
Data Recovery Options in Microsoft Office 365
By Chris BrunauFor Exchange Online, a messaging application that includes email, calendars, contacts and tasks, Microsoft uses Database Availability Groups to replicate mailboxes to multiple databases in separate Microsoft data centers. This ensures that users can readily access up-to-date mailbox data in the event of a failure that affects one of the database copies. In addition to having multiple copies of each mailbox database stored throughout the Microsoft Office 365 ecosystem, each data center is backed up to each other, which limits service interruption and provides a seamless connected service. Outside of core system protection, deleted item protection is enabled, which includes manual recovery from Deleted Items, recovery from Recoverable Items, Single Items recovery, and retention policies.
Single-Item Recovery
Exchange Online mailboxes have Single Item Recovery enabled by default, meaning that all deleted items are retained in the Recoverable Items structure until the retention period expires. This allows the end user, even after deleting items from the Deleted Items folder, to restore them back as needed within a specific window of time, which is set at 14 days by default. Admins can choose to increase the retention period if desired to a maximum period of 30 days using the Exchange Management Shell.
Recovery from Recoverable Items
Once items are deleted within the Deleted Items folder, they are added to the Recoverable Items folder where they can be retrieved any time before the retention time expires by using the standard user controls, selecting an item and choosing the recover option. Users can also purge all or selected items as needed.
Retention Policies
Once items are deleted within the Deleted Items folder, they are added to the Recoverable Items folder where they can be retrieved any time before the retention time expires by using the standard user controls, selecting an item and choosing the recover option. Users can also purge all or selected items as needed.
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