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Office 365, part of the Microsoft office package, is an excellent service to get things done and communicate within the company. While the service is excellent, it has some limitations. And one of them has to do with backups.
Office 365 suggested users switch to the cloud-based service that boasts over 12 billion users and counting to improve it. But some users opt for an additional backup suit with added features. More control over the data is the main reason. In this article, learn about the features that an Office 365 backup must-have.
Backup Options
The first thing to look for is the Microsoft products and services it offers backup for. Ideally, the Office 365 backup should create a copy for every Office product. But if you’re purchasing an extensive backup service, it will create backups for a wide range of products. This includes the following:
- Outlook
- Sharepoint
- OneDrive
- Contacts/Calendar
- Groups & Teams
With the rise in remote work and collaboration, a growing number of people are using Groups and Teams. If you’re part of any Team, then you must be sharing important and sensitive files. You wouldn’t necessarily want to lose them with the system crashes nor the chats. A comprehensive backup solution will create a backup for each of these services.
Security Features
You need to ensure that the service that is backing up your files is secure and protected. So, check for the security features.
The office 365 backup service should have the following security features:
- Top-of-the-line perimeter firewall
- Intrusion and threat detection with event logging
- Internal firewalls
- Data-at-rest encryption
- Strong physical security at data centers
Every bit of information that enters or exists in a database or data center is a package. The backup service should check the integrity of the file packet and verify its stability before approving it. Similarly, physical security plays a big part in securing your data.
Storage Limit
The backup service provider will offer you storage for storing the backup data. The question to ask is how much.
The storage requirement also tends to vary greatly. 10 GB is sufficient for some businesses, while even 1 TB is insufficient for others. So you need to know about your storage requirement first.
Backup service providers may also charge based on the storage you opt for. But some services offer unlimited backup for a flat fee. So choose your service provider wisely.
Data Compliance
There are several laws in place that you must comply with when storing your data on the cloud. Every major cloud provider like Google, AWS, Azure also has to comply with it. The backup storage provider you select must comply with it too. The requirements vary from region to region. So you must check with your national and local (and international if you’re operating globally). Then ensure your backup provider complies with it too.
Ease of Restore
The last factor you should check for is how easy it is to restore the backup you create. Some companies offer a simple one-click restore. Just press the required button, and you’ll have the backup file in your local drive. Others adopt a much more complex procedure. The ideal choice should be the one that offers a one-click restore.
Office 365 backup is a must for every business, irrespective of the sector. As the cloud usage grows, you’d find yourself backing up more data. Use the above pointers to select the right backup provider.
