Microsoft 365 is the bedrock of your organization, with all your business-critical data on Office 365. Losing important data or suffering a security breach can have devastating consequences. But with so many options on the market, how do you choose the best backup solution for office 365? What is the level of security for the backup? Is the data stored on-premise or in the cloud? How simple is the process of artifact recovery?
Does it comply with regulatory requirements? Consider this comprehensive 10-point checklist to make an informed decision when selecting a cloud backup provider. In this 10-point checklist to zone in on the best Office 365 backup solution/tool, we’ll go over the features and benefits to look for when selecting a Microsoft 365 backup and recovery service for your organization.
What’s the Best Office 365 Backup Solution? A 10-Point Checklist
Stringent Security
As the many Office 365 “breaches-by-association” have shown us, your data is only as secure as its backup. Not all Office 365 cloud backup providers offer stringent levels of data protection.
The solution you choose should have robust security measures in place to prevent data breaches and protect your data. Look for an Office 365 backup solution that meets stringent security certifications and compliance standards such as HIPAA, GDPR, and ISO 27001. One must also ensure that the solution uses a secure encryption method such as AES-256-bit, which is the industry standard for data privacy.
Comprehensive Coverage
The first feature to consider when selecting an Office 365 backup solution is whether it offers extensive coverage. Your chosen solution should be able to backup and restore all data within Microsoft Office 365 including Exchange (mail, contacts, calendar and notes), OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams. Many cloud-to-cloud backup services do not backup all Office 365 data by default, so it’s important to verify if all important data is being backed up. This is particularly true for Teams which increasingly holds business-critical data. Look for a solution that offers a comprehensive backup service that will protect your entire organization’s data.
Smart and Easy Recovery
In case of any failure, downtime, or data loss, a timely recovery is essential for business continuity. Make sure that your backup solution has an easy-to-use recovery process, with minimal downtime, and complete restoration of data.
Look for an Office 365 backup solution that offers smart recovery capabilities. These capabilities allow for a granular or keyword-based targeted recovery of data. This feature enables IT admins to search for, preview and recover specific data within seconds, which can help improve your Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO). Both being crucial parameters to ensure business continuity.
Compliance with Audits
Compliance with regulatory standards is crucial for businesses of all sizes. Choose a backup solution that meets or exceeds industry standards such as stringent encryption, GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2.
The location of data centers is a crucial audit requirement, particularly for compliance with GDPR. Data collected on citizens must be stored in the EU or in a country with comparable privacy laws to ensure adequate protection. Ensure your control over data deletion, including all copies, with the “right to be forgotten” regulation.
Backup Storage Type and Limits
Will the Office 365 backup solution store your data backup on the cloud or on-premises? Storing data on the cloud provides scalability, enhanced security, and cost savings by reducing infrastructure and maintenance expenses.
Additionally, the amount of data generated and stored in an organization is rapidly increasing. Ensure that the backup solution allows for unlimited storage with flexible cloud options, such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon S3, and Google Cloud.
If you belong to an industry subject to stricter data privacy laws, consider if Bring Your Own Storage (BYOS) is allowed.
Customer Support
When data loss occurs or backup fails, reliable and knowledgeable support is crucial. Choose a solution provider that offers a responsive and professional support team with 24/7 accessibility and multi-channel support.
Easy of Adoption
Choose a backup solution that is easy to deploy and maintain, without requiring extensive IT expertise. An intuitive user interface with easy self-service back and recovery capabilities go a long way. Check with the Office 365 backup provider on training and maintenance costs.
Rating and Reputation
The cloud backup industry is projected to reach a staggering $4.13 billion by 2022. It comes as no surprise that numerous players are eager to join the bandwagon, offering solutions that may be unreliable and untested. Instead, opt for a reputable and proven cloud backup solution over a flashy, yet unestablished newcomer.
Check the user ratings and reviews of the backup solution before making a purchase. Tools such as G2 Crowd, Capterra, and TrustRadius provide users with comprehensive reviews and ratings.
Admin-friendly
Your IT Admins will be the main users. Check for features such as bulk-addition and auto-detection of sites and accounts, centralized dashboard, reporting and monitoring, fine-grained permissions. And a “well-stocked” knowledge base.
Pricing/ROI
Price is always an important consideration. Choose a backup solution that provides a fair and transparent pricing structure with no hidden fees and a positive return on your investment. Ask if there is an option to bill monthly and annually, for non profit/edu discounts, and bundled packages. Also check on the fine print for binding clauses and commitments.
In Conclusion
Investing in the right Office 365 backup and recovery solution is crucial for seamless business continuity. The ideal backup solution should prioritize data security, compliance, ease of management, and effective recovery, while also providing a fair and transparent pricing structure.
By considering the checklist of features that we have outlined above, you can select a backup solution that meets your business needs. As always, take your time to research multiple options, and don’t hesitate to reach out to reputable backup solution providers for further guidance.
CloudAlly pioneered SaaS backup in 2011 and, as a result, our products are robust and proven. 20,000+ organizations trust our Office 365 backup solution to secure all their Microsoft 365 data from loss – Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Groups/ Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Public Folders. Our suite of top-rated SaaS solutions for Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Dropbox, Box, and Google Workspace is comprehensive, secure, and fully audit compliant.
Our security measures are top-notch. We utilize AES-256 bit encryption for data at rest and SSL encryption for data in transit. We support multi-factor authentication (MFA) and offer a range of data centers in North America, Canada, Germany, the UK, Australia, and South Africa.
Experience the peace of mind knowing that your data is securely stored on Amazon AWS servers, offering unlimited storage and seamless recovery at any point-in-time, with unparalleled granularity.
Their robust infrastructure ensures the utmost protection for your valuable information. Don’t just take our word for it – request a demo now and try it out!
Author: Teresa Gracias
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