Not on its own. Syncing to SharePoint keeps files available in Microsoft 365, but it mirrors deletions and overwrites. Recovery then depends on the SharePoint recycle bin, which keeps deleted items for 93 days, and on version history.
Explainer · Last reviewed
Backup, sync and archive are not the same thing
Construction teams use three different things to keep project data outside Procore, Autodesk Forma and BIM 360, and Oracle Aconex: the platform's own export or archive, a sync to SharePoint or Box, and a scheduled backup into storage they own. Each solves a different problem. This explainer sets out what each one does, where it falls short and when you need it. Platform facts were checked on 27 October 2026.
Key points
- A platform export or archive is a snapshot at one point in time, usually taken at closeout. A Procore Project Archive download is available for 30 days, according to Procore's help pages.
- In Autodesk Forma and BIM 360, archiving is a project status that removes access for project members. It is not a separate copy of the data.
- A sync keeps another system matching the platform, so deletions and overwrites are copied too. SharePoint in Microsoft 365 keeps deleted items in its recycle bin for 93 days, then deletes them permanently.
- A backup is an independent copy taken on a schedule and kept as history, so you can go back to the state before a mistake, a deletion or the end of a subscription.
- Amazon S3 Object Lock and Azure Blob immutable storage can make a backup write once, read many, so it cannot be changed or deleted until a set retention period ends.
Last reviewed
What is the difference between a backup, a sync and an archive?
An archive or export is a one-off snapshot of a project, usually taken at closeout. A sync keeps files in another system matching the platform as it changes, including deletions. A backup is an independent copy made on a schedule and kept as history, so you can return to an earlier point. They answer different questions and are often used together.
The table compares the three on the points that matter for construction records. "Platform export or archive" covers the native options in Procore, Autodesk and Aconex. "Sync" covers connectors that copy project files into Microsoft 365 SharePoint or Box. "Scheduled backup" covers tools that copy project data on a schedule into storage you control.
| Question | Platform export or archive | Sync to SharePoint or Box | Scheduled backup to your own storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A snapshot or status change produced by the platform | A connector that keeps another system matching the platform | An independent copy taken on a schedule and kept as history |
| When it runs | On request, usually once at closeout. Aconex Scheduled Archive is the exception. | Continuously or on a short cycle | On a schedule, for example hourly or daily |
| What it captures | Depends on the platform. Procore exports chosen tools, mostly as PDFs. Aconex archives hold documents and mail with registers. | Mostly files. Some connectors also map RFIs or submittals. | Depends on the tool. Ideally files with every version plus records such as RFIs, submittals and mail. |
| Deletions and overwrites | Captured as they were when the export ran | Copied to the target. Recovery relies on the target's recycle bin and version history. | Earlier copies are kept, so you can go back to before the change |
| Points in time you can return to | One | The current state, plus the target's own version history | Many, one per run |
| Where it lives | A download, or with the vendor (Aconex Online Archive) | Your Microsoft 365 or Box tenant | Storage you choose, such as your own AWS or Azure account |
| After platform access ends | Only what was downloaded, or what an archive subscription covers | The files that were synced remain | The copy remains, under your own retention rules |
| Best for | A final handover snapshot | Day-to-day access to files outside the platform | Recovery, claims evidence and long-term retention |
What is a platform export or archive?
It is the platform's own way of handing you the project, usually at the end. Procore, Autodesk and Oracle each offer something, but they work differently, and in Autodesk's case "archive" does not mean a copy at all. All of them depend on someone acting at the right time.
Procore Project Archive exports the tools you choose into a .zip file. Procore's help pages say most items come out as PDFs while documents and photos keep their original format, the download is available for 30 days, and archives are private to the user who created them unless someone has Admin permission on the project Directory tool.
In Autodesk Forma and BIM 360, archiving is a project status. Only account administrators can archive or deactivate a project, and once they do, project admins and members lose access. An account admin can restore it later. Nothing is copied out.
Oracle Aconex sells archives as quoted extras. An Online Archive gives read-only access through Aconex. A Project Archive is a downloaded copy of registered documents and mail with registers. A Scheduled Archive is a local application on a dedicated PC that downloads an incremental copy during the project, which makes it the closest native option to a backup.
