SharePoint Online Backup and Restore Options
There are a few available options for backing up and restoring critical SharePoint Online data.
Microsoft Office Built-In Standard Recovery Capabilities
First is the Microsoft built-in standard recovery capability. Microsoft provides a backup and recovery option for all their plans. It keeps up to 50 000 last versions of specific SharePoint data types that you can restore within 90 days from the deletion moment.
Microsoft Compliance Center Retention Policies
You can use the Microsoft compliance center retention policy if you have a premium subscription. It allows you to download offline almost all data types from SharePoint. Still, since it lacks automation, you will need to upload it manually in case of data loss.
Third-Party Backup Solutions
A backup tool helps you make a copy of all your preferred data and safely store this copy in another location. However, this option also has limitations that you need to research and understand before choosing a backup tool.
Is SharePoint Online Data Backup Necessary?
SharePoint Online is a cloud-based solution that keeps all your data on the cloud. However, user mistakes like accidental deletion can cause significant data loss that sometimes includes even deleting entire Sharepoint sites.
Another reason SharePoint Online data backup is necessary is possible malware or ransomware syncing between devices and SharePoint.
Does Microsoft Backup SharePoint Online?
While Microsoft is responsible for restoring their services and apps in disaster scenarios, they are not obliged to backup and restore your SharePoint items.
As mentioned above, you will need to set your goals and objectives in case of data loss. According to your goals, you need to choose the built-in recovery capability, compliance center retention policies, or a third-party backup tool.
Why Would You Need a Cloud-Based Backup for SharePoint Online?
Employing a cloud-based backup for SharePoint Online ensures business continuity and restoration availability of valuable data. By saving a copy of your data on the cloud, you will be able to automate and personalise data backup cycles, restore previous file versions and restore deleted data without a time limit.
How Can You Restore Deleted Data in SharePoint Online?
The standard post-deletion retention involves two-stage recycle bins. Deleted items are saved in the first-stage recycle bin for 90 days. If someone deletes the items from the first bin, they move into the second-stage recycle bin and stay there for the remaining amount of time.
A deleted SharePoint site is stored in the second-stage bin, and only an administrator can restore it.
Backup SharePoint Online Site Collection Using PowerShell
You can backup a complete site collection via PowerShell and save data to local storage. However, there are two main disadvantages: no alert for backup script failure and no auto backup for new sites.
SharePoint Online Retention Backup Policy
Automatic retention occurs if you have assigned retention settings and deleted the content. That means a copy of this content is saved in the Preservation Hold library, part of your storage quota.
SharePoint Online Backup Best Practices
The best backup strategies for SharePoint Online include:
- Considering site collection size when you determine the tools to use
- Minimising latency between SQL Server and the backup location
- Avoiding processing conflicts
- Keeping databases small to make recovery times faster
- Using incremental backups for larger databases
- Using compression during backup
- Following SQL Server backup and restoring optimisation recommendations
- Using RAID 10
- Configuring SharePoint settings to improve backup or restore performance
Top SharePoint Online Backup Tools
The best third-party SharePoint Online Backup Tools are Veeam and Afi.
They provide the most diverse and complete backup solution for your business, including backups and restoration of:
- Web pages
- Classic site pages
- Site mailbox
- Other data types
Veeam offers the highest backup frequency, given that Microsoft APIs limit it to 4-5 backups per day.
How Much Does SharePoint Online Backup Cost?
If you are interested in investing in a complete backup solution, you can contact us directly for consultation.
Why Us?
Network Fish is an IT solution provider with over two decades of experience in the market. You can count on Network Fish to manage a reliable SharePoint Online data backup solution for you. Our trained professionals use the best third-party backup solution which is – Veeam.