What Are Microsoft 365 Backup And Recovery Services?

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.

How Does M365/Office 365 Backup Software Prevent Data Loss?

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.

Why Should You Back Up M365 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.

Who Is Responsible For Backing Up M365 Data?

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.

Does Microsoft 365 Offer Cloud Backup Natively?

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.

What Is Microsoft's Own 365 Backup Solution?

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.

What Features Should You Look For In A Backup And Recovery Solution For Microsoft 365?

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.

Best M365 Backup Solutions for 2025

Backupify Backup for Microsoft 365

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CrashPlan

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ManageEngine RecoveryManager Plus

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Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud Backup

Acronis CyberProtect Cloud Backup is a robust data protection solution that offers comprehensive backup, disaster recovery, and secure data access. It is designed to safeguard Microsoft 365 data and protect against ransomware with AI-powered technology.

Why We Picked Acronis CyberProtect Cloud Backup: We appreciate its rapid recovery capabilities using Acronis’ runVM technology, which ensures minimal disruption and maintains productivity. Additionally, the solution’s proactive ransomware protection powered by AI technology is a standout feature.

Acronis CyberProtect Cloud Backup Best Features: Key features include file backup, disaster recovery, secure file sync and share, and AI-powered ransomware protection. It also offers instantaneous recovery, verification of backup authenticity, and a web-based management console. Integrations span over 20 virtual, physical, cloud, and mobile platforms, with industry-specific solutions for automotive, healthcare, energy, and government sectors.

What’s great:

Rapid recovery minimizes user disruption
Proactive AI-powered ransomware protection
Web-based management console for flexible administration
Extensive platform compatibility
Industry-tailored data protection solutions

What to consider:

May require additional setup for complex environments

Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit Acronis directly.

Who it’s for: Acronis CyberProtect Cloud Backup is ideal for medium to large global enterprises seeking industry-specific data protection with rapid recovery capabilities.

CloudAlly Backup for Microsoft 365

CloudAlly Backup for Microsoft 365 is a robust cloud-based data protection solution tailored for small to midsized businesses. Acquired by OpenText in 2021, it supports backup and recovery for all Microsoft 365 data, including Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint, and has been trusted by over 14,000 organizations globally.

Why We Picked CloudAlly Backup for Microsoft 365: We appreciate its automatic daily backups and the flexibility to customize backup schedules. Its integration with Active Directory ensures new users’ data is backed up immediately upon enrollment.

CloudAlly Backup for Microsoft 365 Best Features: Key features include daily backups with customizable schedules, unlimited data retention, immutable storage, AES 256-bit encryption, support for two-factor authentication, and global data center options. The solution integrates with Active Directory and supports granular searches for data recovery, offering historical snapshots, cross-user restore, and non-destructive restore options.

What’s great:

Seamless integration with all Microsoft 365 plans
Unlimited data retention and immutable storage
Strong encryption and two-factor authentication
Global data centers ensure compliance with standards like ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR
Intuitive interface with 24/7/365 customer support

What to consider:

Does not back up settings and configuration data

Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit CloudAlly directly.

Who it’s for: CloudAlly Backup for Microsoft 365 is ideal for small to midsized businesses, particularly educational institutions and non-profit organizations, due to its cost-effective pricing model and comprehensive data protection features.

Datto SaaS Protection

Datto SaaS Protection is a robust backup and disaster recovery solution tailored for MSPs, focusing on securing Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 data. It offers automatic backups and flexible data recovery options to safeguard against both malicious and accidental data loss.

Why We Picked Datto SaaS Protection: We appreciate its three-times-daily automatic backups and the highly flexible restoration options, which allow for cross-user and granular recovery.

Datto SaaS Protection Key Features: Features include automatic backups of Exchange, Tasks, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams data, with data stored in Datto’s private cloud across multiple global locations. It supports customizable retention periods, multi-tenant management, and data restoration to any point in time, including PST export for Exchange. Integrations include seamless compatibility with Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.

