#FAQs

Refer to the frequently asked questions and answers in the following categories: license and subscription, security and integrity, public APIs, and backup and restore.

#License and Subscription

#If a user’s Microsoft 365 license expires, will their data become out-of-scope?

Refer to the table below for reaction details for each backup service:

*Note: Only when the object being removed from the backup scope still exists in Microsoft 365 will the object be detected by the Out-of-scope object report and its backup data marked for deletion. By default, the Out-of-scope object feature does not support BYOS customers. The backup data for the objects that have been protected by Cloud Backup but removed from your Microsoft 365 tenant is not within this scope. For the Exchange Online and OneDrive, the corresponding objects will be added to the Offboarded users report and you can configure separate retention period for their backup data. For other service types, Cloud Backup will keep such backup data according to your global retention policy. For details, refer to Remove Unprotected Data.

Service Type	Reactions
Exchange Online	Service account authentication and app profile cannot detect the users’ mailboxes if their mailboxes become inactive or their license has expired, and the backup data of these mailboxes will be detected by the Offboarded users report. You can configure retention period for the backup data in Remove unprotected data > Offboarded users.If the service account or app has not been assigned the Exchange Administrator role in Microsoft Entra ID, the backup data of the users’ mailboxes will not be properly deleted. To ensure the integrity of backup data, make sure you have assigned the Exchange Administrator role.
OneDrive	If the user and the user’s My Site still exist in Microsoft 365, and the OneDrive user is included in the backup scope, the site can still be discoverable to AvePoint Online Services and protected, regardless of the license. If it has been removed from the backup scope, it will be detected by the Out-of-scope object report and be deleted.If either the user or the user’s My Site no longer exists in Microsoft 365, the user’s OneDrive will not be protected, and its backup data will be detected by the Offboarded users report.
Project Online	License expiration does not affect the Auto Discovery but will fail the backup.

#If I move from Classic DocAve Backup (Granular Backup & Restore and Exchange Online Backup & Restore) to AvePoint Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365, can I still use the Classic DocAve Backup data to restore?

You may have the following use cases when moving from Classic DocAve Backup to AvePoint Cloud Backup:

In either of the use cases above, you can navigate to Classic DocAve Backup to restore the previous backup data if you have the AvePoint Cloud Backup subscription. Check the following to ensure you are well on track:

#If I end my subscription, would I ever be able to recover the backup data from AvePoint?

When an Enterprise subscription ends, AvePoint will retain the backup data in AvePoint storage for 15 days, subject to the terms of your service agreement (For the trial subscription, the data will be deleted in 30 days). The backup data in AvePoint storage can be exported to your own storage as a paid service. You must submit an export request if you wish to export your data from AvePoint storage. The data deletion process in AvePoint storage will start 15 days after the expiration date. If you renew the subscription before the deletion completes, you may be able to keep the old backup data and use it for data recovery.

If you have the BYOS (bring your own storage) subscription, the backup data will remain in your own storage until you delete it, and you will not need to pay an export fee.

Note that the backup data is stored in AvePoint format and not as pure copies of Microsoft 365 data. Therefore, before you move away from the product, ensure that you have exported the encryption key just in case you will not be able to sign into the Cloud Backup interface once your subscription has ended. For details on exporting encryption keys, refer to Configure Security Settings.

AvePoint provides a stand-alone data export tool to help convert your encrypted backup data of OneDrive, Teams channel conversations, Teams chats, Public Folders, mailboxes (Exchange Online mailboxes and Group mailboxes), and SharePoint Online/Microsoft 365 Group/Teams/Viva Engage site collections to readable content.

If you would like additional details or assistance with this process, contact your AvePoint representative. For additional details, refer to Introduction to Data Export Service.

#Features unavailable in trial subscription

The following features are unavailable to trial users:

#What features are available for different subscription types?

Refer to the list below for the supported/unsupported features in Core and Flex subscriptions:

Note the following:

Features	Features	Standard	Core	Flex
Storage	AvePoint hosted storage	Supported	Supported	Unsupported
Storage	Bring your own storage	Supported	Unsupported	Supported
Unlimited retention	Unlimited retention	Supported	Only 1 to 3 years data retention	Supported
Back up Recordings folder	Back up Recordings folder	Supported	Unsupported	Unsupported
Manually Delete Backup Data	Manually Delete Backup Data	Supported	Unsupported	Unsupported

#If I purchase the Power Platform subscription by capacity, how can I get the number of Power BI workspaces, Power Automate flows, and Power Apps in my environment?

