Why OneDrive sync isn't a backup

What sync does

Sync services like OneDrive keep the same files on your computer, your phone and the cloud. Change a file in one place, and the change appears everywhere. That is very useful, and it protects you well if your laptop dies.

Where sync falls short

Sync copies every change, including the bad ones:

• Delete a folder by accident, and it disappears everywhere.
• Ransomware encrypts your files, and the encrypted versions sync to the cloud.
• Someone overwrites a file with the wrong version, and the wrong version is now the only version everyone sees.

OneDrive does keep recycle bins and earlier versions of files for a limited time, and those can save you. But they have time limits, are tied to the same account, and can be deleted by anyone who controls it.

What a backup adds

A backup keeps separate copies, outside the account, going back weeks or months. You can restore a single file, a folder or an entire mailbox to a point in time before the problem, even if the original account was compromised or deleted.

Use both

Sync is for working. Backup is for recovering. Most businesses need both.