Does Microsoft provide Microsoft 365 Backup?

Yes. Microsoft now provides a native paid Microsoft 365 Backup service for supported Exchange Online, OneDrive and SharePoint workloads.

If Microsoft 365 is highly available, why back it up?

Service availability is not the same as point-in-time recoverability of your own content. Under Microsoft's shared-responsibility model, protecting your data against accidental deletion, retention gaps and internal error remains the customer's responsibility.

Is EdbMails a cloud-to-cloud backup service?

No. EdbMails is designed to create a protected mailbox backup on storage selected and controlled by the organization.

Does EdbMails back up SharePoint and OneDrive through the Office 365 mailbox backup page?

No. Those are separate workloads. EdbMails provides dedicated SharePoint and OneDrive backup functionality and they should be evaluated through their respective product workflows.

Can I use my own storage with EdbMails?

Yes. The Office 365 mailbox backup can be stored on supported local or shared/network storage selected by the administrator.

Does EdbMails support incremental backup?

Yes. The first protected copy is full, and subsequent backup runs can operate incrementally for newly added or modified mailbox items.

Is native Microsoft 365 Backup or EdbMails cheaper?

It depends on your data volume, retention period and existing storage. Native Backup uses consumption-based per-GB pricing, while EdbMails uses software licensing with customer-provided storage. Calculate the total cost over your intended retention period rather than comparing list prices alone.

Can native Microsoft 365 Backup and EdbMails be used together?

They address different architectures and some organizations use a combination. Native Backup offers Microsoft-managed recovery across Exchange, SharePoint and OneDrive, while EdbMails provides a locally controlled encrypted mailbox copy. Evaluate the combination against your recovery and governance requirements.

What restore destinations does EdbMails support?

EdbMails supports granular restore of protected mailbox data to supported Microsoft 365 or Exchange Server destinations, which is useful for hybrid or mixed Microsoft messaging environments.

Does a retention policy remove the need for backup?

No. Retention policies are designed to preserve or delete content according to policy, which is a different operational requirement from an on-demand recoverable backup copy. Many organizations use both.

How should I verify which workloads a Microsoft 365 backup product covers?

Confirm explicitly whether the product protects only Exchange Online mailbox data or also OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams-related content, because the same marketing phrase can mean very different coverage between vendors.

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EdbMails

All-in-one Recovery and Migration
- EDB Recovery and Migration
- OST, PST, MBOX, NSF, EML, MSG
- Office 365, Exchange Migration
- SharePoint, OneDrive & Teams
- Google Workspace Migration
- IMAP Migration
- Duplicate Remover
- EdbMails Data Recovery
- Backup Solutions
All Products
EDB Recovery and Migration

EdbMails lets you recover corrupted, damaged, and offline Exchange EDB files, convert EDB mailboxes to PST format, and directly migrate mailbox data to Office 365 and live Exchange Server.

EDB to PST

Recover corrupted, damaged, offline EDB files and convert Exchange EDB mailboxes to PST file format

Public Folder to Exchange

Migrate public folders from an Exchange offline EDB file to live Exchange Server

EDB to Live Exchange Migration

Directly migrate offline Exchange database (EDB) files to live Exchange server

Archive Mailbox to Office 365

Migrate archive mailboxes from offline EDB files directly to Office 365

EDB to Office 365 Migration

Directly migrate offline Exchange database (EDB) files to Office 365

Public Folder to Office 365

Migrate public folders from an offline Exchange EDB file to Office 365

OST, PST, MBOX, NSF, EML, MSG Export and Migration

EdbMails lets you to recover OST and PST files, export OST, PST, MBOX, NSF, EML, and MSG files to PST files, and directly migrate OST, PST, MBOX, and NSF mailbox data to Office 365 and live Exchange Server.

OST Recovery and Migration

Recover offline OST files, convert OST to PST, and migrate OST to Office 365 and Exchange Server

PST Recovery and Migration

Recover Outlook PST files , Export PST to PST, migrate PST to Office 365 and Exchange Server

MBOX Export and Migration

Export MBOX to PST, migrate MBOX to Office 365 and Exchange Server

NSF Export and Migration

Export NSF to PST, migrate NSF to Office 365 and Exchange Server

EML to PST Export

Convert EML files to Outlook PST files

PST to MSG Export

Convert Outlook PST file to MSG file format

MSG to PST Export

Export MSG files to Outlook PST files

Office 365, Exchange Migration

EdbMails lets you securely migrate mailboxes across Microsoft 365, Exchange, Google Workspace (G Suite), and IMAP-supported servers such as Outlook, Gmail, Zimbra, Zoho Mail, and cPanel, ensuring zero downtime.

