I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." That has never been truer than it is now, especially when it comes to customers' critical business data. Even before companies started moving their documents and files to the cloud, most MSPs would not allow their clientele to rely on only one form of backup. So it makes sense that in these days of cloud services, companies continue to leverage multiple approaches to data protection.
A case in point: Microsoft backs up Office 365 to safeguard data in the cloud service. But third-party options have also gained critical mass. For instance, Veeam Software is seeing strong demand for the company's Veeam Backup for Microsoft Office 365.
More than 25,000 organizations have downloaded the software, which represents approximately 2.3 million Microsoft Office 365 users. During the Q3 2017, Veeam Backup for Microsoft Office 365 grew 83% over the previous quarter.
Veeam, like a growing number of rivals, frequently reminds partners and customers that SaaS platforms need backup and restore capabilities beyond a vendors' built-in options. As Veeam VP Paul Mattes puts it:
“It’s a big mistake to think that enterprises no longer need to be concerned about ensuring availability and protecting their data in the cloud. As organizations increasingly move to cloud-based applications like Microsoft Office 365, they need to clearly identify and understand who is responsible for what. For example, Microsoft takes on the management of the infrastructure built underneath Office 365 while companies have complete control over its data to ensure availability to users and meet the needs of compliance and legal requirements.”
In a blog post, Mattes outlined the reasons why backing up Office 365 is so critical.
- Accidental deletion: If you delete a user, whether you meant to or not, that deletion is replicated across the network. A backup can restore that user, either to on-premises Exchange or Office 365.
- Retention policy gaps and confusion: Office 365 retention policies are hard to keep up with, let alone manage. A backup provides longer, more accessible retention all protected and stored in one place for easy recovery.
- Internal security threats: Many businesses are experiencing threats from the inside, and they are happening more often than you think. Having a high-grade recovery solution mitigates the risk of critical data being lost or destroyed.
- External security threats: Malware and viruses have done serious damage to organizations globally in just the past year alone. A backup can easily restore mailboxes to an instance before the attack.
- Legal and compliance requirements: Ensure you can retrieve mailbox data during legal action and to meet any regulatory compliance needs.
- Managing hybrid email deployments and migrations to Office 365: Whether you are migrating to Office 365 or have a blend of on-premises Exchange and Office 365 users, the exchange data should be managed and protected the same way, making the source location irrelevant.
I would add to this list the reason previously mentioned that you do not want to trust all of your critical data to one service or company. It has long been best practice to have multiple data backup solutions to ensure business protection. I would add: Having control over your data is extremely comforting -- especially if a CSP goes dark or somehow loses your data.
Of course, Veeam isn't alone in the Office 365 backup market. A growing number of MSP-centric backup companies have Office 365 options for partners.
