# Microsoft 365 Backup for Small Businesses

Source: https://dijitulsupport.co.uk/microsoft-365-backup/
Updated: 2026-11-13

> dijitul support sets up Microsoft 365 backup for UK small businesses, so deleted, overwritten or encrypted email, OneDrive and SharePoint files can be restored long after Microsoft's recycle bins have emptied. Set-up is £45 an hour + VAT, with backup checks and restore help covered by our Complete plan at £99 a month + VAT.

## Common symptoms

- A leaver's mailbox and OneDrive were deleted with their licence
- Someone emptied Deleted Items and the email you need is gone
- A SharePoint library was overwritten by a sync mistake
- Ransomware encrypted files that then synced into OneDrive
- Your insurer or auditor asks how you back up Microsoft 365
- You assumed Microsoft backs everything up and are no longer sure

## Key facts

- Exchange Online keeps soft-deleted items for 14 days by default, up to 30 days at most (Microsoft Learn)
- SharePoint and OneDrive recycle bins keep deleted items for 93 days (Microsoft Support)
- Retention policies keep data for compliance; they are not a point-in-time restore
- Microsoft 365 Backup covers Exchange, OneDrive and SharePoint at $0.15 per GiB per month, billed through Azure
- Third-party backup tools can store copies outside your Microsoft tenant
- Test a restore at least every few months; an untested backup is a guess
- Set-up: £45 an hour + VAT; ongoing checks in the Complete plan, £99 a month + VAT

## Microsoft keeps the service running, you look after the data

Microsoft runs Microsoft 365 on replicated, geographically redundant infrastructure, so a failed disk or data centre should not lose your mail. That protects Microsoft's service. It does not protect you from your own people, your own settings or someone who has stolen a password. If a user deletes a folder, a sync client overwrites a library or an attacker wipes a mailbox, Microsoft 365 faithfully replicates that change everywhere.

This split is usually called the shared responsibility model: Microsoft is responsible for the platform, and you are responsible for your data, your accounts and who can get to them. Microsoft's consumer Services Agreement says it directly: Microsoft recommends you regularly back up your content and data. Business customers get the same practical position, which is why Microsoft now sells its own backup product.

## What Microsoft 365 already keeps, and for how long

| Where | What happens to deleted items | Source |

| Exchange Online mailbox | Soft-deleted items stay in Recoverable Items for 14 days by default, adjustable to a maximum of 30 days | Microsoft Learn, Recoverable Items folder |
| SharePoint and OneDrive | Two-stage recycle bin, 93 days from deletion | Microsoft Support, SharePoint recycle bin |
| Whole site collections | Microsoft keeps backups for 14 more days, restorable by site collection only, through a support request | Microsoft Support |

These are recycle bins with a timer. They help with last week's mistake, not one you discover in three months. They also do nothing if an attacker with admin rights purges them.

## Retention is not backup

Microsoft Purview retention policies and Litigation Hold can keep copies of mail and files for years, even after users delete them. That is useful for compliance and investigations, and we set it up for [law firms](https://dijitulsupport.co.uk/it-support-for-solicitors/) and others with record-keeping duties. But retention is built to *preserve* content for search and eDiscovery, not to *roll back* a mailbox or site to how it looked on a given day. Restoring 40,000 encrypted files from retention means finding and exporting each original. A backup restores the lot to a point in time.

## Your backup options

**Microsoft 365 Backup.** Microsoft's own product backs up selected Exchange mailboxes, OneDrive accounts and SharePoint sites. Microsoft Learn lists the price as $0.15 per GiB per month, pay as you go through an Azure subscription, with free restores. Recovery windows can be set from 3 months up to 10 years for OneDrive and SharePoint, and up to 2 years for Exchange. Backups are stored inside Microsoft's own boundary as append-only copies. Restores are fast, but individual file restores are limited to the most recent 14 days; older points restore a whole site or OneDrive.

**Third-party SaaS backup.** Specialist backup services copy your Microsoft 365 data to their own storage, outside your tenant, usually on a per-user licence. Many also cover Teams chats and calendars. The big advantage is separation: if your Microsoft admin account is compromised, the attacker does not automatically control the backups.

We help you choose based on how many users you have, how far back you need to go and whether you want copies held outside Microsoft. For the wider principle, see our [3-2-1 backup rule guide](https://dijitulsupport.co.uk/guides/3-2-1-backup-rule-small-business/).

## How dijitul sets it up

- Review what you hold in Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams, and any compliance rules you work under.
- Recommend Microsoft 365 Backup or a third-party service, with the vendor's licence cost shown separately.
- Set up the backup, protecting the backup admin account with its own strong MFA.
- Include shared mailboxes and leavers' accounts before their licences are removed.
- Run a test restore of a mailbox folder and a SharePoint library and write down how it worked.
- Check backup reports each month and repeat a test restore regularly.

If something has already been deleted or encrypted, see [ransomware recovery](https://dijitulsupport.co.uk/ransomware-recovery/) and [data backup and recovery](https://dijitulsupport.co.uk/data-backup-recovery/).

## Pricing

Set-up is charged at £45 an hour + VAT. Backup licences or Azure storage are paid to the vendor at their price. Monthly monitoring of backup reports, test restores and restore requests fit within the [Complete plan](https://dijitulsupport.co.uk/pricing/) at £99 a month + VAT, which includes 3 hours of work and Microsoft 365 helpdesk support for your team. See also [Microsoft 365 support](https://dijitulsupport.co.uk/microsoft-365-support/).

## FAQs

### Does Microsoft back up my Microsoft 365 data?

Microsoft replicates your data to keep the service running and keeps deleted items for a limited time: 14 to 30 days for Exchange and 93 days for SharePoint and OneDrive. That is not a long-term, point-in-time backup. dijitul sets up proper backup on top.

### What is the difference between retention and backup?

Retention policies preserve copies for compliance and eDiscovery, so content can be found later. Backup lets you restore a mailbox, OneDrive or site to how it was at a set time. Most businesses with legal duties need both.

### What does Microsoft 365 Backup cost?

Microsoft Learn lists $0.15 per GiB per month for protected data, billed through Azure, with restores free. dijitul's set-up time is £45 an hour + VAT on top of Microsoft's charge.

### Should backups be kept outside Microsoft?

It is worth considering. Microsoft 365 Backup stores copies inside Microsoft's boundary. A third-party backup keeps copies on separate storage under separate credentials, so a compromised Microsoft admin account cannot delete them as easily.

### Can you recover a deleted user's mailbox?

If the account was deleted recently, often yes, as Microsoft keeps it for a short period. After that, only a backup or retention policy can bring it back. dijitul recommends backing up leavers before removing licences.

### How often should we test a restore?

At least every few months, and after any change to the backup set-up. dijitul runs test restores as part of the Complete plan at £99 a month + VAT and records the result.

## Pricing and contact

Support plans from £25 a month + VAT, or £45 an hour + VAT for one-off fixes. Plans: Essential £25/month + VAT (Website software updates (core, plugins, themes) applied and checked, Daily backups, Uptime monitoring, Security monitoring); Business £50/month + VAT (Everything in Essential, 1 hour of fixes or changes every month, Priority support); Complete £99/month + VAT (Everything in Business, 3 hours of fixes or changes every month, IT and Microsoft 365 helpdesk for your team). Ad-hoc support is £45 an hour + VAT. The first 30 minutes are the minimum charge, then we bill in 15-minute blocks. Contact: 01623 650333, support@dijitul.uk, https://dijitulsupport.co.uk/contact/