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Jump to: The free scan · Archiving — what happens to files · Backup · Storage & data location · Security & access · Pricing & billing · For MSPs
The free scan
What does the free scan actually do?
It reads SharePoint file metadata plus Microsoft 365 tenant and usage-report facts through Graph, then reports how much SharePoint data sits in files nobody has touched — by age band — and what that cold-file storage is costing at Microsoft's rates. It reads; it cannot change, move, or delete anything.
What access does the scan need?
One read-only Entra application holding six Microsoft Graph application permissions: Sites.Read.All, Files.Read.All, User.Read.All, Group.Read.All, Reports.Read.All and Organization.Read.All. It is approved by your Global Administrator on Microsoft's own consent screen; no passwords are shared with us, the app is visible in your Entra admin centre, and consent can be revoked at any time.
Where does the free scan run?
You choose Australia (Sydney), the United States (Virginia) or Southeast Asia (Thailand) before Microsoft consent. The scan runs on a worker in that region, reads metadata only, and creates no storage bucket. Further processing regions are being added.
How long does it take?
Sign-up is three fields. The scan itself typically finishes in minutes; very large tenants can take longer, and you can close the browser — it runs on our servers and emails you when it's done.
What does “old” mean, and can I change it?
The default window is files untouched for six months. You can pick a different window before the scan, and afterwards you can click any age band on the results page to see that window's numbers instantly — no re-scan needed.
Will the scan slow my tenant down?
No. It's a metadata read through Microsoft's Graph API at Microsoft's own rate limits — the same class of traffic as a backup tool's catalogue pass. Your users won't notice it.
Can I share the results internally?
Yes — one click downloads a business-case PDF built from your tenant's own numbers, with every fee included and the assumptions stated, ready to hand to your CEO or finance team.
Is someone going to call me after I run it?
No. We only contact you about your scan unless you ask to speak with us.
Archiving — what happens to files
What exactly happens when a file is archived?
The file is copied to object storage, re-hashed there with SHA-256, and compared byte-for-byte with the original. Only on an exact match is the SharePoint original removed and replaced with a small link file. One mismatch halts the job with the original untouched.
What do my users see?
The same folders, in the same place. A backed-up file doesn't change at all. An archived file is replaced by a small link in its spot — the original name with .html added — that opens in the browser to say what the file was, when it was archived, and how to bring it back, with a one-click restore button. Nobody needs training or a new place to look.
How do users get an archived file back?
They click the restore button in the link file (or right-click it in SharePoint and open in a new tab). The file returns to its original location and the link file is cleaned up automatically. No IT ticket needed.
What does a restore cost?
Nothing, ever. No egress fees, no per-restore charges, no metering. That applies to single files, bulk restores, and leaving entirely.
What about files under legal hold or retention policies?
They're excluded automatically. Before any file is considered, ArchiveBridge reads its compliance state from Microsoft Purview — retention labels, litigation holds, and eDiscovery holds all keep a file exactly where it is, and every exclusion is logged with its reason.
Can I control which sites and file types are archived?
Yes. You choose the sites, set the age window and a minimum file size, and can include or exclude specific file types and paths. The policy can be changed at any time and applies to future runs.
What happens to version history?
Backups capture version history, and archived files' earlier versions are recoverable from the console. Restores can bring back any captured version, not just the latest.
Backup
What's the difference between backup and archive modes?
Backup protects verified copies of selected SharePoint and OneDrive content and leaves the source as it is — data protection, not space reclaim. Archive moves selected old SharePoint files out to reclaim Microsoft storage. OneDrive archiving is not available.
Does ArchiveBridge back up OneDrive?
Yes. ArchiveBridge backs up OneDrive alongside SharePoint protection. It captures a SHA-256-verified copy in your configured object storage and leaves the Microsoft source untouched. SharePoint archiving — removing a cold original to reclaim tenant storage — is a separate workflow.
An employee is leaving — when should I protect their OneDrive?
Before changing the licence or deleting the user. That gives ArchiveBridge a licensed, reachable source to capture and verify. The protected copy then exists independently of the user's Microsoft account. Recovery is per-file download today — bulk restore into another user's OneDrive is not in the shipped product.
What does OneDrive backup cost?
The same published ArchiveBridge list rates apply to all data under management — management plus optional managed storage. There is no separate OneDrive or per-seat licence. See the price list for the current figures in your selected currency.
Does it catch files users delete directly in SharePoint?
Yes — deleted-file detection records what disappeared from the source, and those files can be restored like any other protected file.
Can I add compliance retention to managed backups?
Yes. Paid accounts using ArchiveBridge-managed, Object-Lock-capable storage can enable a 1–90 day S3 Object Lock compliance-retention period. The storage layer enforces the lock on retained objects until their retention date.
How often does it run?
Backup runs daily by default, and you can set a different cadence. Reclaiming space is a separate pass, monthly by default, and also configurable. You get an email if a run fails and a weekly digest of what's protected.
Storage & data location
Where is my data stored?
Your choice. Managed storage is a dedicated Wasabi account per customer with its own bucket — defaulting to Sydney when you choose Australian processing, US East for United States processing, and Singapore for Thailand processing, which is the nearest Wasabi region to Thailand. Other Wasabi regions are available, or you can bring your own S3-compatible bucket anywhere.
Can I bring my own storage?
Yes — any S3-compatible bucket works; Wasabi and Backblaze B2 are the ones we see most. You pay your provider directly at their rates, we never mark up your storage, and there's no storage minimum. Setup takes about ten minutes.