What makes a scheduled backup different?
A backup is independent of the live system and keeps history. Each run captures the project as it was at that moment, so a deletion, a bad overwrite or a lapsed subscription does not remove what was already captured. The test is simple: can you get back the version of a record from before the problem happened?
A good backup for construction records has four properties. It runs on a schedule without someone remembering to do it. It keeps earlier versions rather than mirroring the latest state. It lives in storage the business controls, separate from the platform account. And it can be searched and restored by someone who was not on the project.
The storage can enforce retention for you. Amazon S3 Object Lock and Azure Blob immutable storage both support time-based retention, which stops data being changed or deleted until the period ends. S3 Object Lock only works in buckets with versioning turned on.
Backups have trade-offs. You pay for the storage, someone has to own the configuration, and with some tools restoring means downloading records rather than putting them back into the live platform, so ask which one you are buying.
Which one does a construction company need?
Most companies need more than one. Use the platform's export or archive for the formal handover snapshot, a sync if teams need project files in Microsoft 365 or Box day to day, and a scheduled backup if you need to recover from mistakes, produce evidence years later or keep records after access ends.
- Accidental deletion or a bad overwrite during the project. Backup, or a sync target's recycle bin within its retention window.
- A formal closeout record for the client or owner. Platform export or archive.
- Working with project files in Microsoft 365 or Box. Sync.
- Defending a claim or variation dispute years after completion. Backup, with retention set to match your legal exposure.
- Keeping records from a project in another company's account. Backup or export, taken while you still have access.
- Meeting a retention policy. Backup into storage that supports retention and immutability.
What should you ask before choosing a backup or sync tool?
Ask what is captured, where it is stored, what happens to deletions and how you get data back. A short demonstration on a real project, with a deleted file and an old RFI to find, answers most of these better than a feature list.
SIINC is a scheduled backup for Procore, Autodesk Forma and BIM 360, and Oracle Aconex, running hourly as standard. It writes into Amazon S3 or Azure Blob Storage in your own account, keeps records that are later deleted in the platform for the term of your plan, provides a portal to find and download records, and restores records back into the platform, including into a different account.
- Which modules are captured, beyond files? RFIs, submittals, mail, daily logs, financials?
- Are earlier file versions kept, or only the latest?
- What happens when something is deleted or overwritten in the platform?
- Where is the data stored, in whose account and in which region?
- Can the copy be read without the vendor's software, and in what format?
- How do you find and restore a single record, and how long does it take?
- What happens to your data if you stop paying for the tool?
- Does it work on projects in another company's account that you are a member of?
Platform and storage behaviour is taken from Procore, Autodesk, Oracle, Microsoft and AWS documentation checked on 27 October 2026 and can change. Sync and backup tools differ, so check what any specific product captures and keeps before relying on it.
Sources
- Procore support: Download a project archive
- Procore support: Create a project archive
- Autodesk BIM 360 Admin help: To activate, deactivate, or archive a project
- Autodesk Docs Admin help: Create and manage projects
- Oracle Aconex help: What is an Aconex archive
- Microsoft support: Restore items in the recycle bin that were deleted from SharePoint or Teams
- AWS: Locking objects with S3 Object Lock
- Microsoft Learn: Immutable storage for Azure Blob data
Backup vs sync vs archive questions
Backup vs sync vs archive questions
No. In Autodesk Forma and BIM 360, archiving is a status set by an account administrator. It removes access for project members and can be reversed, but it does not create a separate copy of the data.
Usually, yes. A closeout archive gives you one snapshot at the end. It does not help if records were deleted or overwritten during the project, and it depends on someone downloading it in time. A Procore Project Archive download, for example, is available for 30 days.
A sync keeps two systems matching, so changes and deletions flow through. A backup keeps independent copies from different points in time, so you can return to the state before a change.
More guides on construction records
- guideKeeping construction project records after completionWhich project records to keep after completion, why limitation periods make that a long time, and what to ask your lawyer.
- checklistProject closeout records checklist for Procore, Autodesk Forma, BIM 360 and AconexWhat to export or back up from Procore, Autodesk Forma, BIM 360 and Aconex before project access ends.
SIINC backs up Procore, Autodesk Forma and Oracle Aconex into storage you own, on a schedule.