{"id":59664,"date":"2025-04-07T12:13:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T08:13:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/?p=59664"},"modified":"2025-09-17T16:19:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T12:19:08","slug":"top-6-critical-mistakes-in-microsoft-365-data-protection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/top-6-critical-mistakes-in-microsoft-365-data-protection\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 6 Critical Mistakes in Microsoft 365 Data Protection"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>According to Veeam, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.veeam.com\/company\/press-release\/89-percent-of-organizations-falling-short-on-data-protection.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">76% of companies have experienced data loss in the cloud<\/a>, while half of companies believe that in the event of mass file deletion, it wouldn\u2019t be possible to recover their data. These are the mistakes organizations around Microsoft 365 data protection.<br \/>\n<!--more--><br \/>\n<div class=\"table-of-content \">\n\t\t\t\t<p>Table of Contents<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<ul><\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><br \/>\nCloud applications provide organizations with a range of benefits; notably the ability to access business-critical files and services from anywhere, allowing employees to be productive no matter where they are, be they at the office or working remotely. However, harnessing cloud can also lead to additional mistakes and errors around backups and data protection.<\/p>\n<h2>Mistake #1: Relying on Microsoft 365\u2019s Built-In Tools for Data Protection<\/h2>\n<p>Many IT leaders assume OneDrive, SharePoint and Exchange Online will automatically protect their data \u2013 60% believe Microsoft 365 automatically protects their files. But this isn\u2019t the case.<br \/>\nBased on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/understanding-microsoft-365-shared-responsibility-model\/\">Microsoft 365 shared responsibility model<\/a>, it doesn\u2019t provide a full backup of data; the built-in recovery tools only store deleted files for between 30 and 90 days before permanently deleting them.<\/p>\n<p><!-- CTA: MBS slide-in --><\/p>\n<div id=\"slidebox\"><!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper hs-cta-deferred\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-761dc0f3-19c9-403d-a99e-670c329ec4a1\" data-portal=\"5442029\" data-id=\"761dc0f3-19c9-403d-a99e-670c329ec4a1\"><span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-761dc0f3-19c9-403d-a99e-670c329ec4a1\" id=\"hs-cta-761dc0f3-19c9-403d-a99e-670c329ec4a1\"><!--[if lte IE 8]><div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div><![endif]--><a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/5442029\/761dc0f3-19c9-403d-a99e-670c329ec4a1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" id=\"hs-cta-img-761dc0f3-19c9-403d-a99e-670c329ec4a1\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5442029\/761dc0f3-19c9-403d-a99e-670c329ec4a1.png\" alt=\"CTA\"><\/a><\/span><\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><\/div>\n<h2>Mistake #2: Ignoring the Threat of Ransomware Attacks<\/h2>\n<p>Ransomware continues to be a major problem for MSPs and other organizations- especially when cyber criminals don\u2019t just encrypt data, they threaten to delete it if they\u2019re not paid. Remote compromise of admin accounts only adds to the risk.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, Microsoft 365 doesn't provide automatic ransomware protection for cloud data, leaving victims facing mass file-deletion if attackers aren\u2019t paid their ransom demand. And even then, the attackers could still just delete the data.<\/p>\n<p>MSP360\u2019s automated backups without time restrictions allows for data recovery even years after deletion, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/immutable-backups\/\">MS360\u2019s immutable backups<\/a> stored in a separate cloud means hackers can\u2019t permanently delete files, protecting organizations against data deletion by ransomware attacks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"call-to-action\">\n<div class=\"call-to-action__left\" style=\"width: 40%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Why-You-Need-to-Back-Up-Microsoft-365-preview-2-3.png\" alt=\"Whitepaper Microsoft 365 icon\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"call-to-action__right\" style=\"width: 60%;\">\n<div class=\"call-to-action__title\">Why You Need to Back Up Microsoft 365 and How MSP360 Helps<\/div>\n<div class=\"call-to-action__text\">Discover the ins and outs of a cloud to cloud backup strategy using MSP360 Backup for Microsoft 365.<\/div>\n<!