To get the number of Power BI workspaces, Power Automate flows, or Power Apps, refer to the following Microsoft articles:

You can check their types and filter out the items which can be protected in Cloud Backup for M365 according to Power BI Data Types, Power Automate Data Types, and Power Apps Data Types.

#What happens to my backup data if I switch AvePoint default storage between Microsoft Azure Blob Storage and Amazon S3?

When you change the AvePoint default storage type (between Microsoft Azure Blob Storage and Amazon S3), you have two options to handle your legacy backup data:

#When I renew my Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365 subscription, what will happen to my data retention settings?

Upon subscription renewal, your data retention settings will be adjusted based on a comparison between the new and previous retention period:

To verify your configuration and ensure you are aware of any changes, refer to Settings > Retention. Additionally, you will receive notification emails 90 days, 60 days, and 30 days before any data deletion. Upon subscription renewal, a notification email will advise you to check and update your retention settings in Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365 as needed.

#How is storage calculated under the Per-GB subscription model for Microsoft 365 services?

Your subscription is calculated based on the total storage used across all supported Microsoft 365 services. The table below outlines service-level data types, with examples of how consumption is calculated. Note that all supported data types count toward the subscription, whether listed or not. For details on supported and unsupported data types, refer to Appendices: Supported and Unsupported Data Types.

Service Type	What’s included in the calculation
Exchange Online	User mailboxesIn-Place Archive mailboxesResource mailboxes (Room and Equipment)Shared mailboxes
Public Folder	Public Folders
Teams	Group mailboxesTeam sites (standard, private, and shared channel sites)Channel conversations (standard, private, and shared)Planner data
Microsoft 365 Groups	Group mailboxGroup sitesPlanner data
Teams Chat	1:1 chatsGroup chats
OneDrive	Documents and folders
SharePoint Online	Site collections
Project Online	Site collections
Viva Engage	Community sitesConversationsPlanner data

Calculation Examples

Example 1:

Customer A with:

Total Storage Usage: 3150 GB

Example 2:

Customer B with:

Total Storage Usage: 400 GB

#Security and Integrity

#Does AvePoint Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365 Support Data Deduplication and Compression?

AvePoint Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365 applies standard .zip compression to data. Although our DAT files can support deduplication algorithms, we currently do not support deduplication on Blob storage as this requires a physical/virtual storage system that is not as cost-effective as Azure Cold storage. Additionally, since our backup data is encrypted and the encryption key is dynamic, the deduplication performance may not be optimal.

#My organization plans to use the Customer Key feature in Microsoft 365 so we will be in control of our own encryption keys for our data in Microsoft 365. Will AvePoint Cloud Backup back up and restore this data if it is enabled?

The customer key feature in Microsoft 365 encrypts the data at rest in Microsoft 365, which indicates that Microsoft cannot access this encrypted data. However, AvePoint Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365 uses user credentials or app profiles to access customer data with API, same as the end user accessing scenario where the data will be decrypted to real content. Therefore, the backup and restore service will not be affected. For additional details, you can refer to from the Microsoft website.

#Is backup data immutable?

Yes. AvePoint Cloud Backup ensures that backup data is immutable, and we employ several measures to protect and control access to the backup data:

Encryption**:** Backup data is encrypted using unique keys for each tenant. All data in transit is encrypted utilizing TLS 1.2/1.3 and AvePoint strictly uses officially supported APIs that maintain encrypted connections for backups. Data at rest is secured by default with an AvePoint-managed key, although customers can choose to use their own keys.

Storage Isolation: AvePoint provides customers with the option to isolate their data within a single region, supports multi-geo configurations, and offers customer-owned storage. This ensures that data remains physically isolated within the region and is never replicated across data center regions.

Logical Isolation: AvePoint Cloud Backup is segregated from your production environment. It includes delegated administration and role-based access controls to prevent unauthorized users from modifying or deleting backups.

Immutable Storage: Backup data copies cannot be directly accessed through the product user interface or API and cannot be compromised by either privileged or non-privileged users of the platform. Data can only be exported, restored to production, or defensibly destroyed when a pre-defined data retention policy is met.