Office 365 Migration

Migrate between Office 365 tenants, Office 365 to Exchange, Office 365 to PST, PST files to Office 365.

Exchange Migration

Migrate between any Exchange Servers, Exchange to Office 365, Exchange to PST, PST files to Exchange.

Tenant to Tenant Migration

Migrate Mailboxes, Public Folders, Archive Mailboxes between Office 365 Tenants.

Exchange to Office 365

Migrate Mailboxes, Public Folders, Archive Mailboxes from live Exchange server to Office 365.

Office 365 to IMAP

Migrate Office 365 to IMAP, Office 365 to Gmail, Office 365 to Outlook, Office 365 to Zoho etc.

Exchange to IMAP

Migrate from live Exchange Server to IMAP servers such as Gmail, Outlook, and Zoho Mail.

Public Folder to Office 365

Migrate Public Folders between Office 365 tenants with complete folder hierarchy and mailbox data integrity.

Exchange to PST

Export live Exchange Server mailboxes, public folders, and archive mailboxes to Outlook PST files.

SharePoint, OneDrive & Microsoft Teams Migration

EdbMails lets you migrate SharePoint sites, OneDrive data, Microsoft Teams, teams, channels, chats, permissions, and documents between Microsoft 365 tenants while maintaining the existing folder structure and data integrity.

SharePoint Online Migration

Migrate documents, lists, files and folders from SharePoint sites.

OneDrive for Business Migration

Migrate documents, lists, files, folders, private chats from OneDrive.

Microsoft Teams Migration

Migrate Teams, chats, channels, documents, files and folders etc.

Google Workspace / G Suite Migration

EdbMails offers secure Google Workspace migration to Office 365, Exchange, or IMAP, and export to PST covering emails, contacts, calendars and tasks.

Google Workspace Migration

Migrate emails, calendars, contacts, tasks from Google Workspace to Google Workspace, office 365, Exchange and IMAP. Export to PST

Google Workspace to Office 365

Migrate emails, calendars, contacts, tasks from Google Workspace / G Suite to Office 365

Google Workspace to Exchange Server

Migrate emails, calendars, contacts, tasks from Google Workspace / G Suite to on-Premise Exchange Server

Google Workspace to IMAP

Migrate emails, calendars, contacts, tasks from Google Workspace / G Suite to IMAP, Outlook, Zimbra, Zoho etc.

Google Workspace to Google Workspace

Migrate emails, calendars, contacts, tasks between two Google Workspace / G Suite tenants

Google Workspace to PST

Export emails, calendars, contacts, tasks from Google Workspace / G Suite to Outlook PST files

IMAP Migration

EdbMails IMAP Migration tool lets you easily migrate emails from IMAP servers such as Outlook, Gmail, Zoho Mail, Zimbra, cPanel, and more. Supports IMAP to IMAP, Office 365, Exchange Server, PST, and bulk PST to IMAP migration.

IMAP Email Backup & Migration

Backup and migrate emails from IMAP servers to PST, Office 365, and On-Premises Exchange Server

IMAP to Office 365

Migrate emails, folders, and attachments from IMAP servers to Office 365

IMAP to Exchange

Migrate emails, folders, and attachments from IMAP servers to on-premises Exchange Server

IMAP to PST

Export emails, folders, and attachments from IMAP servers to Outlook PST files for backup

PST to IMAP

Migrate emails, folders, and attachments from bulk PST files to IMAP servers

Duplicate Remover

EdbMails Duplicate Remover lets you easily remove duplicate items from Office 365 and Exchange Server, and from IMAP, Outlook, Gmail, Zimbra, Zoho Mail, etc., ensuring a clean and organized mailbox.

Remove Duplicates

Easily clean up your Office 365, Exchange, Outlook and IMAP accounts by removing duplicate emails.

Remove Duplicates from Office 365

Remove duplicate emails, calendars, contacts, journal tasks, etc. from Office 365.

Remove Duplicates from Exchange Server

Remove duplicate emails, calendars, contacts, journal tasks, etc. from live Exchange Server.

Remove Duplicates from IMAP, Outlook

Remove duplicate emails, attachments from IMAP, Outlook, Gmail, Zimbra, Zoho Mail etc.

Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams and Office 365 Backup

EdbMails enables secure, automated backup and recovery for Microsoft 365 services including Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and Live Exchange Server with complete data protection and restore flexibility.

