Why You Need to Backup Microsoft 365 (Hint: Microsoft Doesn't Do It For You)
There is a common misconception among small business owners: "We moved to the cloud (Microsoft 365), so our data is automatically backed up."
Unfortunately, this is false. And believing it could cost your business everything.
While Microsoft 365 is incredibly resilient (meaning the service rarely goes down), Microsoft operates under a "Shared Responsibility Model." This means they are responsible for the infrastructure, but you are responsible for the data that lives inside it.
Here is why relying on Microsoft alone is a risky strategy—and why every UK SME needs a third-party backup solution.
The "Recycle Bin" Is Not a Backup
If an employee accidentally deletes a critical file in SharePoint or an important email in Outlook, it goes to the Recycle Bin. It stays there for roughly 30 days (depending on your settings).
After that? It is gone forever.
If a disgruntled employee decides to "wipe" their inbox before quitting, or if a ransomware attack encrypts your OneDrive files, Microsoft’s native tools often cannot restore them to a specific point in time.
Reason 1: Protection Against Human Error
70% of data loss is caused by accidental deletion. Someone drags a folder into the wrong place, hits "delete," and doesn't realize the mistake for two months. By then, the Recycle Bin has been emptied, and the file is unrecoverable without a backup.
Reason 2: Defence Against Ransomware
Modern ransomware doesn't just lock your computer; it syncs the encrypted "virus" files to your OneDrive and SharePoint. If your cloud files get infected, you need a way to "rewind" your data to the moment before the infection happened. Microsoft’s versioning can sometimes help, but it is clunky and not guaranteed.
Reason 3: Compliance & Legal
If you delete a user account (e.g., when a staff member leaves), Microsoft deletes their data to free up the license. If you need to find an old email from that ex-employee six months later for a legal dispute, you are out of luck—unless you have an independent backup.
The Solution: Cloud-to-Cloud Backup
The only way to be 100% safe is to use a Third-Party Backup Solution.
These tools connect to your Microsoft 365 account and take a secure copy of your Emails, Teams chats, OneDrive files, and SharePoint sites several times a day. These copies are stored in a separate cloud vault, away from Microsoft.
Benefits of Managed Backup:
Infinite Retention: Keep data for 1 year, 7 years, or forever.
Fast Restoration: Restore a single missing email or an entire SharePoint site in minutes.
Peace of Mind: Know that even if Microsoft has a catastrophic failure (or you get hacked), your data is safe elsewhere.
Conclusion: Don't Gamble with Your Data
Moving to the cloud is smart. But assuming the cloud is invincible is dangerous.
At Pilot IQ, we include Managed Microsoft 365 Backup in our support packages because we know that when data loss happens, "it wasn't my fault" isn't a valid business continuity plan.
Is your cloud data actually safe? Contact Pilot IQ today to secure your Microsoft 365 environment.