Microsoft 365 information
Assess independent backup for supported email, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams-related data. The supported objects and restore options are confirmed for the selected product.
BACKUP • RANSOMWARE RESILIENCE • DISASTER RECOVERY
When disruption happens,
recovery needs a plan.
Protect critical information and prepare to restore the services your organisation depends on. WestTech connects backup scope, monitoring, restore testing and business recovery priorities.
Datto & Kaseya technologiesMicrosoft 365 workloadsEndpoints • Servers • Cloud • Business continuityWHY DO YOU NEED BACKUP?
Availability is not the same as recoverability.
Accidental deletion, a failed device, a damaged server or a compromised account can leave important information unavailable. Ransomware can encrypt systems and may target accessible backups as well.
Backup creates recovery options for the data and systems included in the plan. Recovery planning answers the next question: which service must return first, and what else does it depend on?
File synchronisation, platform availability and retention features have useful roles, but they are not automatically a complete independent backup strategy.
Two recovery questions to answer.
- Recovery point objective / RPO
How much recent data could the business afford to lose? - Recovery time objective / RTO
How quickly does a service need to be restored?
Objectives inform the design. Achievable recovery depends on the chosen solution, incident, data volume, connectivity and dependencies.
WHAT WE CAN PROTECT
Start with the workloads that matter.
Endpoints & user data
Identify business information stored on supported laptops and desktops. Define which locations, devices and file types belong in the protection scope.
Servers & applications
Plan backup for selected physical or virtual workloads. Review application consistency, databases, credentials and the dependencies needed for a useful restore.
Azure & cloud workloads
Assess cloud-native and independent backup options around the workloads, retention, access and recovery requirements.
Monitoring & exceptions
Define how failures are identified, who acts on them and how unresolved gaps are escalated. Changes to the environment need to be reflected in backup scope.
Restore testing
Agree a schedule and evidence for sample restores or broader recovery exercises. A successful backup notification is not proof that the full business process will recover.
RANSOMWARE RESILIENCE
Reduce the risk. Protect the recovery path.
| Layer | What to consider |
|---|---|
| Reduce the chance of compromise | MFA, patching, email protection, endpoint security and staff awareness. |
| Limit access and spread | Least privilege, appropriate network segmentation and controlled administrative access. |
| Protect backup copies | Separate administrative control and offline or immutable copies where supported by the selected solution. |
| Prepare a clean recovery | Document dependencies, recovery order, credentials and the checks required before reconnecting systems. |
| Exercise the plan | Test restores and review the result after significant infrastructure or application changes. |
Backup supports recovery; it does not prevent every attack or reverse data theft. Combine it with security controls and an incident-response plan.
Recovery planned alongside infrastructure.
Our Veterinary Specialists Ireland project includes servers, workstation deployment, network security and backup infrastructure. The published project shows how recovery requirements connect to the wider environment.
Explore the project ↗A RECOVERY PLAN YOU CAN USE
Make responsibilities explicit.
We agree workload coverage, backup frequency, retention, encryption and access arrangements. We also define who monitors failures, who can authorise a restore and which systems need to come back first.
Recovery documentation should be available when normal systems are unavailable. Service reviews keep the plan aligned with new applications, devices and locations.
QUESTIONS BEFORE WE TALK
Clear answers for your next decision.
Does having data in Microsoft 365 remove the need for backup?
Your organisation still needs to assess accidental deletion, retention, account compromise and recovery requirements. We review native controls and independent backup options for the relevant workloads.
Can you make backup ransomware-proof?
No solution should be described as an absolute guarantee. We can design protected copies, access separation and testing to improve resilience within the selected technology and service scope.
How often should we test recovery?
Testing should reflect business criticality and changes to systems. We agree which restores or exercises are needed, how often they take place and what evidence is recorded.
Product references: CISA ransomware guidance ↗Datto and Kaseya backup options ↗
Product capabilities and licensing depend on the selected plan and current vendor terms.
Product capabilities and licensing depend on the selected plan and current vendor terms.
ON-PREMISES BACKUP & BUSINESS CONTINUITY
Protect the systems
your business runs on.
