Create a Backup Set

Creating a Microsoft 365 Backup Set

1. Log in to AhsayOBM.

   For instructions on how to do this refer to the Login section.

2. In the AhsayOBM main interface, click Backup Sets.

   

3. Click the "+" icon before "Add new backup set".

   

4. Enter a "Name" for your backup set and select Microsoft 365 Backup as the "Backup set type".

   

   Select the "Backup Scope" and "Region". Tick the Access the Internet through proxy checkbox if needed. Click the Test button.

   

5. Click Authorize to start the authentication process.

   

   1. Sign in to your Microsoft account.

      

   2. If MFA is enforced for the Microsoft 365 user account used to authenticate the backup set, select either Text or Call to verify your identity.

      

      • If Call was selected, answer the call and follow the instructions to complete the verification.

        

      • If Text was selected, enter the code and click Verify.

        

        Verification code is only required if the MFA status of a Microsoft 365 account is enforced.

   3. Copy the authorization code:

      

   4. Go back to AhsayOBM and paste the authorization code. Click OK to proceed.

      

      If the “Backup scope” selected is Entire organization but the M365 account used to sign in is a personal account, this error message will be displayed.

      

      Change the “Backup scope” to This Microsoft 365 user only since only business account may be used to sign in if the “Backup scope” selected is Entire organization.

   5. “Test completed successfully” shows when the validation is successful. Wait for the next window to be displayed.

      

6. The "Backup Source" window that will be displayed will depend on the backup scope selected, either:

   • Entire Organization, or
   • This Microsoft 365 user only

   If Entire Organization is selected, this will be the window displayed. Select the users and data type for backup.

   

   1. To select specific users, click Select.

      

   2. Users can be sorted alphabetically or by User Group.

      Example of users sorted alphabetically:

      

      Example of users sorted by User Group.

      

   3. List of users can be displayed in three ways:

      

      Searching for a particular user is possible by entering the name or email address in the search box. A list of names and email addresses will be displayed containing the search criteria will be displayed automatically. Click Check All Current Items to select all listed users.

      

   4. Select specific users by ticking the checkbox beside the user.

      

      To display selected users only, select Selected only.

      

   5. Click OK once done with the selection.

   6. Tick the Auto-exclude any Microsoft 365 unlicensed user during backup checkbox if you do not want to include unlicensed users in your backup.

      

      An unlicensed user is depicted by the icon with the yellow warning tag.

      

   7. Select the data type that you want to be included in the backup. Select from Outlook, Outlook (Archive), OneDrive, Personal Site, and Teams Chat. Ticking the checkbox will backup all, i.e. ticking the Outlook checkbox will backup the mailboxes of the selected user(s). For Teams Chat, it is not necessary to select other user accounts involved in the chat to backup the conversation.

      

   8. Select to backup Teams, SharePoint Sites and Public Folders.

      To select a specific group to backup in Teams, tick Select Specific, then click Select.

      

      Searching for a particular group is also possible, enter the group name in the Search Groups field, and search results will be displayed. The list of groups can also be displayed in three ways: Show all, Selected only, and No longer available. Click OK once done with the selection. Also select if Group Mail, Group Site, and Teams Channel will be included in the backup.

      

      In order to backup shared attachments for certain Teams Channel posts, OneDrive and Group Site must be selected as source.

   9. To select a specific site to backup in SharePoint Sites, tick Select Specific, then click Select.

      

   10. Searching and listing for sites is the same process as discussed above.

       

   11. To select a specific public folder to backup in Public Foldes, tick Select Specific, then click Select.

       

       Searching and listing for public folders is the same process as discussed above.

       

   If This Microsoft 365 User Only is selected, the window that will be displayed will depend on the type of account used for authentication:

   • Window for business account

     

     This message will be displayed if OneDrive is not selected but Teams Channel an/or Teams Chat are selected.

     

   • Window for personal account

     

7. To exclude folders from your backup, use the exclude filter. Enable Filter (Exclude) by sliding the on/off button to turn on this feature. Click the + button to specify the criteria that will be used to exclude the folder.

