In a July 12 announcement, Microsoft says that they will restrict the use of Exchange Web Services to access Teams message data from September 30. Microsoft wants customers to use the Teams Export API instead. All that’s fine, but it means that customers have to change their Teams backup product to one that uses the new API – and they’ll be charged for the privilege of using the Export API.
Teams Shared Channels will be available in public preview in March. Exciting as it is to get new functionality, shared channels come with their own challenges. For example, how do organizations deal with the fact that compliance processing occurs on the tenant which owns a shared channel? Backup is another challenge. Teams has always been complex to backup, but how will backup vendors handle the new channels?
Backup vendors say you should definitely use their products to protect your valuable Microsoft 365 data. Backup products can do a good job, but the nature of Microsoft 365 creates many challenges at a technical level. A lack of APIs is the most fundamental issue, but the connected nature of Microsoft 365 apps is another.