Why do you we need a cloud-native backup strategy in these changing times?

The COVID-19 pandemic has inadvertently disrupted human life across the globe. This 21st-century black swan event has abruptly pushed businesses around the world towards remote working. And the unfortunate ones that have failed to make the switch have faced extinction at the hands of the ravaging pandemic. Now, crores of people are working from their homes in the new normal. Thus, it goes without saying that network security, data backup and best cybersecurity practices have become absolute imperatives.

To that end, Microsoft Office 365 has proven highly useful in easing up this unprecedented transformation. But, is Office 365 self-secure?

Let’s find out.

A Barracuda research signalled heightened challenges in data protection due to the pandemic-induced neo-culture of remote working. The report revealed that about 74% of IT decision-makers in the Indian corporate milieu confessed that their organisation has experienced a ransomware attack. Also, 84% of organisations are still relying solely on capabilities built on Office 365 to backup and recover Office 365 data. Meanwhile, 89% of the respondents are concerned about ransomware locking their Office 365 data. Furthermore, about 93% of respondents indicate that using Microsoft Teams does create a data-retention concern.

Why are people using Office 365?

Office 365 has seemingly emerged as the go-to professional suite for a majority of corporate workers everywhere. It is tailor-made for remote working and mobile on-the-go professionals. It is easy to use and can be readily downloaded. A genuine subscription also allows users to optimise multiple installations and mobile applications. Moreover, Office 365 ensures great collaboration opportunities via its numerous sharing features that are available in each app.

So much so, remote workers are hardly able to recognise the difference between working remotely and working from home.

Does it provide enough data protection though?

Even though Office 365 is great to work with (because of its seamless adaptability, resilience and easy-to-deploy nature), it still does not provide 100% data protection. The suite remains susceptible to cyber-attacks and breaches. But Microsoft does offer regular online updates from time to time. Yet, it is the IT team’s duty to safeguard the application and all network users from various types of malicious malware. It is also extremely important to warrant native cloud backup to protect data from exfiltration or damage.

The routine pattern of employees accessing and saving files has somewhat changed in the new normal. Microsoft Office 365 offers 1 TB space to save, sync, and share files on the OneDrive for Business. It is essentially a cloud-based storage app that extends a desktop client for easier access. It configures remote devices to save data to the OneDrive Documents library. For that, it directly syncs to the company's OneDrive account. The administrators can control access and manage the data while also backing up the data by using a Cloud-to-Cloud Backup system.

And what about Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams, a communication and collaboration platform, is just another popular emergent tool. It combines persistent workplace chat, video meetings, file storage, and application integration. Its usage has increased considerably in the recent past. Microsoft Teams has clocked over 75 million active daily users.

Thus, if you don’t want to face a situation wherein you save all vital work only to a remote laptop, it is necessary to save your remote worker’s content to a centralized location. The role of IT teams is not just limited to training workers in remote working etiquettes such as sharing and saving data. They should also direct independent third party backup of the said data.

How can organisations backup their data?

That said, all organisations must back up their critical Office 365 data on the state of the art cloud-to-cloud backup systems as officially recommended by Microsoft in its service agreement. In the recommendation, Microsoft clearly states, “We strive to keep the services up and running; however, all online services suffer occasional disruptions and outages. Microsoft is not liable for any disruption or loss you may suffer as a result. In the event of an outage, you may not be able to retrieve Your Content or Data that you’ve stored. We recommend that you regularly back up your content and data that you store on the Services or store using Third-Party Apps and Services.”

Also, it is essential to streamline backup management that can help administer and restore data remotely. Amid the ongoing pandemic, it would be an unwise security policy for IT professionals having to flock to the office; either to make up the volume, assess reporting, or even carry out mundane tasks like data restoration.

In the midst of the dramatically rapid shift towards remote working set up and intensified dependence on SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams over the past year, protecting Office 365 data has turned out to be all the more crucial than ever before—and more challenging. Therefore, organisations now naturally seek comprehensive, easy-to-use backup solutions that are fast to get up, running and include capabilities like granular retention unlike in Microsoft.

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