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MS Office 365 Backup Video

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Introducing Our Office 365 Exchange Backup Demo Video

Take control of your Office 365 Exchange data with CloudAlly. Our automated daily backup services ensure that you always have access to your data and that you can restore and recover your data at any point and from any point in time.

Our backup services are compatible with all Office 365 plans and features including Mail, Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks. It’s simple and easy to backup your Office 365 data with CloudAlly, and our newest demo video we’ll show you exactly how uncomplicated the process is.

About Our Office 365 Backup Video Demo Video

Everyone always claims that their software is “easy” and “simple” and “requires little to now time to set up.” The problem is that many of these claims are false, but you don’t realize you’ve been duped until you’ve made the commitment.

That’s why we’ve decided to prove how convenient it is to use CloudAlly as your Office 365 backup and restore solution. We’re removing the guesswork and offering complete transparency with our latest demo video.

Not only will we walk you through the easy steps to activate your backup, but we’ll show you how it works in real-time, on a real account. This isn’t a demo with a “sample” system. This is CloudAlly at work, in real life.

Activating your Office 365 Exchange backup on your CloudAlly account can be completed in just a few steps. All you need is access to a computer and your CloudAlly login information. From there, you just follow the step-by-step activation process that we’ve laid out for you.

In this two-and-a-half-minute video, you’ll learn how to set up our Office 365 Exchange backup and restore solution like an expert. We cover everything from:

  • Correctly setting up your application impersonation using OAuth or Global Admin.
  • Choosing which accounts you’d like to backup (you can choose to backup each account and/or user individually or select all for a quick backup of every Office 365 user including all shared and public folders).
  • Checking the appropriate backup preferences including “automatically detect and activate new accounts,” scheduling, etc.
  • Picking a friendly name for each backup
  • And indexing your archived data.

And if you’re still concerned about using CloudAlly’s Office 365 Exchange backup solution, don’t forget, we have a risk free 15-day trial available! We want to show you how easy it is to protect your data from all threats.

Don’t choose software to protect your data that you haven’t seen in action. Choose CloudAlly as your Office 365 backup and restore solution, and rest easy knowing that you’ve already seen how it works and don’t have to worry about hidden processes or errors.

When you’re ready to know more, contact CloudAlly by calling +1.917.338.0385 or filling out our Contact Form. We can’t wait to work with you to keep your Office 365 Exchange data safe and sound.

The Best Cloud Storage and File-Sharing Services 2017 – Comparison

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The Best Cloud Storage and File Sharing Services: Google Drive vs Dropbox vs OneDrive

Cloud storage is almost a necessary part of digital life. It allows you to access files from anywhere if you can access your cloud account. No more having to remember to put important files on a flash drive to transport them. There are several different cloud storage companies to choose from. What are the Best Cloud Storage and File Sharing Services? Here in this guide we compare Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive.

Dropbox

When it comes to cloud storage, Dropbox is one of the most popular. For good reason, it was one of the first on the market. While Dropbox doesn’t offer the most space for their free accounts, they do offer a generous paid plan options for affordable monthly or yearly fees.

Security is on the top of everyone’s concern list. All of Dropbox’s plans have 256-bit AES and SSL/TLS encryption. Also, all plans allow for two-factor authentication. The service does offer HIPPA compliance. However, it is not available on free, pro, or standard services.

Dropbox allows you to share files stored on their service with others. To give you more security, you can set permissions such as view only or editing capabilities. You can also choose to password protect files shared and have the sharing links expire after a set time.

For standard and higher plans, you can set granular permissions for other users who may have access to the account. These plans are more for geared for business users instead of the personal user, however.

All Dropbox accounts are equipped with MS Office 365 integration and Dropbox Paper. Shared files can be commented on if permissions are set by the administrator.

Pros:

  • Easy Sharing
  • 256-bit AES Security
  • Expiring Shared Links
  • Two-Factor Authentication
  • Anytime access
  • Generous storage size, paid plans start at 1TB

Cons:

  • Free service is only 2GB
  • Pro plan only has 30-day version history and file recovery
  • Pro and Free plan only have email support
  • HIPPA support is only available for Advanced and Enterprise users

Paid Dropbox plans to start at $9.99 billed monthly or $99.99 billed annually with 1 TB storage. Larger storage sizes are available. While their Advanced and Enterprise service are geared for businesses, they do have a dedicated Dropbox for Business service for corporations.

Box

Box is a huge competitor for Dropbox. Like Dropbox, Box offers anywhere-anytime access to files stored within your cloud account. Box, however, prizes themselves in having tight security for all their accounts no matter which level you choose.

Box understands not all their clients are located in the United States and need differing security options. That is why the company has Processor Global Binding Corporate Rules and Controller Global Binding Corporate Rules in place for their European clientele. For Asia-Pacific users, the company has Assai-Pacific Economic Cooperation Cross-Border Privacy Rules systems and adhere to ISO 27018. Box also adheres to ISO 27001, SOC1, PCI DDS, FedRAMP, and HIPPA regulations. Customers outside the US can enjoy in-region storage in either Europe, Asia, Canada, or Australia. As with Dropbox, those interested in additional security can set up two-factor authentication.