What’s great:

Three-times-daily backups ensure minimal data loss
Highly flexible restoration options, including cross-user and granular recovery
Compliant with SOC1 and SOC2 Type II standards
Easy deployment and client onboarding praised by users

What to consider:

Primarily designed for MSPs

Pricing: For detailed pricing, contact Datto directly.

Best suited for: Datto SaaS Protection is ideal for MSPs, especially those serving clients in sectors like healthcare, finance, and legal, where data protection and compliance are critical.

Dell APEX Backup Services for SaaS apps

Dell APEX Backup Services for SaaS apps is a cloud-based data protection solution that secures Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Salesforce data. It offers comprehensive backup, disaster recovery, and long-term retention, eliminating the need for complex hardware installations.

Why We Picked Dell APEX Backup Services: We like its unlimited retention periods and highly flexible restoration options, making it ideal for large-scale Microsoft 365 data backup.

Dell APEX Backup Services Best Features: Key features include automated point-in-time backups, isolated and immutable storage, source-side deduplication, and flexible recovery options such as mailbox, individual file, and bulk recovery. It supports in-place, as-a-copy, and point-in-time recovery, with the ability to restore data outside Microsoft 365. Additional features include eDiscovery tools for file searching and export, and detailed audit logs for compliance.

What’s great:

100% cloud-based, easy to deploy and scalable
Automated backups with no purge timeframes
Robust security features ensure data integrity
Flexible recovery options cater to various needs
Comprehensive eDiscovery and compliance tools

What to consider:

May require expertise for full utilization of advanced features

Pricing: For detailed pricing, contact Dell Technologies directly.

Who it’s for: Dell APEX Backup Services for SaaS apps is best suited for mid-market and larger enterprises looking to secure and manage large volumes of Microsoft 365 data with a scalable, cloud-based solution.

Druva Data Security Cloud

Druva’s Data Security Cloud is a robust resilience solution that secures data across endpoints, applications, and workloads, ensuring compliance and business continuity. It offers comprehensive backup and recovery for SaaS applications like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack, and Salesforce.

Why We Picked Druva’s Data Security Cloud: We appreciate the platform’s automated, incremental, cloud-to-cloud backup for Microsoft 365, which covers OneDrive, Exchange Online, SharePoint, and Microsoft Teams. Its ransomware protection and compliance with multiple data protection standards make it a strong choice for organizations handling sensitive data.

Druva’s Data Security Cloud Best Features: Key features include automated backups with invisible backup windows, global source-side deduplication, federated search and eDiscovery tools, self-service restore for end users, and full audit trails. It also provides AES 256-bit encryption for data at rest, TLS 1.2 for data in transit, and supports single sign-on via ADFS and Okta. The platform is FedRAMP authorized and aligns with EDRM, Department of Justice requirements for legal hold management, and offers support for SOC 2 Type 2, HIPAA, and Privacy Shield compliance.

What’s great:

Comprehensive backup and recovery for Microsoft 365 and other SaaS applications
Automated, incremental backups with minimal impact on system performance
Strong encryption and ransomware protection
Robust eDiscovery and compliance features
Quick deployment and on-demand scalability

What to consider:

May require additional configuration for complex environments

Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit Druva’s website.

Who it’s for: Druva’s Data Security Cloud is ideal for mid-market and large enterprises needing secure backup solutions for sensitive data like PII, PHI, and legal records, with a focus on compliance and business continuity.

Rubrik Microsoft 365 Protection

Rubrik Microsoft 365 Protection is a robust backup and recovery solution tailored for Microsoft 365 environments. It automatically backs up data across Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams, offering advanced search and granular restoration capabilities to mitigate data loss effectively.

Why We Picked Rubrik Microsoft 365 Protection: We appreciate its automatic discovery and backup of new users, sites, and teams, ensuring comprehensive data protection. The solution’s advanced search and granular recovery options allow for precise data management and restoration.

