Microsoft 365 Backup Services in Ontario
Microsoft keeps Microsoft 365 running, but keeping your data recoverable is your responsibility. When an email is purged, a departing employee's OneDrive is removed, or ransomware encrypts a SharePoint library, Microsoft's built-in recycle bins and retention windows only reach back so far.
shawcsIT's managed Microsoft 365 backup keeps a separate, protected copy of your Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams data for 7 years, stored on servers in Canada. We monitor the backups and handle the restores, from a single message to a whole mailbox.
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What Microsoft 365 Keeps on Its Own
Microsoft 365 includes retention and recovery features, but they are short safety nets rather than a backup. According to Microsoft's documentation, deleted email stays recoverable in Exchange Online for 14 days by default. Deleted SharePoint and OneDrive files stay in the recycle bin for 93 days. When a user account is deleted, that person's OneDrive is kept for 30 days by default before it is removed.
After those windows close, the data is gone unless you have your own copy. Retention policies in Microsoft Purview can hold content longer, but they are built for compliance holds, not for fast point-in-time recovery after a mistake or an attack.
What Our Microsoft 365 Backup Protects
Exchange Online
Email, calendars, contacts, and tasks, retained for 7 years. Restore a single message, a folder, or a whole mailbox.
OneDrive
Every user's files, including the OneDrive of someone who has left the company, so their work is not lost when their licence is removed.
SharePoint
Sites, document libraries, and lists. Granular recovery lets us restore something as specific as a sub-library without rolling back the whole site.
Teams
Teams messages and the files shared in Teams, recoverable on their own without restoring entire datasets.
How the Backup Keeps Your Data Safe
- 7-year retention for Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams data, well beyond Microsoft's built-in windows.
- 1 TB of pooled storage per user shared across your organization, with point-in-time restoration from any backup date.
- Automated, high-frequency backups that run without anyone on your team having to remember them.
- Immutable, isolated storage kept apart from your production environment, so backups cannot be altered or deleted by an attacker who gets into your tenant.
- Malware-aware restores integrated with Microsoft Defender to block the restoration of infected files.
- Canadian data storage All backup data stays within Canada, supporting data sovereignty and the privacy obligations of businesses under PIPEDA.
When a Microsoft 365 Backup Pays Off
Departing employees: once a licence is removed, the clock starts on that person's mailbox and OneDrive. With a backup, their files and email stay recoverable for years, not weeks.
Ransomware: if files in OneDrive or SharePoint are encrypted, the encrypted versions sync to the cloud. An immutable copy from before the attack lets us restore clean data.
Accidental or malicious deletion: a user with the right permissions can delete a site or empty a mailbox faster than anyone notices. Point-in-time restores bring back exactly what was there.
Long retention requirements: law firms, health care providers, and financial offices often need records kept for years. Seven years of retention with Canadian storage helps meet those obligations.
Part of Your Managed IT, or Added On
Microsoft 365 backup is available as an add-on to all four of our managed IT plans: Endpoint MDR, Core MDR, Complete MDR, and Elite MDR. Core MDR and higher plans also extend managed detection and response to Microsoft 365 itself, so your tenant is both watched and backed up. Contact us for a quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Schedule a free consultation with our team to discuss how shawcsIT can support your business.