Identity Backup (Entra ID)
Your Entra ID configuration gets its own dedicated backup, so a deleted user, group or access policy can be restored quickly instead of becoming a full-scale lockout.
What you're actually up against
Phishing & Social Engineering
Employees can be tricked into revealing passwords or sensitive information.
Ransomware
Attackers can encrypt business data and demand payment to restore access.
Weak Passwords
Compromised or reused passwords can provide attackers with access to business systems.
Unpatched Systems
Outdated software can contain vulnerabilities that attackers exploit.
Data Breaches
Sensitive customer, employee and business information can be exposed or stolen.
What happens without Identity Backup (Entra ID)
Most growing businesses using Microsoft 365 have thought carefully about backing up their files and email. Almost none have thought about backing up the system that decides who is allowed to open those files in the first place.
Microsoft Entra ID, previously known as Azure Active Directory, is the identity layer sitting behind your entire Microsoft 365 environment. It controls which staff accounts exist, what groups they belong to, which apps they can reach, and what they are permitted to do once they get there. Every connected app, every shared mailbox, every conditional access rule runs through it.
When something goes wrong here, the impact is immediate and broad. A staff member accidentally deletes the wrong security group. An admin adjusts an access policy and gets the logic back to front. A threat actor gains elevated access and quietly removes accounts or permissions before anyone notices. Microsoft does retain some configuration data for a limited window, but that is not the same as a proper restorable backup, and it does not cover every type of change that can happen. Without a separate backup of the Entra ID configuration itself, untangling what changed, when, and what the correct state was can be genuinely difficult. In the worst cases, it is not possible at all without rebuilding from scratch.
What you'll get once Identity Backup (Entra ID) is in place
- A dedicated backup of your Entra ID configuration, including user accounts, groups, roles and access permissions, held separately from the live Microsoft environment
- The ability to restore your identity configuration to a known-good state if it is accidentally or maliciously changed or deleted
- Active coverage confirmed and restore-tested periodically, so recovery actually works when you need it rather than being an untested assumption
- Configuration kept current as your business grows, adds users, restructures teams or connects new apps to Microsoft 365
- A clear audit trail of what your identity configuration looked like before any change occurred
Part of these bundles
Identity Backup (Entra ID) pairs well with these other products and services we offer
Real people, not just a checklist
A lot of providers hand you a generic package and a login. We hand you a plan built around your business, and people who explain what's actually going on.
Hands-on support
A named specialist guides you through everything, no generic self-service portal.
Structured readiness review
We check your submission is ready before it goes for formal assessment, so you're not caught out by an easy-to-avoid mistake.
Fast turnaround
Certification in as little as 5 working days, security reviews and testing often start within days.
Nothing lapses silently
We track certificate expiry and follow-up scans ahead of time, so your protection never quietly goes stale.
One team, every service
Penetration testing, vulnerability testing, and ongoing monitoring handled in-house by our own team. Certification is coordinated end-to-end by us with an accredited certification body, so you get one point of contact, not several vendors to manage.
Certification pass guarantee
If you don't pass Cyber Essentials first time, we work with you at no extra cost until you do.
Hands-on support
A named specialist guides you through everything, no generic self-service portal.
Structured readiness review
We check your submission is ready before it goes for formal assessment, so you're not caught out by an easy-to-avoid mistake.
Fast turnaround
Certification in as little as 5 working days, security reviews and testing often start within days.
Nothing lapses silently
We track certificate expiry and follow-up scans ahead of time, so your protection never quietly goes stale.
One team, every service
Penetration testing, vulnerability testing, and ongoing monitoring handled in-house by our own team. Certification is coordinated end-to-end by us with an accredited certification body, so you get one point of contact, not several vendors to manage.
Certification pass guarantee
If you don't pass Cyber Essentials first time, we work with you at no extra cost until you do.
Identity Backup (Entra ID) questions
Microsoft Entra ID is the system managing every user account, group membership and access permission across your Microsoft 365 environment and any apps connected to it. Think of it as the master key registry for your business. Your file backup protects your data. This service protects the configuration that controls who is allowed to reach that data at all. The two serve completely different purposes, and losing one does not help you recover the other.
Microsoft runs the infrastructure reliably, but responsibility for your own configuration sits with you. Microsoft retains deleted objects in a recycle bin for a limited period, and some audit log data is available for a short window. That is not the same as a proper backup you can restore to a specific point in time. If a policy change was made weeks ago and only surfaced recently, or if multiple configuration items were altered together, piecing it back together without a dedicated backup is a significant manual effort at best.
A standard Microsoft 365 backup covers content, meaning emails, files, Teams messages, SharePoint data and so on. Entra ID backup covers configuration, meaning the accounts, groups, roles and permissions that control access to all of that content. They protect different layers of your Microsoft environment. If your Entra ID configuration is corrupted or wiped, even a perfect copy of your files will not help you if nobody can log in to reach them.
The most common causes are human error and privilege misuse. A bulk user import that goes wrong and removes existing accounts. An admin deleting a security group that was tied to application access, not realising what it controlled. A conditional access policy change that inadvertently blocks a team from reaching a business-critical app. Less frequently, but more seriously, an attacker who gains admin access and starts removing accounts or changing permissions as part of a wider compromise. In each case, the restore need is real and urgent.
Smaller teams are often more exposed here, not less. Larger organisations typically have multiple admins, change management processes and dedicated IT teams who can manually reconstruct configuration. A small business with one or two people managing Microsoft 365, often part-time, has far less margin for error and far less capacity to rebuild from scratch. The fewer people managing your environment, the more a single misconfiguration can affect everyone at once.
Get a clear answer on what your business actually needs.
Free, no-obligation 10-minute call, we'll tell you honestly, even if that means less work for us.
No sales pressure, no confusing quotes. Tell us about your business and your contracts, and we'll tell you exactly which certification and services make sense, and what it'll cost.
