Does Lavawall® back up mailbox content like AvePoint?

No. Lavawall® backs up tenant configuration, not mailbox/SharePoint/OneDrive/Teams content. For content backup, run a dedicated product (Cove, Dropsuite mail, Acronis, AvePoint itself) alongside Lavawall®.

Is AvePoint a good fit for SMB MSPs?

AvePoint is positioned at 500+ user organisations. For MSPs serving smaller clients, the pricing and feature depth are typically over-scoped. Lavawall® is positioned for that segment.

Does Lavawall® offer BYOK encryption?

No. Lavawall® uses standard at-rest encryption. For BYOK requirements, AvePoint or a similar enterprise backup product is the right answer.

Lavawall® vs AvePoint Cloud Backup — config backup for MSPs

AvePoint Cloud Backup is one of the most established M365 backup platforms in the enterprise space — broadest workload coverage, governance and records-management features, BYOK encryption, immutable storage, and integration with the Microsoft 365 Backup Storage platform. AvePoint scored 9/10 in Expert Insights' 2026 review, where reviewers called out the depth of M365 coverage and the governance capabilities. The product is positioned at organisations of 500 users or more.

AvePoint covers both content (mailboxes, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams) and configuration (Entra ID directory, policies, role assignments). For an enterprise with regulated data and compliance audit requirements, AvePoint is a serious choice — broad scope, mature governance tooling, BYOK key management, and Microsoft 365 Backup Storage integration that AvePoint was an early launch partner for.

Lavawall® is positioned differently. The configuration backup & rollback module is part of an MSP platform — bundled with patching, M365 breach detection, AV/EDR coexistence, GRC compliance evidence, and helpdesk. It is per-MSP-tenant priced, not enterprise-quoted. It does not back up content (mailboxes, SharePoint files); it focuses on the configuration that controls who can access that content. For an MSP serving SMB and mid-market clients where AvePoint is over-scoped and over-priced, Lavawall® covers the configuration layer at a fraction of the cost.

Where Lavawall® wins

MSP economics. AvePoint is enterprise-priced and most heavily marketed at the 500+ user segment. Lavawall®'s configuration backup & rollback is bundled in the Complete tier or available a-la-carte at C$3.95 / US$2.95 per user per month — workable economics for the 50-, 100-, 250-user MSP-served clients where AvePoint is over-engineered.

Bundled with the rest of the MSP stack. Lavawall® is one console for patching, breach detection, GRC, helpdesk, app control, and config backup. AvePoint is a dedicated backup product that sits beside whatever else the MSP runs.

Azure subscription scope. Lavawall® covers Azure Network Security Groups, Key Vault access policies, RBAC role assignments, and managed identities — not just M365/Entra. AvePoint focuses on M365 + Entra; Azure subscription resources are not its scope.

Lower deployment friction. Lavawall® uses your existing Graph + ARM consent and runs against the M365 audit log already in place. No on-tenant agent. AvePoint deployments at enterprise scale typically involve more configuration work.

Where AvePoint wins

Content backup for mailboxes, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams. AvePoint backs up content alongside configuration. Lavawall® doesn't back up content — for that, an MSP runs a dedicated mail backup product (Cove, Dropsuite mail, Acronis, etc.) alongside Lavawall®.

Enterprise governance and records management. AvePoint's depth in retention policy, legal hold, e-discovery, and regulatory records management is industry-leading. For organisations whose primary requirement is governance evidence, AvePoint is a strong fit.

BYOK / customer-controlled encryption. AvePoint offers BYOK encryption with customer-held decryption keys — a meaningful control for highly regulated industries.

Microsoft 365 Backup Storage integration. AvePoint was an early launch partner for the M365 Backup Storage platform, supporting Express Recovery scenarios that other backup products don't natively support.

Feature comparison

Feature	Lavawall®	AvePoint Cloud Backup
Mailbox / OneDrive / SharePoint / Teams content backup	No	Yes — primary
Conditional Access policies	Yes	Yes
Entra ID role assignments	Yes	Yes
App registrations & service principals	Yes	Limited
Intune device-config / compliance profiles	Yes	Limited
Azure subscription RBAC	Yes	No
Azure NSG rules / Key Vault / managed identities	Yes	No
BYOK / customer-held encryption keys	Standard at-rest encryption	Yes
Immutable storage with retention policies	Configurable retention	Yes — primary feature
Legal hold / e-discovery / records management	No	Yes — depth
M365 Backup Storage integration (Express Recovery)	No	Yes
Plan → approve → execute rollback workflow	Yes (auditable)	Standard restore workflow
Severity-rated change feed	Yes	Standard activity log
Audit-log correlation in change feed	Yes	Yes
Bundled with patching / RMM / GRC / helpdesk	Yes — one platform	No — backup-only
Pricing model	Per-user MSP add-on or bundled in Complete tier	Enterprise quote-based
Target customer size	SMB & mid-market via MSPs	500+ users / enterprise

Who should pick which?

Pick Lavawall® if…

MSPs serving SMB and mid-market clients (typically under 500 users), where enterprise governance tooling is over-scoped and AvePoint pricing doesn't fit margins.

You want config backup bundled with the rest of an MSP platform and don't need integrated content backup in the same product.

You need Azure subscription scope (NSG, Key Vault, RBAC) covered alongside identity.

Pick AvePoint Cloud Backup if…

Enterprise IT or MSP serving 500+ user clients with regulated data and active records-management or e-discovery requirements.

You need BYOK encryption with customer-held keys.

You want one product covering both content backup and configuration backup with Microsoft 365 Backup Storage integration.

Frequently asked

Does Lavawall® back up mailbox content like AvePoint?: No. Lavawall® backs up tenant configuration, not mailbox/SharePoint/OneDrive/Teams content. For content backup, run a dedicated product (Cove, Dropsuite mail, Acronis, AvePoint itself) alongside Lavawall®.
Is AvePoint a good fit for SMB MSPs?: AvePoint is positioned at 500+ user organisations. For MSPs serving smaller clients, the pricing and feature depth are typically over-scoped. Lavawall® is positioned for that segment.
Does Lavawall® offer BYOK encryption?: No. Lavawall® uses standard at-rest encryption. For BYOK requirements, AvePoint or a similar enterprise backup product is the right answer.