Microsoft 365 has become the backbone of countless organizations worldwide. It offers a suite of tools that enhance productivity, communication, and collaboration. As businesses increasingly rely on this cloud-based platform, a critical question arises: Is your data truly safe?
While Microsoft 365 offers robust tools for productivity, you shouldn’t solely rely on Microsoft’s built-in protection and leave your data vulnerable to various risks. In fact, 70% of businesses shut down in one year after facing significant data loss.
The risks are real, and the consequences of data loss can be devastating. Stick with this guide to learn the seven key reasons to backup Microsoft 365.
1. Accidental Deletion
No matter how careful your team is, mistakes happen. A single wrong click can lead to the deletion of critical files, emails, or even entire user accounts. Although Microsoft 365 offers a limited retention period for deleted data, recovery becomes nearly impossible once that window closes.
Regular backups ensure that even if data is accidentally deleted, you can restore it quickly and maintain business continuity.
2. Retention Policy Gaps
Every organization must comply with industry-specific regulations that dictate how long data must be retained and how quickly it can be retrieved. Microsoft 365’s native retention features are limited, often failing to meet these complex requirements, especially for long-term data storage or recovery of deleted information. This creates significant gaps in compliance and leaves businesses vulnerable to legal penalties and operational risks.
A dedicated backup solution ensures your data is securely retained, easily accessible, and fully compliant with regulatory standards. Henceforth, it provides the protection and peace of mind your organization needs. Don’t let retention gaps expose you to unnecessary risks—backup is the solution.
3. Insider Threats
Surprisingly, 83% of companies reported at least one insider attack in 2024. Disgruntled employees or those with malicious intent can intentionally delete or tamper with critical data. Even well-meaning employees can accidentally cause harm.
With a robust backup solution, you can mitigate the risks associated with insider threats and restore data to its original state, no matter the source of the threat.
4. External Threats
Organizations have tons of external threats to deal with. Cyberattacks in the form of malware or ransomware pose significant challenges. These attacks can cripple your operations, encrypt critical data, and demand hefty ransoms for its release—often with no guarantee of recovery.
Today, there are over 2,200 attacks that occur every day, which means there is one cyberattack every 39 seconds. Just like other software solutions, Microsoft 365 is not 100% immune to these threats. Once attackers breach your system, your data could be lost forever without a reliable backup.
A dedicated backup solution acts as a safety net. It enables you to restore your data quickly and avoid the devastating consequences of cyberattacks. Don’t let external threats hold your business hostage—backup is your best defense.
Read more: 7 Strategies to Boost Your Cybersecurity Protection
5. Compliance Reasons
Different organizations have different strict regulations for data retention and protection. Relying solely on Microsoft 365’s native tools may not meet these requirements and leave your organization vulnerable to fines and legal disputes.
A comprehensive backup solution ensures compliance by providing long-term data retention and easy retrieval when needed.
6. Customer Experience
Customer experience can get a major hit if your business faces data loss calamity. Data loss can disrupt services and erode customer trust. For example, losing customer orders, communications, or service records can lead to dissatisfaction and potential loss of business.
When an organization maintains up-to-date backups, it is in a better position to quickly recover from data loss incidents, ensure uninterrupted services, and maintain customer confidence.
7. Cost Savings
93% of organizations that faced a 10-day or longer disruption to their data center filed for bankruptcy in one year. Data loss can lead to staggering financial impact, which can be related to productivity loss, ransom payment, infrastructure rebuild, etc.
Consider the cost of recreating lost data versus the cost of a backup solution. The time and resources required to rebuild files, reconstruct email threads, and recover from data loss can be substantial. Therefore, a Microsoft 365 backup solution is a cost-effective insurance policy, which helps reduce downtime and data loss and save you money in the long run.
Wrapping Up
The risks associated with Microsoft 365 data loss are real and multifaceted. Therefore, it is important than ever to implement an effective backup solution that can safeguard data, maintain compliance, and secure business continuity. To effectively safeguard your data within Microsoft 365, Sun IT Solutions managed services offer robust backup solutions.
Sun IT Solutions is a leading IT consulting firm in Toronto, providing Managed IT Services, Network Management, Co-Managed IT, Help Desk & Remote IT Support, Unified Communications, Tech Support, Cloud Solutions, Managed Security, IT Outsourcing, Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery (BCDR), Cybersecurity Training, and Dark Web Monitoring to help businesses stay secure and efficient. Our proactive IT solutions ensure seamless operations, minimize downtime, and protect against cyber threats. Take advantage of our FREE Data Breach Scan to check if your credentials have been compromised by hackers—because safeguarding your business starts with knowing the risks.
