Microsoft 365 has become the heart of productivity for almost every business out there, so keeping its data safe is now more important than ever. With threats like ransomware on the rise, organizations need reliable ways to not only protect their data, but to quickly recover their entire Microsoft 365 organization following an incident too. Traditional backup has always had its limitations, and throttling, bandwidth, and data size all play a role in how quickly data can be restored. The release of Microsoft’s first-party backup offering, Microsoft 365 Backup, is a game-changer for organizations’ ransomware recovery needs, since it’s a solution not limited by throttling or other hinderances to performance.
In this blog, we’ll break down the core functionalities of Microsoft 365 Backup, including how backup vendors like Veeam build additional value with Microsoft 365 Backup Storage.
Background on Microsoft 365 Backup and Microsoft 365 Backup Storage
On Nov. 15, 2023 at Microsoft Ignite, Microsoft announced its first-party Microsoft 365 backup solution, Microsoft 365 Backup. This solution’s purpose was to support the growing need for quick large-scale recoveries to address rising ransomware attacks and security threats. Recognizing that customers have diverse needs, Microsoft also announced its partnership with Veeam and five other players in the backup space to integrate with thenew backup APIs. Tthis partner offering was named Microsoft 365 Backup Storage.
On July 31, 2024, Microsoft officially released Microsoft 365 Backup, and Veeam released its adoption of Microsoft 365 Backup Storage. Microsoft 365 Backup Storage is embedded within embedding it within its backup service, Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365 and two of its plans: Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365 Express, and Premium. Veeam is proudly the first backup solution to actively ship this integrated Microsoft 365 Backup Storage offering to customers.
What Microsoft 365 Backup Storage Can Do
Microsoft 365 Backup Storage offers several essential features to help businesses protect their critical data:
- Backup of key applications: Microsoft 365 Backup Storage provides complete backup and restore support for Exchange Online. It also provides broad backup support for SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business.
- Low recovery point objectives (RPOs): Backup frequency is fixed, with backups running every 10 minutes for OneDrive and SharePoint for the first two weeks. After these two weeks are up, one backup is retained per week (i.e., a one-week RPO). Backups will run every 10 minutes for Exchange.
- Bulk restore on an enterprise scale: Microsoft 365 Backup Storage can recover multiple mailboxes, multiple SharePoint sites, and multiple OneDrive users all in a single restore job.
- Fast backup and recovery speeds: Microsoft 365 Backup Storage is optimized for large volumes of data, enabling fast backup and recovery times with speeds greater than 1TB per hour. Performance is not impacted by throttling either. For example, a large scale restore of one thousand OneDrives, SharePoint sites, or mailboxes of 15 – 30GBs per protection unit will run at 1 – 5TBs/hour.
While these features form a solid base for data protection, there are several capabilities not included at GA. Many of these capabilities are set to be addressed in the coming months.
Capabilities Microsoft 365 Backup Storage Does Not Have at GA
Every solution has areas for growth and improvement, and Microsoft 365 Backup Storage is no different. Here are some areas where employing some additional capabilities might be beneficial:
- Teams support: Teams backup is no longer optional for many organizations. This means the majority of administrators will be eagerly waiting to adopt backup for Teams when it becomes available with Microsoft 365 Backup Storage.
- Retention period flexibility: Currently, Microsoft 365 Backup Storage supports data retention for up to one year. While this is sufficient for many use cases, some organizations may have compliance or business needs that require longer retention periods. For those who need to retain data for several years or more, the flexibility to adjust retention policies would be valuable in future updates.
- Granular restore options: Microsoft 365 Backup Storage is built to efficiently handle large-scale data restores. However, granular recover options are currently limited to Exchange only. While not at GA, granular restore options for the remaining applications are anticipated to be addressed later on.
- Self-service restore capabilities: At present, Microsoft’s native solution does not include a self-service restore portal for end users. Providing a way for employees to recover their data directly without IT intervention could save time and reduce the burden on IT departments, making day-to-day operations more efficient.
- Storage region flexibility: Currently with Microsoft 365 Backup Storage, you don’t have the ability to select the Azure region of choice for backup storage. This level of choice could help organizations maintain data sovereignty, especially those with specific data residency or regulatory requirements.
How Veeam Complements Microsoft 365 Backup Storage
Veeam, a recognized leader in data protection, complements Microsoft 365 Backup Storage by addressing some of these missing areas and adding new features to provide a robust, tailored solution for organizations with more diverse needs.
1. Comprehensive Application Support
Veeam provides full and customizable backup and granular recovery for key Microsoft 365 applications, including Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Teams.
2. Backup Separation from the Source
With Veeam, you can separate backups from the initial tenant and store it in a different Azure tenant. This offers complete access, control, and the ability to better meet compliance requirements.
3. Industry-leading Restore Options
Veeam has the most flexible granular search-and-recovery options on the market. Restores can be done at the file level, cross user, and to alternate locations. You can also restore data to its original mailbox, different mailboxes, its original folder, or to different folders.
4. Extended Retention
Organizations with long-term data retention needs, like those in regulated industries, will find Veeam’s extended retention options especially valuable. While Microsoft 365 Backup Storage supports up to one year of retention, Veeam offers users the ability to customize retention and store their data for as long as forever. This helps businesses meet compliance requirements and avoid potential penalties.
5. Comprehensive Monitoring and Insights
Veeam provides powerful monitoring and analytics tools that give organizations a clearer picture of their backup environment. With these tools, IT teams can monitor performance, identify potential issues before they become critical, and optimize their backup processes for greater efficiency.
Advanced Veeam Security Enhancements On Top of Microsoft 365 Backup Storage
While Microsoft 365 Backup Storage offers a secure foundation, Veeam builds upon it by adding advanced security features:
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Veeam supports MFA to provide an extra layer of security, ensuring that only authorized personnel can access backup data.
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): This feature allows organizations to define specific roles and permissions, providing more granular control over who can access and modify backup data.
- IP Address Access ranges: Controls the IP ranges at which the Console can be accessed. This reduces the risk of malicious users attempting to gain access.
- Security group object protection: Automatically protects users in a security group as they are added, and refreshes the protected users on an hourly basis.
These security enhancements are particularly important in today’s environment, where cyber threats are constantly evolving.
The Best of Both Worlds: Speed and Scale Meets Control and Flexibility
Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365 with Microsoft 365 Backup Storage is better together. With this solution, organizations can achieve the perfect balance to meet their data protection needs — a combination of customization and flexibility with lightning-fast speed and scale.
This fusion of Veeam’s capabilities with Microsoft 365 Backup Storage enables organizations to quickly recover from any data loss or cyberattack event, no matter how big or small. Whether it’s a quick file-level restore or a full recovery of your entire Microsoft 365 environment, this combined solution has you covered.
Conclusion: Enhancing Microsoft 365 Backup Storage with Veeam
Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365 with Microsoft 365 Backup Storage provides the perfect combination of speed, security, and flexibility. For IT leaders looking to strengthen their data protection strategy, this is a complete, adaptable solution that can meet the varied needs of today’s businesses.
Learn more about how Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365 can enhance your organization’s data protection efforts.
