TL;DR summary
- The latest release of BackupAssist 365 (download here or in the MBC) will work despite Microsoft’s latest security changes.
- However, we recommend you delay upgrading until you need to – read on for more info.
- If you’re running an old OS, you’ll also have to update your versions of the .NET framework, PowerShell, and a few other things – details below.
The background
Due to the deprecation of Remote PowerShell in Exchange Online, we expect that older versions of BackupAssist 365 (before v1.17.1) will eventually cease to work once Microsoft completes the rollout of these changes to all tenants.
However, the latest releases of BackupAssist 365 (v1.17.1 and later) have transitioned to use a new API to maintain integration with Exchange Online. This ensures that our software will continue to be functional in the face of Microsoft’s security updates.
What should I do now?
If you are currently using an older version of BackupAssist 365, you should:
- Upgrade to the latest available version at the time, and
- Reauthenticate your mailbox backup jobs – this will grant BA365 permissions to use the new API.
If you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our technical support team. We are here to help.
Mandatory updates on your client machine, in the name of security
In addition to upgrading BackupAssist 365, there are now higher minimum requirements to continue connecting to Microsoft 365 and Exchange Online. If your client computer (the one running BackupAssist 365) doesn’t meet these prerequisites, Microsoft will deny connection attempts to Microsoft 365.
This affects older operating systems (such as Server 2012 family) the most. But it’s a good idea to double check your installations anyway.
Here is a list of prerequisites:
- The Microsoft .NET framework 4.7.2 or later (download here)
- PowerShell 5.1 or later (download here)
- Visual C++ 2015 redistributable (download here)
If you have any issues, please click the “Get support” button in BackupAssist 365 and submit a ticket. Due to the very large number of possible user configurations, the diagnostics file that will be submitted with your ticket is crucial for us to deliver prompt and effective support.