What format is the data stored in?
Standard S3 objects — not a proprietary vault. If ArchiveBridge weren't here tomorrow, you could read your files directly from the bucket with any S3 tool.
Is the data encrypted?
In transit, everything runs over TLS 1.2 or higher. At rest, data lands encrypted in object storage, and secrets are never written in the clear.
Is there a storage minimum?
Managed storage bills a 1 TB minimum while you're using it — that's how we buy the capacity. Bring your own bucket and no minimum applies, which suits clients with a few hundred gigabytes of cold data.
Are your datacentres certified?
The infrastructure underneath is. Compute runs on RackCorp's ISO 27001-certified infrastructure — an Australian sovereign cloud operating since 2003, 34 data centres across 16 countries, ten of them in Australia, in Tier III+ facilities. Archived objects sit in Wasabi, which holds ISO 27001 (audited by A-LIGN, certificate current to June 2028) and deploys into data centres certified to SOC 2 Type II and PCI-DSS. The service database holding your metadata is Supabase (ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type 2). Those certifications belong to those providers, not to us: ArchiveBridge's own SOC 2 and ISO 27001 are on the roadmap.
What happens to my data if I leave?
It stays yours. Managed storage isn't a shared pool: we create a dedicated Wasabi account per customer with your bucket in it, and if you leave, that account is handed over to you. Keep it running and keep paying for the storage, copy the contents to any destination you like, or mass-restore everything back to SharePoint free of charge before you go. A bring-your-own bucket was yours all along.
Security & access
What can ArchiveBridge actually access in my tenant?
Whatever the consented app allows, and nothing more. The free scan's app is read-only. Archiving requires a second, separate app with write access, consented deliberately later. Both are visible in your Entra admin centre and revocable at any time.
Do you ever see our passwords?
No. Access is application-only through Microsoft Graph, granted by admin consent on Microsoft's screen. There is no stored user credential to leak.
Where does the ArchiveBridge service itself run?
The control plane, service database and customer metadata remain in Australia. Data-processing workers run on RackCorp infrastructure in Australia (Sydney), the United States (Virginia) and Thailand (Bangkok), selected during onboarding. File content passes through the chosen worker to the configured storage bucket and is not retained on the worker. Managed storage defaults to the nearest Wasabi region to the processing location — Sydney, Virginia, and Singapore for Thailand, since Wasabi operates no Thai region.
Is there an audit trail?
Every action — scan, copy, verify, delete, stub, skip, restore — is written to an append-only log you can export in full. Skips carry their reason, such as reason=legal-hold.
How are customers isolated from each other?
Per-tenant isolation with role-based access, and a dedicated storage bucket per customer on managed storage. MSP partners see their clients; clients see only themselves.
Do you have a security document I can give procurement?
Yes — the security page covers permissions, data flow, verification and where data is stored, and is written to be forwarded to procurement as it stands. Anything it doesn't cover goes straight to an engineer.
Pricing & billing
Is there a free tier?
Free under 100 GB — no card, no time limit. Metered pricing above that; restores always free. Immutable (compliance-locked) backups need a paid account.
How does billing work?
Usage is metered daily and charged automatically to a saved card as it accrues — the way advertising platforms bill — with a receipt emailed for every payment. You pay only for the days data is actually protected: start on the 20th, pay from the 20th.
What does it cost, all-in?
A$49 (US$34) per TB per month with our storage — A$29 (US$20) management + A$20 (US$14) storage — or A$29 if you bring your own bucket. AUD ex GST. Microsoft's SharePoint overage rate is approximately US$205 per TB per month, around A$300 converted, for comparison. Microsoft prices that in USD, so the AUD figure is indicative — check your own agreement.
Do I need a card to start?
No. Run the free read-only scan, or create an account and connect a tenant directly. Usage is metered from day one so you can see exactly what your real bill would be before anything is charged.
Are there per-seat licences?
No. A 30-person firm and a 300-person firm with the same terabyte under management pay the same. Headcount never enters the bill.
Is there a contract or minimum term?
No lock-in and no minimum term — the meter simply stops when you leave. Annual committed-capacity plans exist for enterprise buyers who need a fixed number, and purchase-order invoicing is available for organisations that can't use a card.
Do you charge GST?
ArchiveBridge bills in AUD, ex GST; GST is added on Australian tax invoices. USD and GBP figures shown on the site are indicative conversions for international customers.
For MSPs
What do MSPs pay?
Indicative wholesale pricing is roughly 20% below list, confirmed for your volume on approval. You set your own client pricing on top — the margin is yours.
Can I manage all my clients in one place?
Yes — every client tenant in one console, each with its own Microsoft 365 connection, storage bucket, policy, and billing line. Billing is metered daily per client, so a client onboarded mid-month costs you nothing for the days before they connected.
Can I white-label it?
Yes — your brand name and colours on the console your clients see.
Will archived files create support tickets?
Clients' users restore their own files themselves, from the link left in SharePoint — one click, free, no call to your help desk.
How do clients connect their Microsoft 365?
You send a single-use consent link approved by the client's Global Administrator — or approve it yourself if you hold that role. Start with a free read-only scan per client to see their numbers before committing them.
Still weighing it up?
The scan tells you how much you’re paying Microsoft to keep files nobody opens.
Comparing us against something specific? The whole field, compared · vs AvePoint Opus · vs Microsoft 365 Archive