Office 365 Backup

Incremental, Granular, Encrypted and Compressed Office 365 Mailboxes Backup

Exchange Server Backup

Incremental, Granular, Encrypted and Compressed Exchange Mailboxes Backup

SharePoint, OneDrive & Teams Backup

Backup Online site collections, Team sites, Office 365 groups, all documents etc.

EdbMails Data Recovery

EdbMails Data Recovery Software lets you recover permanently deleted data, including photos, videos, documents, and archived files, from partitions on hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, and external storage devices.

EdbMails Data Recovery

Recover and restore permanently deleted data from hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, and etc.

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Microsoft 365 Backup Software Comparison

Compare Microsoft 365 backup approaches by storage, recovery, and control

Microsoft 365 backup can be delivered through Microsoft's native paid service, third-party SaaS platforms, or locally controlled software such as EdbMails. Compare where backup data is stored, how recovery works, how costs are calculated, which workloads are covered, and how much control your organization requires over the backup repository.

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Microsoft 365 Backup

Microsoft 365 Backup Software Comparison: Native, SaaS and Locally Controlled Solutions

Choosing Microsoft 365 backup software is no longer simply a question of whether Microsoft provides backup. Microsoft now offers a native Microsoft 365 Backup service, while organizations can also choose third-party SaaS backup platforms or locally controlled backup software such as EdbMails.

The right approach depends on what you need to protect, where the backup is stored, how you recover data, how costs are calculated and how much control your organization wants over the backup repository. This comparison focuses on those architectural and operational differences. For the product overview, see EdbMails Office 365 Backup.

What is protected Where it is stored How much control

Why data protection is the customer's responsibility

Microsoft operates Microsoft 365 under a shared-responsibility model. Microsoft is responsible for the availability and resilience of the service infrastructure, while the customer remains responsible for their own data and for how it is protected against accidental deletion, retention gaps and internal error. This is why a backup discussion is relevant even though Microsoft runs a highly available platform: service availability is not the same as point-in-time recoverability of your own content.

Microsoft's responsibility

The availability and resilience of the service infrastructure that keeps Microsoft 365 running.

Your responsibility

Your own data — protecting it against accidental deletion, retention gaps and internal error, recoverable to a point in time.

Understanding this distinction is the starting point for any tool comparison. The question is not whether Microsoft keeps the service running, but whether your organization can recover a specific mailbox, folder or item to a chosen point in time, from a copy that meets your retention and control requirements.

Common reasons organizations back up Microsoft 365

Accidental or malicious deletion

Content removed by a user or administrator may be unrecoverable once native deleted-item windows pass.

Retention gaps

Retention policies preserve or delete content according to policy, which is not the same as an on-demand recoverable copy.

Departed employees

Organizations often need to retain former-employee mailbox data independently of the live account.

Ransomware and malware

A separately controlled copy supports recovery planning when production content is affected.

Compliance and legal hold

Some organizations require a controlled, independently retained copy of mailbox data.

Migration and restructuring

A protected copy is useful during tenant changes, mergers and administrative transitions.

Three common Microsoft 365 backup approaches

Native Microsoft 365 Backup

Microsoft provides Microsoft 365 Backup as a native paid service for supported Exchange Online, SharePoint and OneDrive workloads. It uses Microsoft-managed storage within the Microsoft 365 trust boundary and provides restore points and recovery workflows through the admin experience.

Third-party SaaS backup

Many backup vendors provide cloud-to-cloud Microsoft 365 protection. In this model, the provider generally operates the backup application and storage repository, and customers access backup, retention and recovery through the vendor's web service.

Locally controlled mailbox backup

EdbMails runs in the customer's environment and creates an encrypted backup on storage selected by the administrator, such as local or shared/network storage. The organization controls where the protected mailbox copy is retained.

Microsoft 365 Backup vs EdbMails Office 365 Backup

Area	Microsoft 365 Backup	EdbMails Office 365 Backup
Primary architecture	Microsoft-native backup service	Windows application creating organization-controlled mailbox backup
Protected workload focus	Exchange Online, SharePoint and OneDrive	Microsoft 365 / Exchange Online mailbox data, archives, supported shared-mailbox and Public Folder scenarios
Backup repository	Microsoft-managed inside Microsoft 365 architecture	Administrator-selected local or shared/network storage
Encryption	Microsoft-managed service security and append-only backup architecture	AES 256-bit encrypted backup with private-key option
Cost model	Consumption-based protected-storage pricing	EdbMails software licensing; customer provides backup storage
Restore model	Native restore workflows within supported Microsoft 365 workloads	Granular mailbox-data restore to supported Microsoft 365 or Exchange destinations
Local / offline copy	Not a customer-managed local repository	Organization can design local/network and secondary-copy strategy
Infrastructure responsibility	Microsoft manages backup infrastructure	Customer manages the storage infrastructure holding the backup

The products are architecturally different rather than direct substitutes in every scenario. Microsoft native Backup may suit organizations that want Microsoft-managed high-scale recovery across Exchange, OneDrive and SharePoint. EdbMails may suit a locally controlled encrypted mailbox backup with customer-selected storage and flexible restore destinations.

