Step-by-Step: Integrating Synology NAS with Microsoft 365 for Hybrid Cloud Backup

YOUSSEF MOSSTAKIM
Step-by-Step: Integrating Synology NAS with Microsoft 365 for Hybrid Cloud Backup
Step-by-Step: Integrating Synology NAS with Microsoft 365 for Hybrid Cloud Backup

Step-by-Step: Integrating Synology NAS with Microsoft 365 for Hybrid Cloud Backup

While Microsoft 365 is a powerful and resilient cloud platform, a critical misunderstanding can put your company's most important data at risk: Microsoft's primary responsibility is the uptime of their service, not the protection of your data from accidental deletion, malicious attacks, or retention policy gaps. The ultimate responsibility for your data is yours. This is where a hybrid cloud backup strategy becomes essential. By using a Synology NAS, you can create a local, secure, and fully-owned copy of your entire Microsoft 365 tenant. This guide will provide a step-by-step walkthrough of how to set this up using Synology's powerful and free "Active Backup for Microsoft 365" suite.

The Power of Active Backup for Microsoft 365

Synology's Active Backup for Microsoft 365 is a free add-on package that transforms your NAS into a comprehensive backup appliance for your M365 data. It's a game-changer for small and medium businesses because it offers enterprise-grade features with no per-user licensing fees. It can back up:

  • Exchange Online: Entire user mailboxes, including emails, contacts, and calendars.
  • OneDrive for Business: All files and folders within each user's OneDrive.
  • SharePoint Online: Complete SharePoint sites, including document libraries and lists.
  • Microsoft Teams: Team channel conversations, files, and wikis.

The system uses efficient, block-level deduplication and single instancing, which means it saves a tremendous amount of storage space on your NAS by only storing one copy of a file or email that is shared between multiple users.

Phase 1: Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following in place:

  1. A Synology NAS model that supports the Active Backup for Microsoft 365 package (most modern "Plus" series and above models are supported).
  2. Sufficient available storage space on your NAS for the data you intend to back up.
  3. A Microsoft 365 Global Administrator account. You will need these credentials one time to authorize the connection between your Synology and Microsoft 365.

Phase 2: Installing the Package and Creating the Backup Task

This is the core configuration process, which is handled through a simple wizard.

  1. 1. Install the Package: Log in to your Synology's DiskStation Manager (DSM). Open the Package Center, search for "Active Backup for Microsoft 365," and click "Install."
  2. 2. Launch and Activate: Once installed, open the Active Backup for M365 package. It will prompt you to activate it, which is a quick, free process.
  3. 3. Create a New Backup Task: Inside the application, click the "+" button to "Create a new backup task."
  4. 4. Authenticate to Microsoft 365: This is the crucial step. The wizard will prompt you to authenticate to Microsoft 365. You will be redirected to a Microsoft login page. Sign in using your Global Administrator account. You will then be shown a list of API permissions that the Synology app requires (e.g., "Read all users' mail"). You must "Accept" these permissions to grant the Synology access to your M365 data for backup purposes.
  5. 5. Configure the Task: Once authenticated, you will be returned to the Synology wizard. Now you can:
    • Give your backup task a name.
    • Select which services you want to back up (OneDrive, Exchange, SharePoint, Teams).
    • Choose your backup policy. The "Continuous backup" option is highly recommended, as it will back up your data frequently throughout the day.
    • Enable the "Active Backup for Microsoft 365 Portal." This is a fantastic feature that allows your end-users to log in to a self-service portal to find and restore their own files without needing an administrator.
    • Finally, you will select which specific users, groups, or SharePoint sites you want to include in the backup task.

Once you finish the wizard, the initial backup will begin. Be patient, as the first full backup of your entire tenant can take a very long time—from many hours to several days—depending on the amount of data.

Phase 3: The Power of Granular Restore

Once your data is backed up, recovery is simple and flexible. From the Active Backup portal, an administrator (or the user themselves in the self-service portal) can browse through a user's entire mailbox or OneDrive as it existed at a specific point in time. You can choose to restore a single lost email, a specific folder, or an entire user account back to Microsoft 365. This granular control is invaluable during an emergency.

Conclusion: Taking Ownership of Your Cloud Data

Integrating your Synology NAS with Microsoft 365 is one of the most powerful and cost-effective data protection strategies a business can implement. It provides a "hybrid cloud" model that gives you the best of both worlds: the accessibility of the cloud and the security and control of a local, offline backup. By taking this step, you are taking true ownership of your organization's most critical data, ensuring that it is always protected, and always recoverable.