Axcient x360Cloud for Microsoft 365 backup

What Axcient x360Cloud is

Axcient makes backup and business continuity products for managed service providers to deliver to their clients. x360Cloud is its cloud-to-cloud backup for SaaS data, and on this site we cover it for Microsoft 365. It sits alongside two sister products that do different jobs: Axcient x360Recover for servers and PCs, which our Cloud Security site covers in Axcient x360Recover, and x360Sync for file sync and share.

x360Cloud connects to your tenant with an administrator's consent, so there is nothing to install on your computers. It then backs up your users' Microsoft 365 data into the Axcient Cloud, which is separate from the Microsoft cloud your live data runs in. That separation is the point: if an account is compromised and data is deleted or encrypted in Microsoft 365, the copy in the Axcient Cloud is not touched by the same change.

As with any Microsoft 365 backup solution, the need comes from the Microsoft 365 shared responsibility model: Microsoft keeps the service running, and recovering your data is your responsibility once its time-limited safety nets have run out.

What x360Cloud backs up

Axcient lists these Microsoft 365 workloads:

x360Cloud focuses on Microsoft 365 data rather than identity configuration, so if you also want a longer history of Entra ID users, groups and Conditional Access policies, see our Entra ID backup page for the options. Axcient says businesses can keep data stored by departing employees and deactivated accounts, which means a leaver's mailbox and files can still be searched and restored after their Microsoft licence has been removed; see restore a deleted mailbox for what Microsoft itself keeps.

Backup frequency and Axcient's SLA

Axcient publishes a backup service level for x360Cloud: one backup per day, with up to three backups a day attempted, alongside monitoring and verification of backups. That is Axcient's commitment, set out in its own terms, rather than one of ours.

For most organisations a daily backup with extra attempts is a sensible balance for mail and files. If a team changes large amounts of data through the day and needs a shorter gap between recovery points, that is worth discussing when we compare platforms, because some of the others back up more often. The Microsoft 365 backup comparison sets out how frequency differs.

SmartSearch, restores and export

Search and restore are where x360Cloud puts its emphasis:

• SmartSearch: full-text search and filtering across users and services, including inside email attachments, so you can find one message or file without knowing which mailbox or site it was in.
• Non-destructive restores: Axcient says restores can be completed in a single click and do not overwrite existing data, so you can bring back an older copy without losing what users have changed since.
• Granular restore: recover a single email or file, a whole mailbox or site, or an earlier version.
• Export: download selected data from the browser as a compressed file, with PST export for mailbox data, which is useful when a former employee's mail has to be handed to HR or a solicitor.

Our Microsoft 365 backup and restore guides walk through the common restore scenarios, from a single deleted email to a deleted OneDrive.

AirGap, audit logs and security

AirGap is Axcient's protection for the backups themselves. Axcient describes it as separating backup requests from the actual backup mechanics, to prevent malicious or accidental deletion. In practice, that means a request to delete backup data, whether from an attacker who has got into a console or from a mistake, is not acted on straight away, which gives time to spot and reverse it.

Axcient also lists immutable audit logs of activity in the service, AES-256 encryption at rest, encryption in transit and multi-factor authentication for the console. Together these line up with several of the NCSC's principles for ransomware-resistant cloud backups, which our immutable Microsoft 365 backup page explains. For a wider view of an attack, see Microsoft 365 ransomware recovery.

How x360Cloud is licensed

x360Cloud is licensed per protected user. Storage is not counted per mailbox: Axcient describes pooled storage and long-term retention in the Axcient Cloud for a flat fee, under its Fair Use Policy, so heavy and light users balance out across your organisation and there are no storage overages to track.

You need a Microsoft 365 tenant to protect; x360Cloud does not include Microsoft 365 subscriptions, which Forever Group supplies separately through Microsoft licensing. When we quote, we confirm the number of users to protect, including shared mailboxes and any leavers you want to keep. The licensing detail is on Axcient x360Cloud licensing, and Microsoft 365 backup pricing compares how all the options are charged.

Setting up x360Cloud

Because x360Cloud is cloud-to-cloud, set-up happens in the browser rather than on your network. This is the order we follow with you:

1. Scope: list the users, shared mailboxes, SharePoint sites and teams to protect, and the leavers whose data you want to keep
2. Connect: a Microsoft 365 administrator grants consent so x360Cloud can read the tenant; no software is installed on your computers
3. First backup: users and data are picked up and the Axcient portal shows progress until the first full backup completes, which takes longer for large tenants
4. Agree access: decide who can search, restore and export, and make sure every console account uses multi-factor authentication
5. Test a restore: restore a real mailbox item and a file with you, so the process is familiar before it is needed

Once it is running, new users need to be included in the backup as they join, and leavers handled according to your retention policy. The Microsoft 365 backup best practices checklist covers the rest, from separate admin credentials to documenting your recovery plan.

Who it suits and how we help

x360Cloud suits organisations that want straightforward per-user Microsoft 365 backup with fast search, restores that leave live data alone and pooled storage, and those already using Axcient x360Recover for their servers, which is managed from the same Axcient portal.

Because Axcient builds x360Cloud for managed service providers, it is bought and run through a provider such as Forever Systems. We can connect it to your tenant, agree which users, sites and teams to include and how to treat leavers, decide who can run restores, check the first backup completes and run a test restore with you. Contact us to see whether x360Cloud fits, or compare it with the other Microsoft 365 backup providers first.