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Microsoft 365 Backup for Data Microsoft Doesn't Actually Back Up
Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams data protected against deletion, ransomware and mistakes — included as standard in our managed IT plans.
Closes a Real Gap
Microsoft keeps your data available, not backed up — its shared responsibility model leaves recovery from deletion and ransomware down to you.
Covers Everything You Use
Exchange Online mailboxes, SharePoint sites, OneDrive files and Teams chats and channels, all backed up on a schedule you control.
Fast, Point-in-Time Recovery
Restore a single deleted email, an overwritten document, or an entire mailbox to a specific point in time, without waiting on Microsoft support.
Microsoft 365 backup for the data Microsoft's own retention doesn't fully protect
Most UK SMEs assume that because their email, files and Teams chats live in Microsoft 365, Microsoft is backing them up. It isn't — not in the way most businesses mean by "backup". Microsoft's shared responsibility model keeps the platform available and resilient against Microsoft's own infrastructure failures, but recovery from accidental deletion, a rogue script, a departing employee wiping a mailbox, or ransomware that syncs corrupted files across SharePoint and OneDrive is your responsibility. Native retention policies and the recycle bin have limits — typically 30 to 93 days — and are designed for compliance, not disaster recovery. Once those windows close, or once an administrator empties a mailbox to reclaim a licence, the data is often gone for good unless an independent backup was already running. Our Microsoft 365 backup service takes independent, scheduled backups of Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams data, stored separately from your live Microsoft 365 tenant, so you can recover exactly what you need, exactly when you need it. It's one of the quieter parts of managed IT support, rarely thought about until the moment something important has disappeared — which is exactly why it needs to already be in place before that moment arrives.
What Microsoft 365 backup actually protects
Microsoft's retention and recycle bin features are built around compliance and short-term recovery, with fixed retention windows and gaps that don't cover every deletion scenario. A permanently deleted item, a mailbox purged after an employee leaves, or a SharePoint library that's been synced with encrypted ransomware files can all fall outside what native tools can restore. Our backup service takes a full, independent copy of your Microsoft 365 data on a regular schedule, held in storage that's separate from your live tenant, so a problem in Microsoft 365 itself can't also compromise your backup.
Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive & Teams
We back up mailboxes, calendars and contacts in Exchange Online, document libraries and lists in SharePoint, personal files in OneDrive, and chats, channels and files shared within Teams — the full spread of where your business data actually lives day to day.
Point-in-Time, Granular Recovery
Recovery isn't all-or-nothing. We can restore a single email, a specific file version, an entire mailbox, or a whole SharePoint site to a chosen point in time, so you get back exactly what was lost without disrupting everything else.
Compliance & Legal Hold
Some businesses need to retain data for compliance reasons well beyond what Microsoft's default settings provide, or need to preserve specific mailboxes under legal hold during a dispute. Our extended retention options are built to support these requirements without relying on manual, error-prone processes.
Our recent work
A selection of projects and systems we've delivered for our clients.
Our approach to Microsoft 365 backup
Independent, Separate Storage
Backups are stored separately from your live Microsoft 365 tenant, so a problem inside Microsoft 365 — including ransomware — can't also destroy your ability to recover from it.
Recovery That Matches the Problem
Whether it's one deleted email or an entire mailbox, we restore exactly what's needed, at the point in time it's needed from, without unnecessary disruption elsewhere.
How it works
From first conversation to fully protected data — our streamlined process keeps things simple.
1
Assessment
We review your current Microsoft 365 setup, retention policies and how much genuine backup coverage you already have, if any.
2
Configuration
We configure backup coverage across Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams, matched to your retention needs.
3
Ongoing Backups
Backups run automatically on a set schedule, stored independently from your live Microsoft 365 tenant.
4
Recovery When Needed
When something's lost, we restore exactly what's needed, to the point in time it's needed from, quickly.
UK businesses set up Microsoft 365 backup when
They've discovered Microsoft's native retention doesn't cover the scenario they actually need protecting against
An employee has left and their mailbox or OneDrive was deleted before anyone checked what was needed from it
Ransomware has encrypted files that then synced across SharePoint and OneDrive before anyone noticed
They need to recover a specific email or document version from weeks or months ago, beyond native retention limits
A migration, sync error or misconfigured automation has overwritten or deleted data at scale
They need to demonstrate proper data protection and recovery capability for a client audit or insurance renewal
They're working towards Cyber Essentials certification and need genuine backup evidence in place
Their current IT provider assumed Microsoft was handling backup and never configured anything independently
They need legal hold or long-term retention that goes well beyond Microsoft's default recycle bin windows
Why choose Cloudswitched for Microsoft 365 backup?
Cloud backup is included as standard across all our managed IT support plans, starting from £20 per user per month, rather than sold as a separate line item you have to remember to add.
We configure backup coverage properly across Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams from day one, rather than leaving gaps because "Microsoft probably handles that already".
Backups are stored independently from your live Microsoft 365 tenant, so ransomware or a compromised account inside Microsoft 365 can't also take out your recovery option.
Recovery is handled directly by our support team as part of your 24/7 monitored plan, backed by a 99% SLA guarantee, so you're not stuck raising a ticket with Microsoft and waiting.
Your Microsoft 365 backup sits alongside our EDR endpoint protection and wider managed IT support, giving you one team responsible for prevention and recovery together, rather than a backup vendor who has never seen your endpoints and a security provider who's never touched your backups.
Managed IT Plans — Backup Included
Microsoft 365 backup is included as standard in our managed IT support plans below — not an optional extra you need to remember to add.
