Operating guide · Microsoft 365
Deciding what Microsoft 365 retention protects and what still needs backup
A recovery requirements and product-assessment plan.
Gaps to close
- Replace assumptions with workload-specific evidence
- Balance recovery, retention, privacy and cost
- Separate backup administration
- Test the business outcome
Decisions to settle
- Recovery time and data-loss objectives
- Retention and deletion obligations
- Third-party backup coverage
- Administrator separation and provider exit
- How recovery is tested when the usual tenant administrator is unavailable
How to know it is working
- Objectives are approved per workload
- Native and third-party controls are documented accurately
- The chosen restores meet agreed tests
- Review and test dates are assigned
Working documents
- Recovery requirements matrix
- Control and product assessment
- Restore-test evidence
- Operating and review schedule
Putting the routine in place
- 01
Scenario workshop
Define accidental and malicious deletion, ransomware, user departure, legal hold, configuration loss and provider disruption.
- 02
Native-control map
Document current versioning, recycle, retention, recovery, licensing and administration per workload.
- 03
Gap and option assessment
Compare historical depth, separation, granularity, export, monitoring, restoration and exit requirements.
- 04
Restore test
Test selected messages, files, sites, permissions and business use, then schedule the next exercise.