Does Microsoft O365 Provide Reliable Backup for My Files?

So here's the deal: SharePoint and OneDrive do keep a version history. This means you can revert to an earlier version of your files if ransomware hits. However, Microsoft doesn't back up your data in the traditional sense; they mainly have backups for their own systems. So, if you mess things up on your end, you won't be able to recover from their backups. It's a solid idea to have a third-party backup solution to avoid any headaches later on.

You’ve got some built-in options with versioning and snapshots in SharePoint that can help recover files. Just be mindful that if it's a targeted ransomware attack, they might try to purify the version history before making their move. It's essential to understand the differences between versioning and true backups and to implement something like the 3-2-1 backup strategy to cover your bases!

If your files are on SharePoint, there's a good chance you can roll back to an older version, especially if you have compliance policies in place. Microsoft does provide some backup services if you opt for them. However, your SLA won't cover data backups, so definitely look into options like VEEAM or Afi.ai for comprehensive backups. Just make sure you're aware of what you need for your backup strategy.

Honestly, you can't fully rely on Microsoft for backups. While they do offer options like versioning in SharePoint, if someone uses ransomware, they can potentially wipe out those versions before you can recover them. Using a third-party service or a dedicated MS365 backup tool is really the safest bet if you want to ensure your data is truly protected.