Under special circumstances, customers may request manual deletion of data through AvePoint Support, which requires verification. AvePoint also allows authorized admins to handle the DSAR (Data Subject Access Request) by removing personal information from the systems as requested. The DSAR can also be disabled completely within our platform for an added level of protection.

Ransomware Protection: AvePoint Cloud Backup learns from your backups and alerts you of unusual activities that could indicate a compromise or ransomware attack. Recovery points prior to the incident are clearly identified, and alerts can be configured to reach administrators to minimize the impact of a breach.

#How is data handled after running a data deletion process in compliance with GDPR?

The process can be categorized into two scenarios:

#Public APIs

#Can I pull the daily job information into my backup reporting software to monitor Cloud Backup services?

Yes. You can use the public APIs from AvePoint Online Services to get the audit records, subscription consumption, and job information of Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365. However, these public APIs will be retired in the future. We recommend using the AvePoint Graph API instead. For details, refer to Use Public APIs.

#Backup and Restore

#Will the backup services survive if my tenant blocks access from the apps that don’t use modern authentication?

From the July 2022 release, all Cloud Backup services using service accounts support modern authentication. But if the service account has enabled the MFA, the modern authentication will not work, and we will use the classic authentication.

#How to remove the admin role from a service account or an authentication user of the delegated app?

To remove the administrator role of the service account from all OneDrive sites, download .

To remove the administrator role of the service account from all SharePoint sites, download .

To remove the user from all teams and groups, either as owner or member, download .

To remove the user from all apps, download .

To remove the user from all flows, download .

To remove the user from all workspaces, download .

#What can I do if I cannot find my backup data for channel files through a time-based restore wizard?

If your Team’s channel name is not in English, Dutch, Japanese, or German, you may encounter this problem. When you use the time-based restore wizard to browse a channel’s backup data (select a backup job to drill down to the backup data), you may find that no folders or files are displayed under the channel’s Files folder. This is because the index for channel backup data is recorded with channel names, but so far, only the backup data of the channels whose names are in English, Dutch, Japanese, and German can be mapped. You can contact the AvePoint Support team for assistance.

#What if my site collection URL has been updated after backup? (applicable for SharePoint Online sites, Microsoft 365 Groups team sites, and Teams team sites)

Cloud Backup will start full backup on this site collection if it is included in the backup scope. Moving forward, to recover the data from previous backups, you must perform an out-of-place restore to restore the backup of the old-URL site collection to the new-URL site collection.

If the site collection, in this case, is a Microsoft 365 Groups or Teams team site, Cloud Backup will also perform a full backup on this site, and the previous backup data of the site can only be restored via an out of place restore. For the object-based restore method, you can search for the backup data of the old-URL site via the keywords; for the Calendar mode (time-based) restore method, you can find the old-URL site from the backup jobs performed before the URL changes.

#What if my domain name has been changed after backup?

For Exchange Online mailboxes, Public Folders, Power Automate flows, Power Apps, and Power BI reports:

The domain name change will not affect the backup and restore process. Backups will continue as incremental backups. Whether a user searches for the old or new domain name in the restore page, the system will recognize both as the same object. All legacy backup data will be retained until it reaches the set retention period.

For SharePoint sites, Team/Group team site, and OneDrive:

If your Auto Discovery scan profile uses a domain name as the scan rule, you will need to update the scan rule for Auto Discovery. After the Auto Discovery scan job is finished, Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365 will run a full backup for the objects with new URLs. If the old URLs can still be accessed, the old URLs will be moved to the unprotected scope, and their backup data will be deleted on time; If the old URLs are no longer accessible, the backup data will only be deleted when it reaches the retention period.

#Where is the Wiki data stored and how do I restore it?

The wiki data is stored in a hidden list in the Teams team site named by ChannelID_wiki. To get the ID of the channel where the Wiki tab resides, sign into , and click the channel where the Wiki tab resides. You can get the channel ID (threadId=) from the URL.

Microsoft Teams channel no longer supports Wiki tab. You can download your Wiki files from SharePoint or use Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365 to export the Wiki backup data.

#What if my Project Online site has been moved to the SharePoint Online site after backup? (same as Microsoft 365 Group to Team, SharePoint Online site to Group team site)

The objects in your tenant may be moved to another type after being backed up, such as the following cases in the table. The objects in these cases will continue to be protected by the service they are moved to, and Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365 will keep their previous backup data until the backup data reaches the retention date. They will not be regarded as objects moved to the unprotected scope for deletion.

