If you’re using MS Office 365, you’re probably using OneDrive or SharePoint to store your data in the Cloud, so it’s easy to become complacent and feel that your data is protected in case a computer goes down or file gets deleted.  Especially as MS Office has version controls, which mean that you can look at previous versions of a file, even after it’s been overwritten or altered.

Dropbox and other Cloud storage options offer similar options.

If your files are NOT being saved to the cloud, you need to take action urgently.  Why?  Just think about what would happen if you had no access to ANY of your files.  What would the impact on your business be?  If you had no means of replacing even 50% of them, what would happen to your business, not just today or this week – but long-term?

How do you know if your files are being saved to the cloud?

When you open your file explorer check the status column next to the folder or file name and look for these icons:

• Blue Cloud: The file is online-only and does not take up local space; it downloads when opened with an internet connection.
• Green Circle with White Checkmark (White Background): The file was downloaded and is available locally, but it can turn back to cloud-only later to save space.
• Solid Green Circle with White Checkmark: The file is set to “Always keep on this device” and remains stored offline.
• Sync Arrows (Circular): The file or folder is currently syncing or uploading/downloading updates.
• Red Circle with White Cross: A sync error prevents the file or folder from updating.
• Padlock: Settings on the file or folder block it from syncing.
• Person Icon: The file or folder is shared with other people.

But let’s talk about serious back-up

If you’re using Cloud services your data is being backed up to cloud, but we recommend a backup of that cloud service.  Cloud sync protects against a broken laptop. It doesn’t protect against ransomware, accidental deletion at scale, or Microsoft’s own retention limits

When you have copies on computers and copies on a cloud service, synching is automatic.  If you have a ransomware attack and all your data is encrypted, your Cloud data isn’t going to help you.  At least not immediately.

We can restore files one at a time using the MS Office version controls, but with thousands of files that’s going to take time.  Restoring from a dedicated backup is quicker and easier — everything back with a few clicks.

It’s a safety net.  Offsite back-up saves deleted data for 3-6 months, in fact you can set how long you want to save it for, whereas MS Office permanently deletes files after 30 days.   We have gone back 7 years for one client before now.

There are other advantages.  If a member of your team leaves and a couple of months later you realise you can’t find a particular file, it will be retrievable from the back-up, even if the file has been deleted.

An automated back-up service just plugs into the MS Office 365 platform and backs up everything, OneDrive, Email, SharePoint, MS Teams, Copilot – everything.  We recommend you do it for an added layer of security.  It’s not a ‘it won’t happen to me’ situation.  You’d be surprised how often we access our clients’ backed up data to retrieve critical information.

If you’re not confident your business is protected from losing access to data – let’s talk.