Servers, databases, shared files and local applications can be critical even when your email is in the cloud. A server fault, failed update, accidental deletion or ransomware incident can interrupt the whole operation. Agree a recovery plan before it is needed.
Back up the workload, not just a folder
Identify physical and virtual servers, application data, file shares and supported databases. Choose application-aware or image-based protection where appropriate, and document dependencies such as identity, networking and licences.
Keep a usable recovery path
Use a protection design with separate recovery copies and an offsite copy where required. Consider immutable or offline copies where supported, restricted backup administration and protection for backup credentials.
| What to agree | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Recovery point objective — RPO | How much recent work could the business afford to lose? Use that answer to choose backup frequency. |
| Recovery time objective — RTO | How quickly must a service return? Infrastructure, restore speed and application dependencies all affect the answer. |
| Retention and recovery location | How far back must you be able to recover, and where can the system run if the original site is unavailable? |
| Monitoring and restore tests | Review failures and capacity, then test representative files, applications or systems against the agreed plan. |
RAID, synchronisation and production snapshots can be useful parts of a system, but each has a different purpose and failure boundary. They should not be assumed to provide an independent, tested backup of your business information.
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace need a recovery plan too.
Cloud-hosted email and documents are business assets. Review the provider’s retention and recovery limits and add independent SaaS backup when those controls do not meet your requirements. Without a suitable recovery copy, discovering a loss after the available recovery window can leave the business unable to retrieve essential information.
See why SaaS backup matters ↓SAAS BACKUP • MICROSOFT 365 • GOOGLE WORKSPACE
Your work is in the cloud.
Your recovery still needs a plan.
SaaS means software delivered as an online service. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace host your email and collaboration data, but your organisation still needs to decide what must be recoverable, how far back and how quickly.
What the cloud already provides
Cloud providers operate resilient services and offer features such as recycle bins, version history, retention policies and administrative recovery tools. Their availability and limits vary by workload, licence, configuration and time since deletion.
These are valuable controls. They do not automatically give every organisation the independent recovery history, retention period or restore process its business requires.
What an independent backup adds
A separately managed backup can provide additional recovery points and a recovery path when live information is deleted, changed or compromised. Its value depends on the workloads included, backup frequency, retention, access controls and successful restore testing.
WestTech helps define those requirements, monitor protection and document how to recover the information your people need.
| Business situation | Why a backup plan matters |
|---|---|
| Accidental deletion or overwriting | Recover an earlier copy when an error is discovered after the available native recovery window. |
| Compromised accounts or ransomware | Identify a usable recovery point and restore affected data alongside account containment and security remediation. |
| Leavers, licences and retention changes | Agree what to retain before accounts are removed or policies change. Legal retention and deletion obligations still apply to backup copies. |
| Urgent operational recovery | Retrieve a mailbox item, document or supported collaboration content without reconstructing everything manually. |
Microsoft 365 / Office 365
Scope Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint and supported Teams content. Datto SaaS Protection supports these services, but coverage is workload-specific: a Teams backup is not a promise to restore every setting, app or message type.
We confirm protected users and shared resources, recovery options, retention and data location before rollout.
Google Workspace and Google Cloud
Google Workspace covers collaboration services such as Gmail and Drive. We assess the supported services and restore options for the chosen SaaS backup product.
Google Cloud infrastructure is a separate scope. Virtual machines, databases and applications need workload-appropriate backup policies, dependencies and recovery tests; a Workspace backup does not protect them automatically.
Managed backup means more than turning it on.
We agree the protection scope, configure access and retention, review backup alerts, handle exceptions and test representative restores. Recovery time and data loss targets are agreed with you; successful backup jobs alone do not prove that an entire business service can recover.
Product references: Datto Microsoft 365 coverage · Datto Google Workspace · Microsoft backup guidance · Google Cloud Backup and DR
START A CONVERSATION
Find out what your business could recover.
Bring your onsite servers, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and cloud workloads into one recovery discussion. Agree what matters before an incident forces the decision.
Corporate engagements • International projects • Managed services
Tell us what needs protecting
Include your organisation, critical systems, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace user count, current backup approach and recovery priorities.
What happens next: we review your brief, discuss the requirements with you, and agree the next step. We use your details to respond to your enquiry. Privacy questions: sales@westtech.ie.
