Does Microsoft 365 Back Up Your Data?

It depends on your plan and how it is configured. Here is what Perth business owners need to know.

Talk to DM1 Today View Microsoft 365 Services

The Short Answer Is It Depends

This is one of the most common questions Perth business owners ask about Microsoft 365, and the answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no. Microsoft 365 does include data protection features, but what is available depends on your subscription tier and on how the environment has been configured.

A Microsoft 365 environment that has been properly set up by a qualified provider gives most Perth small businesses strong, built in data protection without needing a separate third party backup tool. The catch is that the protections only do their job if they are turned on and configured for your business.

Regular backups configured, tested, and documented is the eighth strategy named in the Essential Eight cyber security baseline issued by the Australian Signals Directorate.

How Each Plan Handles Your Data

Your Microsoft 365 plan determines which data protection tools are available to you. Here is what each tier includes and what it does not.

Business Basic and Standard

Limited built in protection. Includes version history (up to 500 versions) and a recycle bin with 93 day retention. Suitable for very small businesses but does not include the Microsoft Purview retention or Microsoft Defender protections.

Business Premium

Strong built in protection when configured. Adds Microsoft Purview retention policies, Microsoft Defender for Business, Conditional Access, and the broader Microsoft 365 security and compliance toolkit. The standing DM1 recommendation for every managed client.

Microsoft 365 E3 and E5

Enterprise grade protection. Adds advanced threat protection, eDiscovery, and the full suite of Purview compliance tools. Worth the uplift for businesses with stricter regulatory or compliance obligations.

What Configured Correctly Actually Means

Business Premium gives you the tools. Configuration is what makes them work. Here is what DM1 sets up for every Business Premium client.

Microsoft Purview retention policies

Emails and documents kept for the period relevant to your industry. Configured to your business and regulatory environment.

OneDrive Files Restore

Thirty day rollback enabled and tested. Users can self serve recovery for accidental deletes or ransomware.

SharePoint version history

Up to 500 versions per file with adequate retention to recover from accidental edits.

Recycle bin retention

Stage 1 and Stage 2 recycle bins configured with the maximum 93 day retention.

Microsoft Defender for Business

Anti malware, ransomware detection, and Safe Attachments. Configured against the security baseline.

Conditional Access

MFA and access controls preventing unauthorised access in the first place. Better than recovering after the fact.

What DM1 Finds During New Client Onboarding

The most common data protection issue DM1 finds when a new client joins is not the absence of a backup tool. It is Business Premium features that were never configured.

Defender never deployed

A Perth professional services firm moved to DM1 with full Business Premium licences but Microsoft Defender for Business had never been turned on. Configured in the first week of onboarding.

Retention not set

A construction business had Business Premium but no Purview retention. Critical project emails over 24 months old had been quietly deleted by the default email lifecycle.

OneDrive Files Restore not enabled

A retailer ran into ransomware on a workstation. OneDrive Files Restore would have rolled back the affected files in minutes but had never been activated.

Is Your Microsoft 365 Properly Configured?

DM1 reviews Microsoft 365 environments for Perth businesses. Get in touch for a configuration check across security, retention, and recovery.

Book a Configuration Review (08) 6202 6012