Microsoft Office 365 is a popular solution that is used in education settings all over the world. But do you know who within your organisation is responsible for keeping your Office 365 data safe and secure?

While Microsoft has a certain level of security in place, the availability of its service is its primary commitment. With this in mind, Microsoft advises all customers use a third-party backup and recovery provider to ensure your organisation’s data is always protected.

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a change to traditional classroom environments for teachers and students, and cyber criminals have exploited the security vulnerabilities distance learning and virtual teaching setups present to launch ransomware attacks against educational institutions. This increase is in the context of a broader rise in the number of ransomware attacks where, according to IDC’s 2021 Ransomware Study, approximately 37% of global organisations said they were the victim of some form of ransomware attack in 2021.

However, ransomware isn’t the only reason Office 365 backup is essential for education institutions. Other reasons include:

• Accidental deletion
• Retention policy gaps and confusion
• Internal security threats
• Legal and compliance requirements
• Managing hybrid email deployments and migrations to Office 365

Educational organisations are holding more data than ever before and without robust cyber security and backup protocols in place, student and teacher data is at risk. Data availability is critical and a comprehensive Office 365 backup solution ensures data is always accessible to all parties, enabling learning and teaching wherever your students and faculty are. In the event of an outrage or cyber attack, it also allows data to be quickly and reliably recovered.

Join Phoenix and our partners, Barracuda and Microsoft to discover why backing up your Office 365 data is vital to your overall cyber security strategy.