Microsoft 365 Backup and Microsoft 365 Archive announced

Microsoft announced two new products at Microsoft Inspire this week: Microsoft 365 Backup and Microsoft 365 Archive are two data backup solutions for the Microsoft cloud.

More than 2 billion documents and emails are added to Microsoft 365 each day, according to Microsoft. The two products help administrators and organizations protect the data "throughout its lifecycle".

Microsoft 365 Backup

Microsoft 365 Backup backs up OneDrive, SharePoint and Exchange data at "unprecedented speeds" while keeping it "within the Microsoft 365 security boundary".

Microsoft highlights that administrators may configure the new feature to back up all or select SharePoint sites, OneDrive accounts, and Exchange mailboxes. The solution supports the restoration of files, sites and mailbox items "to a prior point-in-time in a granular manner or at a massive scale".

Microsoft 365 Backup supports search and filtering functionality to find data in backups using metadata, such as item or site names.

The solution is available in the Microsoft 365 admin center and administrators may use partner applications, which customers may do if they need to back up non-Microsoft 365 data or want to use a different partner. Partners include Veeam, Veritas, Barracuda, Rubrik, Commvault and AvePoint according to Microsoft.

Microsoft plans to launch Microsoft 365 Backup as a preview in the fourth quarter of 2023. Interested organizations may sign-up for the preview on this website.

Microsoft 365 Archive

Microsoft 365 Archive is a cold storage solution designed to help organizations reduce storage costs. Regulations may require that businesses keep data, even though it may not be used actively anymore.

Microsoft 365 Archive adds a cold storage tier "to keep inactive or aging data within SharePoint at a cost-effective price point matching the value of that data's lifecycle stage".

The new archiving solution supports full site archiving and will also get support for file level archiving in the second half of 2024 according to Microsoft.

Interested organizations may apply for the public preview here.

Closing Words

Both new backup products will launch as a preview later this year. Microsoft has not revealed the price of the two products yet. One of the main appeals of Microsoft 365 Backup and Archive is that the two products run inside the same secure boundaries of Microsoft's infrastructure.

Microsoft is previewing a new consumer-grade backup solution for Windows as well, which Ashwin reviewed back in May 2023. Its main purpose is to allow users to restore personal data when they migrate to a new Windows PC or set up a Windows PC. The new tool supports Windows Store apps next to documents and media.

Source