compliance and risk Archives - Cloudstar Secure

Cloud Archiving vs Email Backup: Why You Need Both

They Sound Similar—But Serve Different Purposes

Cloud archiving is designed for long-term, unalterable storage that supports compliance, discovery, and audit-readiness.
Email backup, on the other hand, is intended for short-term recovery in the event of data loss, corruption, or ransomware.
Both are essential—but for very different reasons.

What Archiving Protects You From

Email archiving ensures that all communications are captured in real time, stored securely, and remain searchable. This is critical for industries subject to regulatory requirements, legal discovery, or client data preservation mandates.
It’s not just about storage—it’s about retention policies, searchability, and defensibility.

What Backup Protects You From

Backups are your insurance policy against accidental deletion, account compromise, and disaster scenarios. If an employee deletes an inbox, or a ransomware attack encrypts mailboxes, backup allows you to restore data quickly and fully.
Without it, recovery becomes expensive—or impossible.

One Doesn’t Replace the Other

Some organizations assume that if they have a backup, they don’t need archiving—or vice versa. That’s a costly mistake. Backups don’t meet compliance standards for record immutability. Archives don’t offer full mailbox restoration.
You need both systems working in tandem to ensure both recoverability and accountability.

Microsoft 365 Doesn’t Cover This Automatically

Many companies using Microsoft 365 believe their email is fully protected out of the box. It isn’t. While Microsoft offers some built-in options, they are often not configured, limited in scope, or difficult to manage at scale.
Cloudstar offers managed Microsoft 365 protection that includes both archiving and backup options tailored to your business.

Not Sure What You Have? We’ll Tell You—Free.

Cloudstar offers a no-cost review of your current email infrastructure. We’ll help you identify what you have, what you need, and how to close the gaps before they become liabilities.
Schedule your free review today.

The Importance of Third-Party Backup for Microsoft 365 Mailboxes

In today’s business world, Microsoft 365 is a cornerstone for productivity, enabling seamless communication and collaboration. However, many organizations mistakenly believe that Microsoft’s built-in features provide sufficient data protection. The truth is, Microsoft 365 doesn’t offer comprehensive backup solutions, leaving businesses vulnerable to data loss.

While Microsoft provides features like recycle bins and retention policies, these tools are not designed to replace a dedicated backup solution. Accidental deletions, ransomware attacks, and even internal threats can result in permanent data loss. Without a third-party backup in place, recovering critical files and emails could be impossible.

Third-party backup solutions are designed to fill this gap by providing secure, automated, and scalable data protection. They offer features like point-in-time recovery, granular restoration, and immutable storage, ensuring your data remains safe and accessible when you need it most. These solutions also help businesses meet regulatory compliance standards by retaining data securely for the required duration.

Investing in a third-party backup for Microsoft 365 mailboxes isn’t just a precaution; it’s a business necessity. With threats evolving daily, a robust backup solution gives you peace of mind, knowing your data is protected against even the most unexpected events.

Ready to protect your Microsoft 365 data? Reach out to us today to learn how Cloudstar can help secure your critical communications and files.