How 5 Popular Tools Protect and Backup Your Data

"We're in the cloud" is a phrase we hear often. It's delivered with confidence and certainty that someone is taking care of everything. But the reality is you, the customer, are responsible for managing, protecting, and preserving your valuable data.

Here's a quick recap from our What You Don't Know About the Cloud Shared Responsibility Model blog post.

The Mini-Cliffs Notes of Cloud Services

Since most of us don't read the Terms of Service, I set out to discover what the cloud providers we all rely on say -- and don't say -- about serving you. Plowing through the word salad these providers publish reinforced why no one bothers to read them.

• Vague
• Incomprehensible
• Frustrating

It's easier to just go with assumptions and hope for the best. Your data is one of your most valuable personal and business assets. You deserve to know what these services are doing for you, and how to practically safeguard your work.

Here is the mini-Cliffs Notes interpretation of 5 popular tools most of you rely on every day.

(A quick note: Deleted data means any file, email, user, etc. that you or someone deletes. It can be intentional, accidental, or malicious. The result is the same: deleted = gone.)

1) 365 Email

Microsoft is the rabbit hole of epic depth and darkness. Without getting lost in the nuances, exceptions, and if this/then that twisted logic, these are useful highlights.

Backup policy : you do it

Deleted mailbox retention : 30 days

Deleted emails recovery : If you have a business account, your system administrator has access to tools that might recover deleted emails. Best to go with the assumption that deleted means gone.

Recovery after the retention period : you do it

What you can do:

2) OneDrive

Backup policy : you do it

Deleted data retention : 93 days

Recovery after the retention period : you do it

What you can do :

This leads to a whole lot of twisty turns.

3) Dropbox

This is what a provider's simple, straightforward explanation should look like.

Backup policy : you do it

Deleted data retention :


Recovery after the retention period : you do it

4) QuickBooks Online

If you're a QuickBooks Desktop user, then you're familiar with the full backup feature. For that reason alone, the Desktop version is my preferred solution.

Backup policy : you do it

Unlike the Desktop version, you can't create a true full backup.

Deleted data retention : none

If you delete a transaction – or worse, an entire company file – there's no way to restore it. It is gone immediately. You can use the Audit Log to see the details of a transaction and re-enter it manually. Not helpful for a lot of files.

What you can do :

You are limited to exporting some of your data to CSVs. It's not great, and it's not a full backup. That's all there is.

5) LastPass

Backup policy : you do it

Deleted data retention : 30 days

Recovery after retention period : you do it

What you can do :

LastPass provides two do-it-yourself backup options.

One More Word About Preserving Your Online Data

You can see why adopting a regular backup policy that includes secure local storage is a must.

There are third party vendors that offer backup and recovery services for many of these applications. We haven't used any of these services so we can't recommend them. If you are interested in exploring any of these, we're happy to help you with the evaluation.