Updated: February 26, 2024 (February 19, 2024)

Summarizing Microsoft 365 Backup

Jim leads the Directions on Microsoft editorial team and has been writing about technology since the early 1990s. Most recently... more

The Microsoft 365 Backup preview supports backup and restore of data for Exchange, OneDrive, and SharePoint. This chart summarizes the type of data protected, the level at which it can be restored, and applicable recovery point objectives (RPOs) and recovery time objectives (RTOs).

A unit, for purposes of this chart, is the most granular portion of data that can be selected for backup or restoration.

The RPO defines the maximum amount of time during which data is not available for recovery after a data loss event, such as a ransomware attack. An RPO of 15 minutes means that if data needs to be recovered, no more than 15 minutes of changes would be lost. Microsoft 365 Backup maintains a longer RPO for OneDrive and SharePoint Online backups that are over two weeks old.

The RTO defines how long it takes for data to be restored from backups to production. A minimal RTO can be crucial for business continuity in the event an organization has to recover from a data loss event. (* Assumes an average 30GB mailbox/site)

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