Identity resilience glossary
Identity backup
Identity backup is the practice of preserving copies of identity data and configuration so teams have a previous state available for investigation or recovery. Depending on the platform and backup method, that scope can include users, groups, application settings, access policies, and relationships between objects. Coverage must be stated explicitly; the word “backup” does not mean every identity object, attribute, or secret is included.
Why it matters
The practical value is a reliable reference when the current configuration is wrong or incomplete. Without one, administrators may have to reconstruct settings from tickets, logs, and individual recollection. Microsoft recommends documenting known-good tenant states and mapping object dependencies as part of recovery preparation. Microsoft's recoverability guidance.
Illustrative identity example
An administrator accidentally changes several attributes on an application configuration. A retained copy can help the team identify the previous values and decide which settings to recover. The team still needs to check the supported recovery method, review intervening legitimate changes, and test application access afterward.
Common confusion
A backup is not the same as a successful restore. Retention, capture frequency, permissions, and object coverage affect which recovery points are usable. Native recovery features also exist: Microsoft Entra Backup and Recovery restores supported objects and properties, with documented limits. Hard-deleted objects cannot be undeleted through that feature; reconstruction can involve new identifiers and dependency repair. Microsoft's recovery instructions, tenant recovery guidance.