Rubrik Microsoft 365 Protection Best Features: Key features include automatic backups, advanced search tools, granular and bulk recovery options, scheduled and on-demand reporting, and secure storage of backups. It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 through APIs, enabling automatic detection and protection of new users and troubleshooting of outages.

What’s great:

Automatic discovery and backup of new data
Granular recovery to original or alternate locations
Secure, isolated backup storage
Comprehensive reporting and compliance tools
Identification and protection of sensitive data

What to consider:

May require additional configuration for complex setups

Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit Rubrik’s official website.

Who it’s for: Rubrik Microsoft 365 Protection is best suited for large enterprises and organizations in highly regulated industries that require a reliable, easy-to-deploy backup solution with strong data protection and compliance features.

10.

Spanning Backup for Office 365

Spanning Backup for Microsoft 365, a Kaseya company, offers robust backup and recovery solutions for Microsoft 365 applications, serving over 10,000 organizations and 2.4 million users globally.

Why We Picked Spanning Backup for Microsoft 365: We appreciate its automated daily backups that save IT administrators time, and its quick recovery capabilities that mitigate risks from ransomware, malicious file erasure, and accidental errors.

Spanning Backup for Microsoft 365 Best Features: Key features include automated daily backups, on-demand backups, comprehensive data protection, rapid data restoration, and advanced search capabilities. It supports Microsoft Office, Mail, Teams, Calendar, OneDrive, and SharePoint. Additional features include status monitoring, immutable audit logs, Active Directory sync, regional data center options, and individual license management. Built on AWS, it offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee, global data centers, and compliance with SOC2, HIPAA, and GDPR.

What’s great:

Automated daily backups reduce IT workload
Quick recovery from ransomware and data loss
Comprehensive data protection across Microsoft 365 apps
Advanced search and rapid restoration capabilities
Robust security features including encryption and intrusion detection

What to consider:

May require additional configuration for advanced features

Pricing: For specific pricing, contact Spanning directly.

Who it’s for: Spanning Backup for Microsoft 365 is ideal for businesses of all sizes seeking reliable, automated backup and recovery solutions for their Microsoft 365 applications, especially those concerned with data security and compliance.

11.

Veeam Data Cloud

Veeam DataCloud, launched in 2024, is an all-in-one storage, cloud backup, and ransomware recovery solution designed for Microsoft 365 and Azure, offering protection and recovery for Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, Teams, Azure VMs, Azure SQL, and Azure Files.

Why We Picked Veeam DataCloud: We appreciate its cloud-native, as-a-Service model that simplifies deployment and eliminates the need for on-premises storage management. Additionally, its immutable cloud storage in Azure ensures robust data protection.

Veeam DataCloud Best Features: Key features include backup and recovery for Microsoft 365 and Azure environments, scheduled backups, restore operations, backup status visibility, user account management, license activity tracking, storage usage monitoring, role-based access controls, and user activity logging. The solution supports a web-based interface for easy management.

What’s great:

Easy deployment with out-of-the-box functionality
Modern, user-friendly interface
Immutable backups in Azure for enhanced security
Comprehensive management of Microsoft 365 and Azure backups

What to consider:

Enteprise focussed solution aimed at larger organizations and backups

Pricing: Contact Veeam directly for pricing information.

Who it’s for: Veeam DataCloud is best suited for small and mid-size organizations seeking a secure, cloud-based backup solution for their Microsoft 365 or Azure environments.

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.

AvePoint Cloud Backup

Straightforward protection that requires very little configuration, without compromising on security.

Cohesity DataProtect

A fully managed Backup-as-a-Service solution designed to protect SaaS, cloud-native, and on-prem data sources.

Commvault Cloud

A cyber resilience platform that provides a robust defense against ransomware, thanks to its Metallic AI feature.

Veritas Backup Exec

Quick and easy data backup and recovery, with lots of useful integrations that make the platform easier to manage.

