How to Test Restore Readiness for Microsoft 365 Data Ensure your backup data can be restored when needed. Here’s how to check if your Microsoft 365 data is restore-ready. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to NinjaOne’s IT video hub and our YouTube channel for more tech content like this. 5 Methods to Test Microsoft 365 Restore Readiness Your backup is only as good as its ability to recover data. If left unchecked, a failed or incomplete backup can result in unintended data loss. To ensure that your data can be reliably recovered, here are five methods you can use to test the restore readiness of your Microsoft 365. For our first method, launch Synology Active Backup for Microsoft 365. Then, head to the Task List to confirm backup status, job results, and latest run time. Open the Restore Portal and sign in using Global Admin credentials or Delegated restore permissions. Select a workload, choose a restore point, and preview the item. Use the preview pane to validate item-level accuracy before restoring. Afterwards, execute the restore and verify that the correct item has been restored, that permissions and structure are preserved, and that no data corruption or visibility issues have occurred. For our second method, execute scripts using PowerShell or the REST API. For the former, execute the PowerShell command: For the latter, use this Bash script. Then, add scheduling or alerting via Windows Task Scheduler, Synology Task Scheduler, or NinjaOne workflow automation. For our third method, open Registry Editor, and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Org\BackupRestoreValidation. Create and set ‘LastRestoreTestDate’ and ‘ToolUsed’ string values, and use automation tools to read keys and check for overdue tests, update values when tests are performed, and trigger alerts if testing is overdue. For our fourth method, open Group Policy Editor, and navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Windows File Protection. Enable ‘Do not allow users to remove critical system files’ and ‘Require Volume Shadow Copy for all local backups.’ Apply GPOs to relevant organizational units, and use the gpresult command or audit logs to check if the GPO is applied. Finally, for our fifth method, check the accessibility of your backup by executing this command on SMB or Command Prompt. Verify file presence, size, and timestamps to ensure backups are usable. Making sure that your backups are fully restorable is an essential step in protecting your organization’s data. For more information, check out our official blog post on How to Test Restore Readiness for Microsoft 365, linked in the description below.