Because the cloud is more than just for storage, Box makes it easy for account owners to share files with others. Files sharing via links or straight from your Box account allows you to get important documents where they need to go, even if they would normally be too big to send via email. With file-sharing, all users can see what changes are made and have access to the latest versions.

For those concerned about downloading large files, most file types are easily opened with Box. Supported types include Word, Excel, AI, ESP, PSD, and PDF. The service also supports photo files and more. With over 120 supported file types, you should not have to download a file or have the program on your system just to view it.

Pros:

  • Generous free service at 10GB
  • Paid services start at $10 for 100GB
  • SSL and at-rest Encryption
  • File versioning
  • Paid plan offers a 5GB file upload limit

Cons:

  • 250 MB file upload limit on free plans
  • Personal plans limited to either 10 or 100 GB

Box makes it easy to keep all your files secure and accessible from anywhere. As with their competitors, they do offer business plans for corporate users. These plans carry the same security but do require a minimum number of users to enroll.

OneDrive

OneDrive is Microsoft’s answer to online storage. As with Box and Dropbox, they offer online, PC, Mac, and mobile access to files from anywhere at any time. Because it’s Microsoft, it works seamlessly with all Office products.

Microsoft cares about security just like Dropbox and Box. While their security is not as sophisticated as Box, it is just as secure as Dropbox. They use 256-bit AES security to control their accounts. The service also provides two-factor authentication for online access.

Users can share files and folders with others. You set limitations on how the files are secured. You can restrict them to read-only or editable with the ability to download to another device. Files edited by other users will show what changes were made by whom.

Files created in OneNote can be backed up directly to OneDrive. Also, other files created by any Windows Store app can also be stored directly to the cloud storage service. From your OneDrive you can post photos to Facebook.

Pros:

  • 256-bit AES Security
  • 5GB Free
  • Additional Free storage available with Automatic Camera Roll Backup
  • Seamless Integration with Office Documents
  • Create Surveys with Excel

Cons:

  • Paid limited to 50GB unless you have Office 365
  • Scanning to upload to OneDrive and Excess sharing requires Office 365

Microsoft OneDrive might not be quite as good as Box. However, for loyal Microsoft users, it is the obvious choice as it easily allows all your services to integrate into one storage location. If you have an Office 365 account, you get additional storage along. Personal users get 1TB storage while Home users have access to up to 5TB. If you want to purchase a 50GB storage service instead of Office 365, it is affordable at only $1.99 per month.

All three have their strengths and weaknesses. No matter which one you choose, it is important to consider having a backup for your cloud service. While all service providers offer redundancy to ensure their servers never lose anything, it doesn’t stop you from accidentally deleting files. CloudAlly offers affordable backup options for all your cloud storage needs.

The Best Cloud Storage and File Sharing Services:

Try our automated FREE 14 day backup – Click Here

The Foundation of a Successful Office 365 Migration

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Office 365 Backup and Restore – Migration Plan

Migrating to Office 365 has become common practice. Businesses large and small have been attracted to the online environment as a way to save money, increase efficiency, and improve business continuity. The issue is that too many organizations take Office 365 migration lightly and don’t include such basic foundational items as: Office 365 backup and restore.

Office 365 migrations are not simple cookie-cutter processes. To do it correctly requires experience in Exchange, Office 365, archives, security, DNS, storage, firewalls, proxies, networking, backups, and more. And with so many different products in the Microsoft Office 365 Suite, comprehensively covering the entire migration process can be a challenge.

So, what makes a successful Office 365 migration to cloud? It’s all about having a solid foundation and avoiding these common pitfalls.

4 Tips for Successful Office 365 Migration

1. Choose an Appropriate Migration Method

There are four different migration methods that companies can choose from, and each method has its pros and cons. For example, there’s a lot of hype surrounding Exchange Server migrations to Office 365, stating that it can be completed in six easy steps. But the reality is that only the smallest organizations can get away with such a simplified migrations. The key to success is choosing the right method for your business.

  • Cut-over Migration: This is considered the easiest of all migration methods. Basically, it transfers all mailboxes, users, contacts, and mail groups to Office 365 in one fell swoop. The downside to this migration type is that it’s limited. It works best for small business owners because cutover migrations can only handle up to 1,000 mailboxes and may take several days to complete.
  • Hybrid Migration: This is a much more complicated migration method and involves moving only some on-premise capabilities to Office 365 while leaving the rest to be managed on-location. The biggest difficult with this migration type is deciding what should be transferred and strategically planning for it. For example, with a hybrid migration you can decide to keep your SharePoint data in-house while moving your mailboxes online.
  • Staged Migration: This migration works best for those companies who can’t afford any downtime and want to opt into only migrating a few resources at a time. Just like the cut-over migration, staged migration is limited to fewer than 1,000 mailboxes, but there is little disruption for users.
  • Third-Party Migrations: The final migration approach, and our recommendation, is to use a data migration expert. Many cloud partners have their own Office 365 tools with a dedicated team of experts to ensure the migration goes as smoothly as possible.

