-infrastructure approach avoids Azure dependency. Larger enterprises needing granular RBAC or per-user retention policies should verify the platform meets their governance requirements.
Strengths
- Backup and email security bundled at $2.75 per user per month
- Unlimited storage and retention on own infrastructure
- Covers Teams 1:1 chats, Planner, and OneNote alongside core M365
- Two-admin approval for destructive actions
- Intuitive interface with automatic account enrollment
Cautions
- No granular RBAC within the backup product
- Search limited to metadata with no email body or attachment indexing
Rubrik Microsoft 365 Protection
Rubrik Microsoft 365 Protection backs up and recovers data across Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams with automatic discovery and immutable storage. Rubrik’s SaaS platform, previously known as Rubrik Polaris, has been unified under the Rubrik Security Cloud, which adds machine learning-based threat monitoring to detect and remediate ransomware before it causes damage. We think the automatic discovery and policy-driven approach are the features that make Rubrik a strong option for large enterprises that can’t manually track every new resource.
Rubrik Microsoft 365 Protection Key Features
When someone creates a new user, site, or team, Rubrik picks it up and applies your backup policies without intervention. SLA domains define protection rules once, and the system handles the rest automatically. Rubrik’s machine learning threat monitoring detects unusual activity in the backup environment and can quickly identify and remediate ransomware threats before they cause damage, keeping threat detection current against new and emerging attack types. Data sits in Rubrik’s isolated cloud environment with encryption and immutable storage, so backups stay separate from your production environment. Granular search and recovery lets you restore individual items such as a OneDrive folder or individual email, or run bulk restores to original or alternate locations. Role-based access reduces tampering risk even if admin credentials get compromised. Admins have centralized management and reporting across all on-premises and cloud devices from a single platform.
What Customers Say
Customers praise how Rubrik treats backups as protected assets rather than just stored data. The immutable approach and role-based access build confidence. The search function makes finding specific files or emails fast. Something to be aware of is that the learning curve comes up regularly. Advanced security and analytics features require dedicated time to master, and some customers note that security-focused reporting needs more detail for compliance evidence gathering.
Our Take
We think Rubrik fits best if you’re running a large Microsoft 365 deployment with compliance requirements. The automated discovery and immutable storage justify the investment for fast-growing organizations. Smaller teams may find the advanced features more than they need. Budget accordingly; this is enterprise-grade protection.
Strengths
- Automatic discovery protects new users, sites, and teams
- Immutable backups in isolated cloud storage for ransomware defense
- Policy-driven SLA domains eliminate manual scheduling
- Machine learning threat monitoring detects and remediates ransomware
- Granular search and recovery for individual items or bulk restores
Cautions
- Customers note advanced features require dedicated time to learn
- Reviews flag security reporting lacks detail for some compliance audits
Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365
Veeam is a global market leader in data protection, ranked number one for worldwide data protection market share and trusted by 82% of Fortune 500 companies. Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365 is their fully managed backup and recovery platform for Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, Entra ID, and Azure with unlimited storage included. We scored the solution 8.5/10 in our hands-on review and were impressed by the granular RBAC implementation and bulk restore capabilities.
Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365 Key Features
Veeam Data Cloud provides the strongest RBAC implementation we’ve tested, with very granular custom roles that let you restrict a user to only viewing Outlook restore points or assign separate admins per workload. Bulk restore takes just three clicks for multiple mailboxes. Coverage includes Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams including 1:1 chats, Public Folders, Entra ID, and Azure. Two deployment modes are available: Flex, which is full-featured, and Express, which uses Microsoft-native storage for faster restores with no rate limiting. The interface mirrors Outlook for mailbox browsing, which makes navigation intuitive. Self-service restore is available for end users through Outlook and OneDrive.
What We Found In Our Review
We were impressed with the RBAC and bulk restore capabilities, which are the strongest we’ve tested in the Microsoft 365 backup category. Veeam provides every customer, from 25 users to 250,000, with a named sales engineer during onboarding, which is good to see. At $2.63 per user per month, the pricing is competitive for the feature set. With that said, backups can only run once per day with no frequency options. All backup data is stored in Microsoft Azure, which creates a single point of failure risk if there was a major Azure outage. Keyword search is limited to email subjects only, and in our testing, search was very slow, taking over 30 minutes for a single mailbox.
Our Take
We think Veeam Data Cloud fits organizations wanting strong RBAC, bulk restore, and broad Microsoft 365 coverage at a competitive price point. The named sales engineer for every customer and intuitive interface are real positives. Teams needing multiple daily backups or storage independence from Azure should evaluate alternatives that store data on their own infrastructure.
