It’s just another day. You get an invoice, it looks legitimate, and you click the attachment without thinking twice. Suddenly, a dangerous ransomware program hidden inside the file begins to spread. It locks down everything—your documents, your cherished photos, your spreadsheets, and even the programs you use every day. Soon, the screen goes dark, and a message appears: “Your files are encrypted. Pay to recover them.” A simple click has just created a serious crisis.

What happens if your go-to is OneDrive?

After the ransomware hits, your laptop files are encrypted. And because OneDrive automatically syncs with the cloud, the infected, unreadable files are uploaded to your account. While you can use OneDrive’s restore option to roll back to an earlier version of your files and recover them, that’s only part of the solution. The core problem remains: your laptop’s operating system is still infected. To get back to work, you’ll have to completely wipe the device, reinstall Windows, and then set up all your applications again. This isn’t a quick fix, and it can take days before you’re back up and running.

The outcome is much different if you rely on Datto Backup

Here, the system creates a complete backup of your entire laptop—including your files, programs, and the operating system itself. Crucially, these backups are secure and cannot be corrupted by ransomware. When the attack happens, your IT team can simply select a clean backup from before the infection and restore everything in a single step. For even faster recovery, they can start a virtual version of your laptop directly from the cloud, meaning you can get back to work almost instantly. The entire process is much faster, and your computer is restored to its exact previous state.

Summary

To summarize, the fundamental distinction between OneDrive and Datto Backup is the level of protection each solution provides. OneDrive is a file-focused service, enabling the recovery of earlier document versions but not protecting the entire system. Consequently, a ransomware attack still necessitates the time-consuming process of reinstalling the operating system and all applications. In contrast, Datto Backup secures the entire machine, including the OS, programs, and files. This comprehensive approach allows for the rapid restoration of the system to a clean state or even immediate virtualization from the cloud, significantly minimizing business disruption and downtime.

Feature	OneDrive	Datto Backup
What it Protects	Files only (documents, photos, spreadsheets)	Full system (OS, programs, files)
Recovery after ransomware	Restore earlier versions of files	Restore entire system to clean state
Recovery speed	Slow. You still have to manually reinstall your operating system and all your applications.	Fast. You can restore the whole system quickly or run it virtually from the cloud for immediate work.
Risk of data loss	Possible. Files could be encrypted before the next sync, or new work could be lost.	Low. Backups are protected and cannot be changed by the ransomware.

MCG provides backup solutions that keep your business running—even after hardware failure or a ransomware attack. Enjoy fast recovery, minimal downtime, and complete peace of mind.