Synology vs Traditional Microsoft 365 Backup Solutions

What Real Customers Say About Synology vs Traditional Microsoft 365 Backup Vendors

As Microsoft 365 adoption continues to grow, so does the importance of protecting Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Microsoft Teams data. While Microsoft provides service availability and retention capabilities, many organizations implement dedicated backup solutions to gain additional protection, recovery flexibility, and long-term data control.

For years, businesses have relied on traditional Microsoft 365 backup vendors that typically operate on subscription-based licensing models. More recently, organizations have begun evaluating alternative approaches, including Synology Active Backup for Microsoft 365.

The conversation is no longer just about backup functionality. IT leaders are increasingly comparing total cost of ownership, scalability, administrative simplicity, and long-term control of business data.

Real-world customer experiences reveal several key differences between these approaches.

The Traditional Microsoft 365 Backup Model

Most dedicated Microsoft 365 backup vendors follow a familiar structure.

Organizations pay based on:

• User count

• Protected workloads

• Storage consumption

• Feature tiers

• Retention requirements

For smaller deployments, this model can be straightforward.

However, as organizations grow, recurring subscription costs often increase year after year.

Many businesses report that backup expenses rise alongside employee growth, even when infrastructure requirements remain relatively stable. Optimize large M365 backups with proven Synology solutions.

Why Organizations Begin Looking for Alternatives

Several common themes emerge when businesses evaluate their existing Microsoft 365 backup platforms.

These include:

• Increasing licensing costs

• Growing user populations

• Long-term retention requirements

• Limited storage control

• Budget planning challenges

Educational institutions, legal firms, healthcare providers, and growing businesses often experience these concerns most significantly because they maintain large amounts of historical data.

In many cases, organizations are not dissatisfied with backup quality. They are simply seeking a more sustainable long-term model.

Understanding the Synology Approach

Synology takes a different approach through Active Backup for Microsoft 365.

Instead of charging backup fees based on the number of protected users, organizations maintain backup data on Synology storage infrastructure under their direct control.

This provides several advantages:

• No per-user backup licensing

• Centralized management

• Local recovery capabilities

• Flexible retention policies

• Direct storage ownership

As user counts increase, many organizations find the model easier to scale.

Customer Feedback: Cost Predictability

One of the most commonly cited benefits involves financial planning.

Organizations protecting:

• Hundreds of users

• Thousands of users

• Alumni accounts

• Former employee archives

often report that recurring licensing costs become difficult to forecast over time.

Customers that move to Synology frequently highlight:

• More predictable costs

• Reduced recurring expenses

• Better long-term ROI

• Easier budget forecasting

This is particularly attractive for schools, nonprofits, and growing businesses.

Customer Feedback: Unlimited Account Protection

Traditional backup vendors often tie costs directly to protected accounts.

As organizations expand, backup costs typically increase as well.

A major advantage frequently noted by Synology customers is the ability to protect large numbers of Microsoft 365 accounts without purchasing separate backup licenses for every user.

For organizations with seasonal workers, alumni accounts, former employees, or large student populations, this can create substantial long-term savings.

Customer Feedback: Granular Recovery Options

Recovery flexibility remains one of the most important backup features.

Organizations consistently value the ability to perform:

• Individual email recovery

• Folder restoration

• OneDrive file recovery

• SharePoint item restoration

• Teams data recovery

Customers often report that Synology’s granular restore capabilities provide the level of flexibility needed for day-to-day recovery operations.

Rather than restoring entire datasets, administrators can quickly recover specific content.

Customer Feedback: Teams and SharePoint Protection

As Microsoft Teams becomes the central collaboration platform for many organizations, protecting Teams-related data has become increasingly important.

Businesses evaluating backup platforms frequently compare:

• Teams coverage

• SharePoint support

• OneDrive protection

• Exchange recovery capabilities

Customers generally prioritize solutions that provide comprehensive protection across the entire Microsoft 365 ecosystem rather than focusing on a single workload.

Long-Term Ownership Experience

Another major difference involves data ownership.

Traditional cloud backup platforms typically store backup repositories within vendor-managed environments.

Some organizations prefer this model.

Others prefer maintaining direct control over:

• Backup storage

• Retention policies

• Recovery infrastructure

• Archive management

Businesses that choose Synology often cite greater control and visibility as important factors in their decision.

This can be particularly valuable for organizations with strict compliance or long-term retention requirements.

Which Approach Is Right for Your Organization?

There is no universal answer.

Traditional backup vendors may be a good fit for organizations that:

• Prefer fully managed services

• Have smaller user populations

• Want minimal infrastructure involvement

Synology may be attractive for organizations that:

• Need long-term scalability

• Want predictable costs

• Require extensive retention

• Prefer direct storage ownership

• Manage large Microsoft 365 environments

The right choice depends on operational priorities, growth expectations, and budget considerations.

Lessons from Real-World Deployments

Organizations that successfully evaluate backup platforms typically focus on more than feature checklists.

They consider:

• Five-year costs

• Recovery flexibility

• Administrative effort

• Scalability

• Data ownership

• Compliance requirements

These factors often have a greater impact on long-term success than individual technical features.

About Synology Solutions

Synology Active Backup for Microsoft 365 helps organizations protect Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams data through centralized management, flexible retention, granular recovery, and scalable storage. By eliminating per-user backup licensing and providing direct control over backup repositories, Synology offers an alternative approach to Microsoft 365 data protection.

About Epis Technology

Epis Technology helps organizations evaluate, deploy, and optimize Microsoft 365 backup solutions through Synology consulting, disaster recovery planning, cloud data protection, and business continuity services. The company works with businesses, educational institutions, healthcare providers, and nonprofits to build resilient backup environments that align with operational and financial goals.

By combining strategic guidance with deep Synology expertise, Epis Technology helps organizations make informed backup decisions that support long-term growth, recovery readiness, and cost efficiency.