For over 10 years, we’ve been plugging our toolkit with only the most sophisticated solutions the market has to offer. And recently, we were reeling with excitement over the news that two of our trusted partners — Veeam and Microsoft — are partnering to bring unprecedented speed and scale of backup and recovery experiences to customers. But why is the new Microsoft 365 Backup solution currently making headlines, and what benefits will it bring to SMEs across the UK? Let’s explore…

As business continuity strategies come into sharper focus, the tech world has seen rising demand for robust backup solutions. More specifically, customers are becoming increasingly aware of their shared responsibility to own and protect their critical data — a principle that has formed the bedrock of Microsoft’s Software as a Service (SaaS) offering for over a decade. The widespread adoption of Veeam’s Backup for Microsoft 365 solution, which is being used to protect over 15 million users today, is testament to this ongoing shift.

Safeguarding services including Microsoft Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business and Microsoft Teams, the critical data service offers peace of mind against everything from accidental file deletion and insider threats, to legal and compliance requirements, hybrid email deployments, and more. It also boasts the lowest recovery point objectives (RPO) — in other words, the maximum amount of data that can be lost after a disaster occurs — the broadest set of recovery options, and the flexibility to back up Microsoft 365 data to any location.

By integrating the existing solution with the newly-launched Microsoft 365 Backup, via their backup APIs — essentially protocols that allow different software applications to communicate with each other — Veeam is set to offer Microsoft customers new innovations and experiences that will enhance data protection, bolster ransomware recovery, and keep business operations running seamlessly.

“Microsoft has revolutionised the ways organisations communicate. And with every update, its proposition gets even more exciting,” said Tim Mercer, CEO of Vapour. “But let’s not forget that a comprehensive backup isn’t one of the tool’s in-built capabilities. Disasters can strike at any time and paralyse firms, irrespective of their size or the sector they operate in, which is why a third-party backup is an essential part of any business continuity plan.

“Serving over 400,000 companies across the globe with their data backup and recovery solutions, with 4.7/5 star distinction via Gartner Peer Insights, Veeam is the natural choice to bridge this gap for Microsoft. And, as a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (Microsoft CSP) — not to mention a Veeam partner — we’re the safe pair of hands customers need, to help manage their stack and make supplier relationships as headache-free as possible.”

With the integration already underway, general availability of Veeam’s updated offering is expected within 90 days of the Microsoft 365 Backup service being available.

Want to learn more about protecting your cloud and SaaS environments with our  wraparound Microsoft solution? Get in touch today.