1. Understand Office 365 Limitations

There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to Office 365 migration plans. That’s because every business has different needs, and require you to perform due diligence on what Office 365 can handle before you move forward.

For example, Office 365 offers a variety of support plans and they were not all created equal. If you’re going hybrid, it’s essential that you have a support plan in place that supports Azure Active Directory Synchronization. The solution:

Another limitation is the inability to keep legacy archive solutions on-premise. The reality is that when you move your mailboxes to the cloud, you break the stubs and so users are unable to access archived email. The solution is to use your own third-party Office 365 backup and restore archive solution to handle the export, rehydration, and upload process. That’s where CloudAlly comes in handy. With the click of a button, we make it easy to create a zip download containing Outlook compatible PST format.

And if you choose the hybrid migration method, you need to understand the differences between the Exchange environments. If you have an Exchange 2007/2010 environment set up, then you’ll need at least one Exchange 2013 Client Access and Mailbox server ready to run the Hybrid Configuration wizard. And if your business doesn’t have Exchange 2013, you’ll have to update before going hybrid.

Finally, Office 365 is limited in its message recovery ability. Office 365 cannot perform message retrieval beyond the deleted item retention period. This can be a major problem for admins, but there’s an easy solution. Use CloudAlly to perform daily-automated backups of all your Office 365 information and keep it forever with unlimited storage and unlimited retention.

2. Don’t Skimp on Migration Infrastructure

When planning a migration, there are some infrastructure requirements you have to adhere to. Technically, a migration can run solely on virtual hardware, but it t4ends to result in performance problems except for smaller organizations. Microsoft recommends that larger businesses use Exchange 2013 and 2010 hybrid servers. We also recommend having a server that is running Active Directory Federation Services. This server can be used to handle identity management between the Office 365 cloud and your on-premise environment.

3. Implement a Cloud-to-Cloud Backup Service for Exchange Online

Office 365 Exchange Online lacks the daily backup and point-in-time recovery process that was probably present in your hosted Exchange environment. This means that you no longer have the ability to recover data lost or corrupt data once you’re up and running in your new Office 365 online environment. The recycle bin provides short-term recovery of individual items but can be hard deleted by a user. Exchange Online Archiving (EOA) provides immutable protection of individual items, but lacks the ability to recover a complete mailbox, folder, calendar, etc. Individual Items must be queried using eDiscovery, exported to an eDiscovery mailbox, and then downloaded, before moving back to the source mailbox.

CloudAlly’s Office 365 backup and restore service is compatible with all plans, includes Mail, Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks, and you can backup user and shared mailboxes, as well as public folders.

CloudAlly’s restore process allows you to non-destructively, recover lost or corrupt data, or export it in Outlook compatible format. You can even drill down through each backup by date or keyword to quickly search and located specific data, or perform a complete point-in-time recovery at an hierarchical level.

In the end, a successful Office 365 migration is dependent on using the right tools and having a complete backup and recovery solution in place once the migration is complete. While Microsoft provides some decent tools for migrating Exchange Server mailboxes to Office 365, they don’t provide everything. Familiarize yourself with all available migration tools, understand Exchange Online limitations, and consider CloudAlly’s Office 365 Exchange Backup to provide ongoing protection of your Exchange Online data.

It’s worth it.

Australia Amazon Data Center

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CloudAlly News – Australia Amazon Data Center, ISO Certification & Unlimited Storage

We are happy to announce that in addition to the Amazon U.S and E.U. data centers, you can now select the Amazon Australian datacenter for CloudAlly archive storage. This ensures that your data is in the appropriate physical location to address data privacy regulation. You can contact support@cloudally.com to request a specific data center.

Amazon Data Center

ISO 27001 Certification

We’re also pleased to announce that we have achieved ISO 27001 certification, an internationally recognized accreditation for information security management. This certification recognizes CloudAlly’s ongoing commitment to secure cloud backup services by strict adherence to industry standard best practices. To achieve ISO 27001 certification, companies must strictly adhere to a number of disciplines including compliance, risk management, business continuity and security. This includes the design and implementation of extensive security controls and ongoing management of the process to maintain continued compliance. Read more →

Microsoft OneDrive for Business – should you consider it?

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Microsoft OneDrive for Business

The short answer is… yes, you should consider Microsoft OneDrive for Business.

Formerly called SkyDrive Pro, OneDrive for Business is Microsoft’s answer to Google Drive and others. As an integral part of Office 365 or SharePoint Server 2013, OneDrive for Business lets you work within the context of your organization and manage your work documents.

The most important feature is being able to share your file and collaborate with other people within your organization or partners outside the organization. Then there is the sync application that enables you to replicate a copy of your files at your local drive and edit either the local or the cloud copy.

Sometimes there is confusion between Microsoft OneDrive (formerly called SkyDrive) and Microsoft OneDrive for business. OneDrive is simply a cloud storage owned and controlled Read more →