*Note: If a SharePoint Online site is connected to a Microsoft 365 Group (a ), AOS will keep it in both the SharePoint Sites container and the Microsoft 365 Groups container. Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365 will protect this site in the corresponding container separately, as you selected. To keep the previous backup data, ensure that the SharePoint site is included in the backup scope. Otherwise, the SharePoint site will be moved to the unprotected scope for backup data deletion.

From	To
Project Online sites	SharePoint Online sites
Microsoft 365 Group	Team
SharePoint Online site	Microsoft 365 Group team site

#Can Cloud Backup protect the mailboxes on Litigation Hold?

AvePoint Cloud Backup can protect mailboxes that are placed on Litigation Hold but cannot keep the Litigation Hold configuration for the mailboxes since that configuration needs to be configured in Exchange Admin, which is out of reach of Exchange Online backup and restore.

#I have a document that was shared with an external user. Does AvePoint Cloud Backup support restoring the external user and its permissions that were part of that document?

For an external user who has been added to your Microsoft Entra ID, the user’s permissions will be kept when the document that this user is shared with has been restored. Currently, if an external user has accessed the shared item, the restore job will restore this user and the user’s permission to access this item. If an external user has not yet accessed the item, the user’s permission will not be restored, and the external user can no longer use the previous sharing link to access the document.

#How do I perform term store-only restore?

You can choose the following solutions:

#How does Cloud Backup protect the OneNote notebooks?

As Microsoft has a 2 GB file size limit for OneNote notebooks saved in OneDrive or SharePoint, backup jobs will skip the OneNote files that are larger than 2 GB. In addition, due to API limitations, Cloud Backup cannot protect the history versions of OneNote files.

#What will the exported Teams Chat messages be like?

We support exporting Teams Chat messages to an HTML file. For what the corresponding chat messages will be like in the exported HTML file, refer to the example below:

#Notification

#I purchased the backup service from a service provider. Regarding email notifications sent to the administrator group, which group will receive the notifications: the service provider’s administrator group or my administrator group?

The recipient of the email notification depends on the service provider's access to your AvePoint Online Service environment.

#Storage

#How backup data can be stored in your Azure blob storage?

If you are using your own Microsoft Azure Blob Storage (BYOS subscription), you may be interested in how the backup data is stored in Azure Blob storage.

For BYOS customers using Azure Blob storage, AvePoint will write your new backup data to the cold tier by default to reduce storage costs. The supported Azure storage account types are StorageV2 and BlobStorage of Standard performance type. For existing customers, your former backup data are still stored in the cool tier. This intelligent tiering also extends to additional BYOS storages appended to the system.

To use your Azure blob storage in the most cost-effective manner, you can also store the backup data in the archive tier. For new customers after the December 2023 release, AvePoint will set archives to old backup cycles if the new backup cycle starts more than 180 days by default. If you are an existing customer with the archive settings configured before, you will continue with your current setup.

Hot Tier	Cold Tier	Archive Tier
Index database	The backup job stores backup data to the cold tier automatically from the December 2023 release and will always keep at least a full backup cycle in the cold tier.	Older backup data can be moved to the archive tier.

#Does Cloud Backup use HTTPS (SSL) for Amazon S3 communication?

Yes. Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365 uses HTTPS (SSL) instead of HTTP to access Amazon S3 by default. For details on Amazon S3 storage configuration, refer to Storage Information.

#Will your backup services incur additional costs on BYOS storages during backup and restore?

Yes. For example, for BYOS customers with Microsoft Azure Blob Storage, below are the main factors to consider:

Additional Costs	Comment
Data storage	The cost to store backup data. For information on storage tiers for different storage types, refer to Storage Information.
Data read & write operations	During a backup job in Cloud Backup, data will be written to the customer's BYOS storage. Similarly, during a restore job, data will be read from the storage. Data are stored in blobs which are around 10 to 50 MB in size. Each blob will incur one operation.
Data retrieval	Additional costs apply for data retrieval during restore jobs. These costs vary depending on the storage tier.
Data transfer	The primary cost concern is data transfer out. If your default Azure Blob Storage is the same region as the data center you signed up for AvePoint Online Services, there will be no transfer costs. Otherwise, additional charges will be incurred.