Even though Microsoft provides a solid and reliable infrastructure, businesses must realise that they also have to take responsibility for the safety of their data, especially when transferring it into a cloud environment. A significant number of companies, both emerging and established, often fall into the trap of believing their data is entirely safe when stored in the cloud. This mistaken belief puts them in a vulnerable position, especially with data held in production and sandbox environments.

"Every business bears the fundamental duty of data protection," says Muggie van Staden, Managing Director of Obsidian Systems. "This encompasses data at every stage of the process. Ensuring consistent and proactive safeguards across IT infrastructures is non-negotiable."

While the blame often falls on threat actors, unintended deletions, and prolonged data recovery times all contribute to significant delays in disaster recovery. This can translate to legal penalties, compromised data, or even interruptions in regular business processes.

In addressing these concerns, Obsidian highlights four essential facets of Microsoft 365 data security:

• Data isolation: Creating independent backup copies away from primary environments is essential. This approach effectively counters threats from data malfunctions and ransomware attacks.
• Flexible restoration: Swift and comprehensive data recovery solutions are indispensable. Businesses should be aware of the potential extended periods necessary for complete data and site recovery.
• SLA compliance: Companies must have specific protocols in place to achieve Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO) targets. It is more than just ticking compliance boxes. Rather it is about guaranteeing uninterrupted business operations.

"Every business, irrespective of size, should embrace a holistic security strategy. This encompasses measures like strengthening backup data channels, advanced AES-256 bit encryption standards, proactive threat detection systems, and stringent access controls," says van Staden.

Given the digital era's intricacies, South African companies must avoid complacency. Prioritising data security is an essential piece of the broader risk mitigation puzzle and must be integrated into every company’s forward-thinking strategy.