Pricing vs software licensing

Microsoft 365 Backup

$0.15/GB / month

Consumption-based pricing for protected content, with restores included in the service price. Cloud pricing and terms can change, so verify Microsoft's current pricing before deciding.

EdbMails Office 365 Backup

Software licensing+ your own storage

The organization provides and manages the backup storage. Rather than paying a backup vendor for hosted protected storage, you use storage infrastructure you control.

Cost comparisons should include more than license price. Evaluate:

Total protected mailbox data.
Expected data growth.
Length of retention required.
Existing local/network storage capacity.
Administrative labor for managing storage.
Recovery requirements and acceptable downtime.
Whether SharePoint and OneDrive protection is required in the same platform.

Native Microsoft 365 Backup: current capabilities

Microsoft's native Microsoft 365 Backup currently supports Exchange Online, OneDrive and SharePoint protection, with configurable recovery windows, frequent restore points and granular restore workflows for mailbox items, files and folders. It would be inaccurate to claim Microsoft 365 has no backup product — the real question is which backup architecture best matches the organization's requirements.

When a locally controlled mailbox backup makes sense

Direct control over the repository

The protected mailbox copy is written to storage selected by the administrator, so you decide how it is secured, replicated, archived or kept offline.

AES 256-bit encrypted backup

EdbMails protects its backup using AES 256-bit encryption and supports a private encryption key — application-level encryption combined with your own storage controls.

Use existing local/network storage

Organizations with existing storage infrastructure can use that capacity rather than purchase additional vendor-hosted backup storage for the mailbox use case.

Mailbox restore flexibility

Granular recovery from the protected backup with supported restore workflows to Microsoft 365 or Exchange Server destinations.

Full + incremental backup

An initial full protected copy, then incremental processing for subsequent runs, reducing repeated handling of unchanged mailbox data.

When native Microsoft 365 Backup may be a better fit

You want Microsoft to operate both the production service and backup infrastructure.
You need one native protection service spanning Exchange Online, SharePoint and OneDrive.
Fast large-scale Microsoft-native restore is a primary objective.
You prefer consumption-based cloud backup pricing.
You do not require a customer-managed local copy of the protected mailbox data.

When a third-party SaaS platform may be a better fit

A third-party SaaS backup provider may be preferable when the organization wants a managed cloud backup service but does not want the backup stored only within the Microsoft native platform. Vendors differ in workload coverage, storage model, geographic regions, retention, immutability, recovery options, compliance features and pricing.

When comparing SaaS vendors, verify which services are actually included. "Microsoft 365 backup" can refer to Exchange Online only, or it may also include OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams-related content and other workloads.

How the three approaches compare at a glance

The summary below is a planning aid, not a substitute for testing each option against your own recovery requirements.

Criterion	Native Microsoft 365 Backup	Third-party SaaS backup	EdbMails (locally controlled)
Where backup is stored	Microsoft-managed	Vendor-managed	Customer-selected local/network storage
Workload breadth	Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive	Varies by vendor	Microsoft 365 / Exchange mailbox data and supported scenarios
Cost basis	Consumption per protected GB	Usually per user or per GB	Software licensing plus customer-owned storage
Offline / secondary copy	Not customer-managed	Depends on provider	Customer can design its own strategy
Encryption control	Microsoft-managed	Depends on provider	AES 256-bit with private-key option

Backup software evaluation checklist

What exactly is protected?

Confirm whether the product protects only Exchange Online mailbox data or also SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams-related workloads. Do not assume one license covers every workload.

Where is the backup stored?

Determine whether the repository is Microsoft-managed, vendor-managed or customer-managed. Storage architecture affects cost, responsibility, data residency and recovery strategy.

What restore granularity is available?

Verify whether recovery is performed at tenant, mailbox, folder, file or item level, and whether the restore can target the original location or additional destinations.

How is backup data protected?

Review encryption, immutability or append-only design, administrator access controls, authentication requirements and key-management options.

How are recurring backups handled?

Compare restore-point frequency for native/SaaS products with full/incremental behavior for locally controlled software, according to recovery-point requirements.

What is the long-term cost model?

