Why do I need a separate archive solution for Microsoft Office 365? 

Using a separate archive solution for Microsoft Office 365 emails and OneDrive data adds an extra layer of protection while helping you optimize data retention costs. Specifically:

• Storing critical data in an independent archive like Vaultastic allows you to move former employee data out of active subscriptions, reducing licensing costs. 
• Regulations, legal requirements, and IT best practices recommend keeping backups separate from the original data source to ensure security and compliance.
• While Office 365 offers large mailboxes, they do not protect against accidental or intentional deletions, and features like Exchange Online Archive only extend inbox storage—they don’t create a full backup. 
• Enabling legal hold captures deleted emails in the “legal hold” space but cannot recover data already lost. Hence this is not really a backup or an archive.
• Adopting a multi-cloud strategy with a separate archive also mitigates the risk of vendor lock-in, giving you control over your most valuable data in a secure, independent environment.