Microsoft 365 Backup Offers Long-Awaited but Limited Utility

• Microsoft 365 Backup, a paid preview service, enables customers to back up and restore data for Microsoft 365 services.
• It is focused on quick restoration of protected Exchange Online, OneDrive for Business, and SharePoint Online data in the event of ransomware attacks and other large-scale data loss events.
• The preview covers core backup capabilities, but the service needs time to mature, and several preview limitations will persist into general availability.  

Microsoft 365 Backup, currently in paid preview, provides backup of Exchange Online mailboxes, OneDrive for Business accounts, and SharePoint Online sites to Azure storage, using a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model based on the amount of data protected. It is focused on protecting customer data from ransomware attacks on Microsoft 365 tenancies and enabling rapid, tenant-wide restoration of protected data while minimizing potential lost work. The service differs from the built-in versioning and “recycle bins” offered by SharePoint and other Office services, which are intended for casual undelete/revert of individual items, and also differs from eDiscovery and legal hold features, which let tenants “freeze” and export data but do not provide data restoration services. General availability of Microsoft 365 Backup is expected in the first half of 2024, but customers who require more than basic backup functionality will want to wait until the service matures or ISVs offer additional capabilities.