Cloud services may charge by protected GB, user or workload. Locally controlled software may use mailbox licensing while requiring customer-owned storage. Calculate cost over the retention period.

Can the backup be independently retained?

If policy requires a customer-controlled copy, verify whether the organization can decide where protected data is stored and whether a secondary or offline copy can be maintained.

How easy is restore testing?

A backup strategy should include periodic recovery tests. Evaluate how quickly administrators can locate a mailbox, browse protected data, restore a sample item and verify the result.

How does it handle scale and recovery speed?

For larger tenants, consider how the product handles many mailboxes, large item counts and Microsoft 365 throttling, and how those affect backup windows and recovery time. No product can guarantee a fixed speed — it depends on data volume, bandwidth, hardware and Microsoft service responsiveness.

Backup Tool vs Backup Software

"Office 365 Backup Tool," "Microsoft 365 Backup Tool," "Office 365 Backup Software" and "Microsoft 365 Backup Software" generally represent the same evaluation intent: a product to protect Microsoft 365 data. EdbMails consolidates those terms into the main Office 365 Backup product rather than creating near-duplicate landing pages.

Office 365 vs Microsoft 365 terminology

Microsoft rebranded Office 365 business suites under Microsoft 365, but "Office 365 Backup" remains widely used in administrator and product searches. Our architecture uses "Office 365 Backup" as the main established phrase while also incorporating "Microsoft 365 Backup" and related software/tool terminology.

Why EdbMails differs from cloud-to-cloud backup

EdbMails should not be positioned as another hosted SaaS backup repository. Its distinguishing model is that the application runs in the customer's environment and writes the encrypted mailbox backup to storage selected by the customer. This gives direct control over repository location, but also means the organization is responsible for capacity planning, storage redundancy, access control and secondary-copy strategy — a trade-off that should be evaluated openly rather than presented as universally better than cloud backup.

Compare before you choose backup software

The best Microsoft 365 backup product matches your required workloads, recovery objectives, storage architecture, compliance model and budget. Organizations that specifically need encrypted, locally controlled Microsoft 365 mailbox backup may find EdbMails better aligned with that requirement.

Office 365 Backup Guide Download EdbMails

Frequently asked questions

Does Microsoft provide Microsoft 365 Backup?
Yes. Microsoft now provides a native paid Microsoft 365 Backup service for supported Exchange Online, OneDrive and SharePoint workloads.
If Microsoft 365 is highly available, why back it up?
Service availability is not the same as point-in-time recoverability of your own content. Under Microsoft's shared-responsibility model, protecting your data against accidental deletion, retention gaps and internal error remains the customer's responsibility.
Is EdbMails a cloud-to-cloud backup service?
No. EdbMails is designed to create a protected mailbox backup on storage selected and controlled by the organization.
Does EdbMails back up SharePoint and OneDrive through the Office 365 mailbox backup page?
No. Those are separate workloads. EdbMails provides dedicated SharePoint and OneDrive backup functionality and they should be evaluated through their respective product workflows.
Can I use my own storage with EdbMails?
Yes. The Office 365 mailbox backup can be stored on supported local or shared/network storage selected by the administrator.
Does EdbMails support incremental backup?
Yes. The first protected copy is full, and subsequent backup runs can operate incrementally for newly added or modified mailbox items.

Is native Microsoft 365 Backup or EdbMails cheaper?
It depends on your data volume, retention period and existing storage. Native Backup uses consumption-based per-GB pricing, while EdbMails uses software licensing with customer-provided storage. Calculate the total cost over your intended retention period rather than comparing list prices alone.
Can native Microsoft 365 Backup and EdbMails be used together?
They address different architectures and some organizations use a combination. Native Backup offers Microsoft-managed recovery across Exchange, SharePoint and OneDrive, while EdbMails provides a locally controlled encrypted mailbox copy. Evaluate the combination against your recovery and governance requirements.
What restore destinations does EdbMails support?
EdbMails supports granular restore of protected mailbox data to supported Microsoft 365 or Exchange Server destinations, which is useful for hybrid or mixed Microsoft messaging environments.
Does a retention policy remove the need for backup?
No. Retention policies are designed to preserve or delete content according to policy, which is a different operational requirement from an on-demand recoverable backup copy. Many organizations use both.
How should I verify which workloads a "Microsoft 365 backup" product covers?
Confirm explicitly whether the product protects only Exchange Online mailbox data or also OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams-related content, because the same marketing phrase can mean very different coverage between vendors.

Related Office 365 Backup resources

Office 365 Backup Office 365 Backup to Local Storage Office 365 Incremental Backup Office 365 Backup and Restore Office 365 Mailbox Backup Features