Microsoft 365 Backup is set to receive dozens of new policies and settings that will greatly strenghten security

Microsoft 365 Backup, the Redmond-based tech giant’s platform for keeping corporate data safe, will receive a package of new policies and features that will further strengthen its security abilities—and probably also shatter some of the criticism Microsoft has been getting regarding the security of its products and services.

These policies and new settings will change how admins can use Microsoft Backup to ensure the security and well-being of their organization. For one, notifications will be impacted. A recent entry to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap says the Backup platform can soon be configured to receive email notifications for any risky changes to the backup settings.

The description of the new policy reads:

Set of pre-defined administrators can be configured to receive email notifications for any potentially damaging changes to the backup settings or actions taken to ensure proper oversight of the tool in the organization.

Another new policy coming to Microsoft 365 Backup will let admins perform file-level browse/search and then restore. Admins will be able to browse for files across the server, apply filters to narrow results and restore the file to its original location by overwriting existing content.

Perform file-level browse/search and then restore using Microsoft 365 Backup. With this enhancement you will be able to browse for files across in a site from available daily restore points and apply filters to narrow results, restore at the original location by overwriting existing content or to a new place by creating a copy of the content.

The Redmond-based tech giant will enhance Microsoft 365 Backup to create full-workload backup policies automatically. The new option automatically adds new users/sites to the backup policy.

Automatically backup all Exchange or OneDrive users and/or SharePoint sites in the tenant and have the tool automatically add new users/sites to the backup policy.

At the same time, admins can create backup policies for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Exchange data based on different security criteria. The new option should greatly increase security for these platforms.

Create backup policies for your SharePoint, OneDrive, and Exchange data based on distribution lists and security groups memberships, and have the tool automatically update these policies based on dynamic membership changes.

Finally, Microsoft Backup will also be enhanced with the ability to permanently delete formerly protected OneDrive accounts, SharePoint sites, or Exchange Online data.

Ability to permanently delete, after appropriate grace period, protection units from the backups. A protection unit is defined as a OneDrive Account, SharePoint site, or Exchange Online shared or user mailbox being protected in the Backup tool.

All of these new policies and settings are set to be released next year, though, between March and July. Fortunately, they won’t be sudden—something that admins are already used to when it comes to changes in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

All of them will have a preview available before the general release, which is useful for admins to learn how to use them.