Strengths
- Strongest RBAC with granular custom roles per workload
- Bulk restore in three clicks for multiple mailboxes
- Named sales engineer for every customer during onboarding
- Competitive pricing at $2.63 per user per month
- Number one data protection market share worldwide
Cautions
- All backup data stored in Microsoft Azure, creating a single point of failure
- Backups limited to once per day with no frequency options
Other Backup And Recovery Services
We researched lots of cloud backup solutions while we were making this guide. Here are a few other tools that are worth your consideration. Note that all of these tools are “Microsoft preferred” solutions.
A fully managed Backup-as-a-Service solution designed to protect SaaS, cloud-native, and on-prem data sources.
Provides defensible control over storage location and encryption.
A security-first, cloud-based RMM platform purpose-built to remotely secure, monitor, and manage endpoints to reduce costs and increase technician efficiency.
Stay ahead of threats with Dropsuite’s advanced backup and data protection solutions, purpose-built for MSPs.
Powerful, easy-to-use cloud backup and recovery for Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Salesforce data.
Quick and easy data backup and recovery, with lots of useful integrations that make the platform easier to manage.
How We Compared The Best Microsoft 365 Backup And Recovery Solutions
We evaluated Microsoft 365 backup solutions on coverage breadth across Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, Entra ID, and Azure workloads; backup frequency and recovery point objective; storage independence from Microsoft Azure; restore speed and granularity; ransomware detection and immutable storage options; compliance certifications; pricing transparency; and ease of administration. Where possible, we tested solutions hands-on, restoring real data and measuring performance against published claims.
What To Look For In A Microsoft 365 Backup And Recovery Solution
Coverage breadth is the starting point: verify the solution backs up all Microsoft 365 workloads your organization uses, including Teams chats, Planner, and OneNote if applicable, not just Exchange and OneDrive. Backup frequency determines your recovery point objective; once-daily backups mean up to 24 hours of data exposure, while solutions running multiple times daily reduce that window. Storage independence matters for organizations that want to avoid a single point of failure, since solutions that store backups on Azure face the same outage risk as your Microsoft 365 tenant. Restore granularity covers the difference between recovering an entire mailbox and recovering a single email or folder. Ransomware detection and immutable storage are increasingly important; look for solutions that scan backups for malware and prevent modification or deletion of backup data. For regulated industries, verify compliance certifications such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and whether GCC or GCC High environments are supported. Administrative overhead varies significantly: evaluate how new users and sites are discovered and enrolled, and whether self-service restore reduces IT ticket volume.
The Bottom Line
The right Microsoft 365 backup solution depends on your organization size, storage preferences, and how much administrative complexity you can absorb. Veeam Data Cloud and Hornetsecurity 365 Total Backup offer the most competitive price points for mid-sized organizations. Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud and AvePoint Cloud Backup are the strongest choices for organizations that prioritize ransomware resilience and broad infrastructure coverage. Commvault Cloud is the clear option for regulated-sector and government organizations needing GCC High support. Rubrik Microsoft 365 Protection suits large, fast-growing deployments where automatic discovery and immutable storage are priorities. For SMBs and MSPs wanting simplicity, OpenText CloudAlly and Backupify deliver reliable protection with minimal overhead.
FAQs
Everything You Need To Know About Microsoft 365 Backup And Recovery (FAQs)
Microsoft 365 backup and recovery solutions provide you with the ability to take historical snapshots of your M365 data and store them in a secondary storage facility. This facility could be your own on-premises environment, the backup provider’s global private cloud data center, or even a popular public cloud like AWS or Azure. Keeping your backups separate from your live servers offers an added layer of protection, as any compromise to the latter won’t affect the former. For example, if your organization falls victim to a ransomware attack, your safely stored backups will remain untouched.
Having backups in place ensures that in the event of data loss or destruction due to human error, a technical glitch, a natural disaster, or a cyberattack, your backup and recovery provider can quickly restore your M365 backup data to its previous state—and often, to the right location within your M365 environment.
To ensure you’re always able to restore lost data from a backup, we recommend that you follow the “3-2-1” rule of backing up data: keep at least three copies of your data, stored in at least two different formats, and store at least one copy off-premises.
Cloud backup tools for Microsoft 365 work by replicating your M365 data onto cloud-based servers. They either do this using continuous replication or scheduled replication.
Continuous replication is when the backup provider copies your data to their cloud data center in real-time as changes are made within your live M365 environment. This is the most common type of cloud backup, as it provides organizations with an up-to-date copy of their data so that, in the event of a data loss incident, they can recover their data to a point in time as close to the incident as possible, resulting in minimal disruption.
Scheduled replication is when the backup provider copies your data to the cloud server according to a pre-defined schedule (e.g., daily or weekly). The main drawback to this method is that, if you experience a data loss incident, you will lose any data created between your last backup and the time the incident occurred. So, if you’ve scheduled weekly backups that take place on a Friday and you experience a cyber attack on a Thursday, you could lose 6 days’ worth of data.