   

   In the "New Backup Filter (Exclude)" window, specify the following:

   

   • Name - name of the filter

   • Match folder names by - how the pattern will be compared, if by:

     • Simple comparison - there are three choices:
       • starts with, folders that begins with the pattern will be selected
       • contains, folders that contain the pattern will be selected
       • ends with, folders that ends with the pattern will be selected
     • Regular expression (UNIX-style) or
     • Standard Folder in Mailbox - select from the following folders:
       • Inbox
       • Drafts
       • Sent Items
       • Deleted Items
       • Outbox
       • Jung Email
       • Contacts
       • Calendar
       • Tasks
       • Notes
       • Sync Issues
       • Search Folders
       • Journals
       • RSS Feeds
       • Archive Deleted Items

   • Existing patterns to match - the pattern that will be used. Click the Add button to add another pattern. Keep on doing this until all the patterns has been added.

     Existing patterns to match is only available for Simple comparison and Regular expression

   • Apply this filter to all folders in - this is the folder where the filter will be applied. Click the Browse button to select where the filter will be applied. Click + or - to expand or collapse the tree, tick the checkbox where you want the filter to be applied. Click OK once done with the selection.

     

     Click Next to continue.

8. In the “Schedule” window, configure a backup schedule for backup job to run automatically at your specified time interval.

   

   Slide the on/off button to turn on this feature, then click "+ Add new schedule” to add a new schedule.

   

   In the New Backup Schedule window, configure the following backup schedule settings.

   For details on how to configure the backup scheudle settings, please refer to the Overview section.

9. In the “Destination” window, select a backup destination where the backup data will be stored. Click the + icon before “Add new storage destination / destination pool”.

   

   For more details on Backup Destination, refer to the following article for details:

   FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions on Backup Destinations

   Select storage destination.

   

   You can choose a storage combination of the Local / Mapped Drive /Network Drive / Removable Drive or Cloud storage. Click OK to proceed when you are done with the settings.

   • If you have chosen the Local / Mapped Drive / Network Drive / Removable Drive option, click Change to browse to a directory path where backup data will be stored.

     

     Click the Test button to verify if AhsayOBM has permission to access the folder. “Test completed successfully” will be displayed once the test is finished. Click OK to proceed.

     

   • If you have chosen a cloud storage, in this case AWS S3 Compatible Cloud Storage is used as an example, select it from the destination storage.

     

     Enter the required details.

     Click Test to validate the account. "Test completed successfully" shows when the validation is done. Click OK to proceed.

     

   You can add multiple storage destinations. The backup data will be uploaded to all the destinations you have selected in the order you added them. Press the up and down icons to alter the order. Click Next to proceed.

   

10. In the “Encryption” window, by default the “Encrypt Backup Data” option is enabled with an encryption key preset by the system which provides the most secure protection.

    

    For details on how to configure the “Encryption” settings, please refer to the AhsayOBM Overview Guide.

    For best practice on managing your encryption key, refer to the following article. FAQ: Best practices for managing encryption key on AhsayOBM or AhsayACB?.

    Click Next when you are done setting.

11. If you have enabled the Encryption Key feature in the previous step, the following pop-up window shows, no matter which encryption type you have selected.

    

    The pop-up window has the following three options to choose from:

    • Unmask encryption key - The encryption key is masked by default. Click this option to show the encryption key.

      

    • Copy to clipboard - Click to copy the encryption key, then you can paste it in another location of your choice.

    • Confirm - Click to exit this pop-up window and proceed to the next step.

12. The following screen is displayed when the new Microsoft 365 backup set is successfully created. You can click Backup now to back up your data or click Close to go back to the main screen.

    

13. Based on the Best Practices and Recommendations, it is highly recommended to change the “Temporary Directory”. Select another location with sufficient free disk space other than Drive C.

    Go to Others>Temporary Directory>. Click Change to browse for another location.

    

14. Optional: Select your preferred compression type. By default, the compression is Fast with optimization for local.

    Go to Others>Compressions, then select from the following list:

    • No Compression
    • Normal
    • Fast (Compressed size larger than normal)
    • Fast with optimiation for local

    

    Click Save to apply the changes.