Backup retention up to 7 years
Keep Microsoft 365 backups for up to 7 years with a suitable retention policy.
Choose how much history your organisation needs. DataVault365 offers retention up to one year in Essential and up to seven years in Compliance.
Updated 17 September 2026
Which retention comes with each plan?
- Essential: retention up to one year, with 50 GB of stored backup data per user.
- Compliance: retention up to seven years, with 100 GB of stored backup data per user.
- Enterprise: retention, storage and service are agreed for your environment.
Included storage is pooled within your organisation. Longer retention can require more space. Usage is measured after compression and deduplication.
How does retention affect changed or deleted data?
Retention determines how long historical versions and previously captured data deleted at the source are kept. A current file version is not removed solely because the document is old. Available history starts with the first successful capture or versions Microsoft still makes available at that point.
Seven-year retention does not create seven years of missing history when you sign up. Check what has actually been captured during onboarding.
Choose based on the purpose of the data
Not every document or message needs to remain available for the same period. Record the purpose, responsible owner and desired term for each data category. The Compliance plan name does not mean every configuration automatically meets all requirements.
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Discuss backup coverage and recovery
Tell us how many users and which Microsoft 365 services you want to protect. We will discuss coverage, retention and pricing with you.