Veeam’s 2023 Ransomware Trends Report found that one in seven organizations will see more than 80% of their data affected as a result of a ransomware attack. That means that not only are these attacks likely to happen, but they’re also likely to be successful. However, cybercriminals don’t want organizations to be able to recover their systems easily, because being able to do so means they can refuse to pay the ransom and still recover their data. So, ransomware actors are increasingly targeting backup systems in their attacks. In fact, in 93% of attacks, attackers attempt to breach their victims’ backup repositories, resulting in 75% losing at least some of their backups during the attack.
What does this mean for you? It means that not only should your organization be backing up your critical Microsoft 365 data, but you also need to make sure that you’re using a strong cloud backup and recovery solution to do so—one that can create immutable, tamper-proof backups that can’t be compromised by an attacker.
Microsoft 365 is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application suite. SaaS applications are built on a shared responsibility model: Microsoft is responsible for the infrastructure, such as the data center, network controls, applications, virtualization, and operating system; you (the customer) are responsible for protecting your data. That includes securing your endpoints, accounts, and data, and implementing data backup, business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR), and access management.
So, Microsoft will solve any issues related to software failures or downtime, but you have to protect your own data against loss or damage caused by human error, threat actors, or programmatic error.
While Microsoft does offer its own cloud backup and recovery tool, this is not included as part of a standard Microsoft 365 subscription and must be purchased separately or as an add-on.
When it comes to Microsoft 365’s native backup and restore capabilities, Microsoft does create regular backups of your 365 data, but this is only to keep your data accessible in line with the 99.9% uptime promised in their service level agreement (SLA). So, these backups exist only to safeguard Microsoft; your organization, admins, and end users cannot access them.
Within Microsoft 365, different applications offer different retention periods for data, but these only offer protection for an average of 30-90 days:
- Inbox data is stored for two years before being archived
- Recycle Bin items are stored for one month before being permanently deleted
- Deleted SharePoint Online and OneDrive items are stored for up to four months before being deleted
- The data of a user who has left the company is stored for one month before being deleted
If you want to be able to access and restore your lost data in the event of accidental or malicious loss, you need to create backups of that data yourself. The best way to do that is by using a third-party backup and recovery solution, like the ones listed in this guide.
In November 2023, Microsoft announced the launch of their own backup and recovery product, Microsoft 365 Backup. Like other Microsoft 365 backup tools, Microsoft 365 Backup creates copies of your M365 data, but it writes those copies out to a secondary storage facility that still resides within the Microsoft 365 trust boundary. This means that you can manage the security of your backups in the same place that you manage your live Microsoft 365 environment.
Microsoft 365 Backup offers full backup and point-in-time restoration for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Exchange mailboxes. It also enables users to search or filter their backup archive to find specific files, using metadata such as the file owner, subject, and creation/modification dates. Microsoft 365 Backup doesn’t currently offer backup and recovery for Microsoft Teams chat data, and its file recovery features are not as granular as some other Microsoft 365 backup solutions; however, Microsoft has announced that these features are a part of their roadmap post-general availability.
While all Microsoft 365 backup solutions will offer slightly different feature sets in order to meet different use cases, there are some features that you should look for in any Microsoft 365 backup tool. These are:
- Compatibility with all the MS365 apps your business is using.
- Daily backups that are automated to free up your IT team from the responsibilities of running, monitoring, and managing backups.
- Granular search capabilities that enable admins to easily to locate individual pieces of data and restore or export them.
- Restoration options for both individual files and full systems.
- Retention periods and backup storage limits tailored to meet your organization’s needs. For example, HIPAA compliance may necessitate varying retention periods for different data types and a substantial or unlimited storage capacity.
- Security features such as encryption, role-based access, and multi-factor authentication for added protection.
Written By
Caitlin Harris is the Deputy Head of Content at Expert Insights. As an experienced content writer and editor, Caitlin helps cybersecurity leaders to cut through the noise in the cybersecurity space with expert analysis and insightful recommendations.
Prior to Expert Insights, Caitlin worked at QA Ltd, where she produced award-winning technical training materials, and she has also produced journalistic content over the course of her career.
Caitlin has 8 years of experience in the cybersecurity and technology space, helping technical teams, CISOs, and security professionals find clarity on complex, mission critical topics like security awareness training, backup and recovery, and endpoint protection.
Caitlin also hosts the Expert Insights Podcast and co-writes the weekly newsletter, Decrypted.
Technical Review
Craig MacAlpine is CEO and Founder of Expert Insights. Before founding Expert Insights in August 2018, Craig spent 10 years as CEO of EPA Cloud, an email security provider that rebranded as VIPRE Email Security following its acquisition by Ziff Davis, formerly J2Global (NASDAQ: ZD) in 2013.
Craig is a passionate security innovator with over 20 years of experience helping organizations to stay secure with cutting-edge information security and cybersecurity solutions.
Using his extensive experience in the email security industry, he founded Expert Insights with the singular goal of helping IT professionals and CISOs to cut through the noise and find the right cybersecurity solutions they need to protect their organizations.