Microsoft released Microsoft 365 Backup in 2024 — a native backup and restore service for Exchange, OneDrive, and SharePoint. How does it compare to third-party backup solutions?
Key takeaways
- 1Exchange Online — mailbox backup with restore for individual items, folders, or entire mailboxes. Restore points every 10 minutes; retention up to 180 days.
- 2OneDrive — user OneDrive backup with restore at site, folder, or file level. Same 10-minute RPO and 180-day retention.
- 3SharePoint Online — site collection backup and restore. Granular item-level and full site restore.
- 4Microsoft Teams — Teams data is backed up via the Exchange and SharePoint coverage (Teams messages in Exchange, Teams files in SharePoint)
For years, Microsoft 365 backup was handled entirely by third-party solutions — Veeam, Acronis, Dropsuite, Backupify. Microsoft explicitly stated that backup was not built into the platform. That changed in 2024 with the general availability of Microsoft 365 Backup.
What Microsoft 365 Backup covers
- Exchange Online — mailbox backup with restore for individual items, folders, or entire mailboxes. Restore points every 10 minutes; retention up to 180 days.
- OneDrive — user OneDrive backup with restore at site, folder, or file level. Same 10-minute RPO and 180-day retention.
- SharePoint Online — site collection backup and restore. Granular item-level and full site restore.
- Microsoft Teams — Teams data is backed up via the Exchange and SharePoint coverage (Teams messages in Exchange, Teams files in SharePoint)
Pricing
Microsoft 365 Backup is priced based on storage consumed — approximately USD $0.15 per GB per month. For a typical SMB with moderate mailbox and file usage, costs are reasonable. However, for organisations with large mailboxes or heavy SharePoint usage, costs can escalate quickly.
How it compares to third-party solutions
Third-party backup solutions typically offer more flexible retention periods, more granular restore options, and multi-cloud or on-premises destination support. Microsoft 365 Backup is simpler to manage (native to the M365 admin centre) and has a tighter integration with the platform. Optimyze evaluates the right backup solution for each client based on their data volume, retention requirements, and budget.