The Top 11 Microsoft 365 (Office 365) Backup And Recovery Solutions

How to Choose the Right Backup and Recovery Solution?

Selecting the right backup and recovery solution for Microsoft Office 365 involves aligning the tool with your organization’s data protection needs and operational requirements. Consider these key steps to make an informed choice:

Assess Your Data Environment: Evaluate the volume and types of Office 365 data (e.g., Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams) and identify critical assets requiring backup.
Define Recovery and Compliance Needs: Factor in recovery time objectives (RTO), retention policies, and compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) to ensure data availability and regulatory adherence.
Prioritize Scalability: Choose a solution that supports your current Office 365 usage and can scale to accommodate user growth or increased data volumes.

Focus on critical features to ensure robust data protection and efficient recovery:

Comprehensive Backup Coverage: Look for solutions that back up all Office 365 services, including emails, files, calendars, and Teams data, with granular restore options.
Automated Backup Scheduling: Prioritize tools with frequent, automated backups to minimize data loss and reduce manual oversight.
Fast and Flexible Recovery: Ensure features like point-in-time restores, cross-user recovery, and search capabilities for quick and precise data retrieval.
Security and Compliance Tools: Verify encryption, access controls, and audit logs to protect backups and meet regulatory standards.

Balance functionality with usability to maximize efficiency:

User-Friendly Interface: Avoid complex platforms that slow down IT admins, opting for intuitive dashboards and straightforward restore processes.
Vendor Support Quality: Select providers with responsive support and detailed documentation to assist with setup and recovery scenarios.
Testing and Trials: Use demos, free trials, or independent reviews to validate performance and fit before committing.

Summary and Key Takeaways

Our guide to the leading backup and recovery solutions for Microsoft Office 365 provides a comprehensive overview of platforms designed to protect and restore critical Office 365 data. The article evaluates tools based on features like comprehensive backup coverage, automated scheduling, fast recovery options, and robust security, catering to organizations of all sizes. It emphasizes the importance of balancing data protection, scalability, and usability to ensure business continuity and compliance in a cloud-first environment.

Key Takeaways:

Holistic Data Protection: Top solutions back up all Office 365 services with granular restore capabilities to safeguard critical data.
Scalability and Automation: Choose platforms with automated backups and scalability to support growing Office 365 environments.
User-Centric Design: Prioritize intuitive interfaces and reliable support to streamline backup management and recovery.

What Do You Think?

We’ve explored the leading backup and recovery solutions for Microsoft Office 365, highlighting how these tools help organizations protect and restore data with ease. Now, we’d love to hear your perspective—what’s your experience with Office 365 backup platforms? Are features like automated backups, granular restores, or compliance tools critical for your organization’s data protection strategy?

Selecting the right backup and recovery solution can transform how you ensure business continuity, but challenges like setup complexity or recovery speed can arise. Have you found a standout platform that’s simplified your data protection, or encountered hurdles with scalability or usability? Share your insights to help other organizations navigate the backup and recovery landscape and choose the best tool for their needs.

Let us know which solution you recommend to help us improve our list!

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Microsoft 365 Backup And Recovery Buyers’ Guide 2025

How to choose the right Microsoft 365 backup and recovery solution.

Caitlin Harris, Tom King Last updated on Jan 3, 2025

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Written By

Caitlin Harris Deputy Head Of Content

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.

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Craig MacAlpine CEO and Founder

Craig MacAlpine is CEO and Founder of Expert Insights. Before founding Expert Insights in August 2018, Craig spent 10 years as CEO and founder of EPA Cloud, an email security provider that rebranded as VIPRE Email Security following its acquisition by Ziff Davies, formerly J2Global (NASQAQ: 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.

The Top 11 Microsoft 365 (Office 365) Backup And Recovery Solutions

Discover the top Microsoft 365 (Office 365) recovery and backup solutions. Explore features such as automated backups, reporting, and deduplication.