In short: Business backup software copies your data to a separate, protected location so you can restore it after deletion, corruption, ransomware or a site outage. UK organisations typically need cloud-to-cloud backup for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, image backup for servers and endpoints, and disaster recovery for critical systems. Licensing is per user, per workload or by storage.
What business backup covers
Backup is the last line of defence. When security fails, a user deletes the wrong folder, or a server dies, a good backup is what gets you working again. Most organisations need protection in several places:
- Microsoft 365 backup: Exchange Online mailboxes, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams
- Google Workspace backup: Gmail, Drive, shared drives, Calendar and Contacts
- Server and endpoint backup: physical and virtual servers, databases, laptops and desktops
- Disaster recovery: the ability to run critical systems from a backup copy, in the cloud or another site, while the original is repaired
A common rule of thumb is 3-2-1: three copies of your data, on two different types of storage, with one copy off-site. Many organisations now add a fourth requirement: at least one copy that is immutable or isolated, so ransomware and compromised admin accounts cannot delete it. The NCSC's backup guidance makes the same point.
Backup software: vendors and products we supply
- Acronis: Backup, disaster recovery, EDR, email security, RMM and protected servers on one platform.
- Axcient: x360Recover BCDR, x360Cloud Microsoft 365 backup and x360Sync file sync.
- Commvault: Commvault Cloud backup and recovery for SaaS, cloud and on-premises data.
- Dropsuite: Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace backup, Entra ID protection and email archiving.
- Dropsuite Email archiving: Journaling email archive with eDiscovery and legal hold, plus SaaS backup.
- Dropsuite SaaS Backup: Per-user backup for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace with point-in-time restores.
- Hornetsecurity: Microsoft 365 email security, archiving, backup and compliance, per user.
- Keepit: Independent, immutable backup for Microsoft 365, Entra ID and other SaaS apps.
- Keepit Dynamics 365 backup: Dynamics 365 CRM tables, Power Apps and flows, backed up independently.
- Keepit Okta backup: Backup and recovery for Okta users, apps, groups and policies.
- Keepit Power BI backup: Backup for Power BI workspaces, reports, datasets and dataflows.
- Keepit Salesforce backup: Salesforce records, metadata and files, with sandbox seeding.
- Redstor: Hardware-free cloud backup for Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Azure and Xero.
- Redstor Xero backup: Automated, encrypted backup of Xero accounting data.
What to look for
- Recovery speed and granularity: restoring a single email or file quickly, as well as a whole server
- Immutability and separation: backups stored outside your normal admin credentials, with deletion protection
- Retention that matches your legal and business needs, from 30 days to many years
- Data location: UK or EU data centres if you need data to stay in a particular region
- Encryption in transit and at rest
- Monitoring and testing: alerts for failed jobs and easy test restores
- One console for cloud, server and endpoint backups if you want to keep things simple
Ask too how the vendor supports you in a real incident. When a whole server or tenant needs restoring, the speed of the vendor's support and the ability to ship or download large volumes of data matter as much as the software itself.
How backup software is licensed
Backup licensing varies more than most categories:
| What you protect | Common licensing |
|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace | Per user, often with unlimited storage |
| Servers and virtual machines | Per server, per VM or per CPU socket |
| Laptops and desktops | Per device |
| Cloud storage | Per GB or TB used |
| Disaster recovery | Per protected server plus recovery resources |
Some vendors, such as Acronis, combine these in a usage-based model billed monthly. Others sell fixed annual bundles. See types of software licence for the differences.
How to choose
- List what needs protecting and how quickly each system must be back (recovery time objective) and how much data you can afford to lose (recovery point objective).
- Check what is already backed up, and what is only covered by recycle bins or retention policies.
- Choose storage location and retention.
- Make sure at least one copy is immutable or isolated.
- Test a restore before you rely on it, and repeat regularly.
Forever Group also offers cloud backup as a managed service.
How we help
We supply backup subscriptions from several leading vendors on your Forever Systems account, size storage and retention sensibly, set up jobs and alerts, and help you test restores. Contact us and ask us for a quote.
Explore Backup software
How Forever Systems supplies your software licences
Forever Systems Ltd supplies business software subscriptions to UK organisations from one account, with one monthly invoice and a UK team who know the products.
- The right edition first time: we check what you need before you buy, so you are not paying for features you will never use
- Monthly or annual terms where the vendor offers them, and help timing renewals and commitments
- Licence changes handled for you: add or remove users, upgrade editions and true-up without starting a new contract
- Deployment and support from engineers who run these products every day, not just a reseller account
- Consolidated billing and renewal reminders so nothing lapses unexpectedly
We work with businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations of all sizes.
Need a licence quote or a second opinion on your renewal?
Tell Forever Systems what you need and we will come back to you by email with options, not a hard sell.
Contact usFrequently asked questions
Do I need to back up Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace?
Both services are highly available, but their recycle bins and retention features are time-limited and not designed as independent backups. Most organisations add third-party backup to recover from deletion, ransomware and account compromise.
What is the 3-2-1 backup rule?
Keep three copies of your data on two different types of storage, with one copy off-site. Many organisations now also keep one immutable copy that cannot be altered or deleted.
How often should backups be tested?
Test restores regularly, at least a few times a year and after major changes, and run a full recovery exercise for critical systems at least annually.