Data Backup

This section describes backup concepts of Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365.

Backup Applications

To back up Microsoft 365 data, Veeam Data Cloud uses Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Microsoft Azure Active Directory) applications.

The first Microsoft Entra application is created during the self-service onboarding process. You can either select to create the application automatically or manually:

• If you choose to automatically connect Veeam Data Cloud to your Microsoft 365 tenancy, Veeam Data Cloud creates a new application registration and grants the required permissions.
• If you choose to manually connect Veeam Data Cloud to your Microsoft 365 tenancy, you must manually grant the required permissions for the new or existing application registration. For more information on the required permissions, see Microsoft Entra Application Permissions.

You can also add a second Microsoft Entra application registration to increase the speed of your backup. For more information, see Adding Second App Registration.

Backup Retention

Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365 uses the snapshot-based retention mechanism to store the backed-up data. With each backup job run, Veeam Data Cloud captures a snapshot or state of a backed-up item, and saves it to the backup location. The item state comprises a cumulative set of item versions created for the item in Microsoft 365. The item state belongs to a specific restore point.

Snapshot-based retention works in the following way:

1. During the initial backup of an item, Veeam Data Cloud creates the first restore point with the initial item state. The item state contains all versions of the item that exist in Microsoft 365 at the moment when the backup is created.
2. When a user modifies the item in Microsoft 365 once again, Microsoft 365 creates a new version for the item.
3. During a subsequent backup session, Veeam Data Cloud creates a new restore point with a new item state. The new item state cumulatively includes all versions of the item created by Microsoft 365, including those that are already contained in the first restore point.
4. After the retention period for the first restore point expires, Veeam Data Cloud removes the restore point from the backup location — that is, removes the item state. The item itself remains in the backup location.

Veeam Data Cloud will repeat this operation for all subsequent restore points that contain newer states of the item until the retention period expires for the last restore point, and the last restore point is removed as well.

Retention is set to 7 years by default, and can be customized to offer an unlimited time period. To do this, contact Veeam Customer Support.