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper hs-cta-deferred\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-a03f1309-f6ae-439a-9be0-d11b29410547\" data-portal=\"5442029\" data-id=\"a03f1309-f6ae-439a-9be0-d11b29410547\"><span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-a03f1309-f6ae-439a-9be0-d11b29410547\" id=\"hs-cta-a03f1309-f6ae-439a-9be0-d11b29410547\"><!--[if lte IE 8]><div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div><![endif]--><a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/5442029\/a03f1309-f6ae-439a-9be0-d11b29410547\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" id=\"hs-cta-img-a03f1309-f6ae-439a-9be0-d11b29410547\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5442029\/a03f1309-f6ae-439a-9be0-d11b29410547.png\" alt=\"CTA\"><\/a><\/span><\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code -->\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Mistake #3: Inadequate Protection Against Insider Threats<\/h2>\n<p>MSPs and IT leaders are strongly focused on potential external cybersecurity threats. But this isn\u2019t the only danger; insider threats can be an even greater risk to data than outsiders. This could be unintentional, like an admin error causing data loss \u2013 or it could be intentional, like a disgruntled employee actively wiping data.<\/p>\n<h2>Mistake #4: Non-Compliance with data protection rules<\/h2>\n<p>Cloud applications operate in a global ecosystem; but many companies don\u2019t verify whether their data protection processes comply with local regulations. Meanwhile, Microsoft\u2019s built-in tools don\u2019t offer long-term data retention as required by privacy legislation, potentially putting organizations at risk of losing millions in fines and lawsuits.<br \/>\nMSP360 for Microsoft 365 ensures <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/gdpr-overview\/\">GDPR compliance<\/a>, meets <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/hipaa-compliant-cloud-backup\/\">HIPAA data protection requirements<\/a>, and supports SOC 2 compliance for cloud data \u2014 with flexible <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/how-to-set-up-the-retention-policy-for-office-365-or-g-suite-in-msp360-managed-backup\/\">retention policies<\/a> tailored to industry-specific needs.<\/p>\n<h2>Mistake #5: Storing Backups in the Same Cloud as the Original Data<\/h2>\n<p>Many companies believe their doing the right thing by storing in OneDrive or SharePoint backup \u2013 but that means storing the backup in the same Microsoft 365 cloud as their original data. In this scenario, if a Microsoft 365 account is compromised, attackers can delete both the original data and the backups. MSP360 fixes this issue by storing backups independently and with hybrid storage options, which mean they can be copied to local servers when required.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"further-reading \">Further reading<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/blog\/five-misconceptions-about-onedrive-data-security\/\">Five Common Misconceptions About OneDrive Data Security<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Mistake #6: No Data Recovery Plan in Place<\/h2>\n<p>Some companies think they\u2019re doing the right thing by creating backups, but never test if their data recovery plan works. It\u2019s only when they\u2019re hit by a real incident \u2013 like a cyber attack or a service outage \u2013 they realise their backups are incomplete or there\u2019s no data recovery plan in place at all. With regular test recovery simulations to ensure data is always recoverable and instant file restoration, MSP360 can help organizations avoid this issue.<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>These six mistakes put Microsoft 365 data at serious risk; MSPs need to understand them and take the necessary actions to ensure their data is protected.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/saas-backup\/m365\/\">MSP360 Managed Backup for Microsoft 365<\/a> provides a comprehensive solution that eliminates these risks. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/personal-demo\/?demoProduct=m365\">Request a demo today<\/a> and ensure your data is protected!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to Veeam, 76% of companies have experienced data loss in the cloud, while half of companies believe that in the event of mass file deletion, it wouldn\u2019t be possible to recover their data. These are the mistakes organizations around Microsoft 365 data protection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[877,1010],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-articles","category-msp360-m365-google-backup"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59664"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61054,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59664\/revisions\/61054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}