Essentials
Core managed IT support and monitoring
£20/ user / month
- 24/7 monitoring
- 99% SLA guarantee
- Cloud backup included
- EDR endpoint protection
- Extended retention periods
Most Popular
Assurance
Extended retention and priority recovery
£40/ user / month
- Everything in Essentials
- Extended backup retention
- Priority recovery support
- Teams backup included
- Quarterly recovery testing
Ultimate
Long-term retention and compliance-grade recovery
£60/ user / month
- Everything in Assurance
- Long-term & legal hold retention
- Dedicated account manager
- Cyber Essentials support
- Fastest response SLA
Why Cloudswitched for Microsoft 365 backup?
We treat backup as a genuine safety net, not a checkbox. Here's what sets us apart.
Included, not optional
Cloud backup is built into every managed IT plan we offer, so it's never something forgotten or quoted separately after the fact.
Independent, separate storage
Backups are stored away from your live Microsoft 365 tenant, so problems inside Microsoft 365 — including ransomware — can't also destroy your recovery option.
24/7 monitoring, 99% SLA
Backup jobs are monitored round the clock, with a 99% SLA guarantee behind the wider managed IT support your backup sits within.
Dedicated account manager
You'll never chase a ticket queue. Every client gets a named account manager as a direct point of contact for setup, recovery and everything between.
Transparent, per-user pricing
Backup is bundled into clear, per-user monthly packages starting from £20, with no separate line item to negotiate later.
EDR protection alongside backup
Endpoint detection and response is included too, reducing the chance you ever need to fall back on backup for a ransomware recovery in the first place.
Recovery testing included
On our Assurance and Ultimate plans, we periodically test recovery to confirm backups actually restore cleanly, rather than assuming they will until the day you need them.
Cyber Essentials support
Genuine backup evidence is often required for Cyber Essentials certification, and our team can help document and demonstrate it as part of that process.
Joined-up IT delivery
Backup, endpoint protection and general IT support are handled under one roof, so nothing falls between two suppliers pointing at each other.
Microsoft 365 Backup Alongside the Rest of Your Setup
Microsoft 365 backup works best as part of a properly managed IT environment. If your business is also moving calling into Microsoft 365, our Microsoft Teams calling service protects and enhances how your team communicates. Our cloud email service can help review your wider Microsoft 365 configuration, and our virtual CIO service can help plan data protection and compliance requirements as your business grows.
Who Microsoft 365 backup is for
Most UK SMEs we work with genuinely believed Microsoft was backing up their data until something went wrong — an ex-employee's mailbox deleted too early, a ransomware infection that spread through synced files, or a document version that was needed months after it was overwritten. By the time the gap is discovered, the data is often already unrecoverable through native tools — which is precisely the moment a business realises the difference between platform availability and genuine backup.
Sector mix: We set up Microsoft 365 backup for professional services firms with strict client confidentiality and audit requirements, trades and retail businesses that rely on email and shared files daily, and growing companies working towards Cyber Essentials certification that need genuine backup evidence in place.
Delivery: Our Microsoft 365 backup service is delivered and monitored remotely for clients across the UK, included as standard within our managed IT support plans rather than sold as an afterthought.
Whether you're a five-person consultancy relying on a single shared mailbox or a fifty-person business with data spread across dozens of SharePoint sites, the same principle holds: the backup only matters on the day something is lost, so it needs to be configured correctly and tested well before that day arrives.
Coverage
UK-Wide, Remote-First
Wherever your business is based, Microsoft 365 backup is configured and monitored remotely, included as standard in every managed IT support plan.
Solution
Microsoft 365 Backup
microsoft 365 backup
Independent, scheduled backup of Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams data, with point-in-time recovery included in every managed IT plan.
Related
Microsoft Teams Calling
microsoft teams calling
As more communication moves into Microsoft 365 through Teams calling, protecting that data with proper backup matters just as much as protecting email and files.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions about Microsoft 365 backup? We've answered the most common ones below. If you need more detail, get in touch.
Doesn't Microsoft already back up our data?
Microsoft keeps Microsoft 365 available and resilient against its own infrastructure failures, but recovery from deletion, ransomware or account compromise is your responsibility under Microsoft's shared responsibility model. Native retention and the recycle bin have limited windows and gaps that a proper backup service closes.
How much does Microsoft 365 backup cost?
It's included as standard in all our managed IT support plans, which start from £20 per user per month. There's no separate backup fee to budget for on top.
What exactly is covered — just email, or more?
Exchange Online mailboxes, SharePoint document libraries and lists, OneDrive personal files, and Teams chats, channels and shared files are all covered, not just email.
How long is our data retained for?
Retention depends on your plan — Essentials covers standard retention, while Assurance and Ultimate extend retention further, including long-term and legal hold options for compliance needs.
How quickly can data be restored after ransomware?
Because backups are stored independently from your live tenant, recovery isn't dependent on first fully cleaning the ransomware infection — we can typically restore affected mailboxes or files quickly once the incident is confirmed, working alongside our EDR team to make sure the source of the infection is contained first.
Do we need this for Cyber Essentials certification?
Genuine backup capability, separate from native platform retention, is commonly expected as evidence of good practice. We can help document and demonstrate your backup setup as part of a Cyber Essentials application, alongside the wider Cyber Essentials certification support we offer.
Can we recover a single email or file, not everything?
Yes, recovery is granular — a single email, a specific file version, or a whole mailbox or site, all recoverable independently to a chosen point in time.
Do you actually test that recoveries work?
On our Assurance and Ultimate plans, yes, we periodically test recovery to confirm backups restore cleanly, rather than assuming they will until the day you actually need one.
Free On Boarding worth up to £2,000!
Limited time offer — valid until 31/05/2026
Get in touch about Microsoft 365 backup for your business
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