Cloud computing has taken over users globally by its capabilities. This recently evolving and emerging technology allows users to not only have access to their data at all times, but also have a flexible storage plan. Microsoft never stays behind in introducing such concepts that provides business assistance. Its cloud-featured service is known as the Office 365 package. O365 is simply the provision of Office suite of applications on a web platform. Thus, allowing you to stay connected to your business throughout the year (365 days) and not just on days when you are physically present at the environment. However, technology of any type should not be completely relied upon; you must always have a backup plan, just in case something goes wrong. With the awareness of the same, a rise in user queries demanding to know how to backup contacts in Office 365 account. Local storage is in its own way suitable for data storage in certain conditions. This blog puts a limelight on how the vulnerability of a cloud platform can be suppressed with the qualities of a local storage. Take a look at why and how to get Office 365 contacts on your local machine.

Backup Office 365 Contacts: Attain Business Continuity

Backups are a significant element within organizations, especially with big data concept coming into being. Since big data, the role of data has become very important in enterprises. Data about clients, data of the company records, data storing business strategies – planned or implemented; everything relies on the – DATA.

Therefore, the role of data in businesses today is clearly very important. However, the intensity of importance is sequential and depends on the type of data dealt.

Contacts, for instance, are the foundation of all businesses today. Your client connections, customers, user database, are all business connections that are built over time thus, become unaffordable to lose. Therefore, in order to safeguard them from any loss, it is important to plan a backup.

Office 365 Contact Backup:

1. Technology: You cannot always rely on technology. Web apps can encounter server downtimes therefore; significant data should always remain in accessible range. Keeping a backup always helps.
2. Web Storage: Web storage is a risk in certain scenarios. We build such storage system and so we know how to break into it too. Do not give anyone the authority to rule your data. Keep a backup and clear off the original copy.
3. Continuity: The primary purpose of keeping backups is to attain continuity through thick and thin. Regardless of the type of situation you are facing, keeping a backup always works for the best.

How To Backup MS Office 365 Contacts?

Considering the requirements, listed are some of the ways through which you can backup data from Office 365 account. You can choose according to your convenience as to which procedure suits the best. Just as it takes, a mediator to upload data online, downloading data on the local machine also requires one.

Following are some of those mediators:

• Connect Office 365 Account on Outlook: You can connect your O365 account with a desktop mail client that will keep it synchronized. This way, data is updated on both ends and a regular backup is ensured. Doing this is possible with Outlook for Desktop, as both services belong to MS Office.
  1. Configure Account Locally: You can follow the standard process of account configuration on Outlook, to setup the Office 365 account locally. This will generate a copy of your Office account in the form of PST that is saved locally and can be backed up or archived.
  2. Connect with Outlook 2016: Another method of connecting your web based MS Office account on a desktop client is by connecting it via Outlook 2016. This latest version comes with the provision to connect directly with the hosted Office account with just a Sign In and not full configuration.

NOTE: This method ensures a complete data backup and not selective item download. Consider the following methods for contact backup ONLY.

• Export Contacts to CSV: Office 365 itself is equipped with a feature that enables users to backup contacts. The option to export Office 365 contacts to CSV in the People’s tile in an Office 365 allows downloading contacts to local machine in a Comma Separated Values file.

TIP: You can find the option in People’s tile under the drop down menu – ‘Manage’. Select Export and choose which address book contacts to be backed up.

• Commercial Application: Third party tools are the best to use in conditions where you want an instant solution along with the convenience of customizing the procedure as per your requirements. Moreover, with a trial version provision for testing you can know how to backup contacts in Office 365 on a prior note. Later on, with complete assurance of the tool’s functioning and reliability licensed purchase can be made.

Choosing What’s Best

When you have plenty of options, you would obviously want to get the best one for yourself. However, that is where all the difficulty and confusion lies within. You need to analyze the methods, their pros and cons, and choose accordingly figuring out other factors.

However, we have simplified the procedure for you by recommending the ultimate solution for you – a commercial Office 365 Backup Tool to backup Office 365 contacts.

In fact, the tool suggested, i.e. Office 365 Backup is not only meant for the sole purpose of contact backup, but for mailboxes. You can backup bulk of data from the chosen mailbox as per your selection (of the mail folders). To know how to backup contacts in Office 365 with the tool, refer to the features listed below for a clearer understanding:

1. Backup Office 365 account data into various file formats
2. Account backup featured for emails, contacts, & calendars
3. Option to enable impersonation for multiple account backup
4. Date based email filter option & naming convention for output
5. Free trial edition featured for testing application beforehand

Conclusion: Along with the benefit comes the pitfall. Similarly, cloud platforms are equally risky, as good as they are. Therefore, it is better to generate reliable backup plans for continuity of business, despite it all. Instead of going for workarounds and approaches that are executable without a tool, using an application is recommendable. Office 365 Backup is among the ones that can be relied upon in the process, owing to its user-friendly UI, functioning, and result oriented properties. You can easily export contacts from Office 365 Outlook Web App to a locally accessible format and ensure its availability even at the oddest of hours.