Microsoft says they back up M365, don't they?
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Not really — they keep deleted things for a short while, which is not the same as a backup. Microsoft's own terms are clear: they promise the service stays up; protecting your data inside it is your job. Deleted emails and files are only kept for days or weeks. A proper separate backup keeps your data for years, lets you wind back to any point in time, and can't be touched by ransomware.
What does "tamper-proof" backup mean?
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A backup that can't be deleted or scrambled — not even by someone with all the admin passwords. Modern ransomware goes after the backups first, then encrypts everything else. Tamper-proof backups are locked for a set period: not us, not you, not an attacker can delete them. It's the single best defence against ransomware.
How long would it take to recover from a full outage?
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For most small businesses, between a few hours and a day — and we test it. How quickly depends on how much data and which systems. Rather than promise a number on a piece of paper, we prove it with practice restores — restoring real systems and timing how long it takes — so the answer is real, not a guess.
Where are the backups stored?
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In UK data centres, encrypted, in two separate places. The standard setup keeps two copies in two different parts of the UK. Everything is encrypted, and nothing leaves the UK without your explicit say-so.
Can staff restore their own files?
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No — restores go through us, and that's deliberate. Letting everyone reach into the backup is exactly how accidents (and ransomware) spread. If you need something back, you ask the helpdesk and we restore it for you, usually within the hour. One less thing for your team to get wrong.