Most teams assume their email, files, and Teams chats are safe in the cloud. The shared responsibility model says otherwise. Here's what you actually own.
Microsoft runs a resilient platform. It keeps the lights on, patches the infrastructure, and replicates data across datacenters so the service stays available. That is not the same as backing up your data so you can recover it.
Microsoft says so directly. Its Services Agreement recommends that customers "regularly back up Your Content and Data" stored on the services.[5] Under the shared responsibility model, Microsoft owns platform uptime and infrastructure security; you own your data — its access, its retention, and its recoverability across Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams.
Native Microsoft 365 features help with small "oops" moments. They are not designed for real recovery. Here's the difference.
| Native feature | What it does | Why it isn't a backup |
|---|---|---|
| Recycle bins | 93 days for SharePoint/OneDrive; 14–30 days for Exchange | Hard time limit, then permanent purge |
| Version history | Keeps prior versions of a file | Lost if the file or site is deleted |
| Retention & legal hold | Preserves data for compliance | Not a fast, point-in-time restore; complex to recover from |
| Geo-replication | Microsoft's own resilience | Replicates your mistakes and ransomware too |
Here's the part people miss: retention is about keeping data for legal reasons, not restoring it cleanly after an incident. When a ransomware actor encrypts a SharePoint site or a former admin mass-deletes mailboxes, you need a clean, recoverable copy that lives outside the tenant.
Industry research consistently points to four culprits, and a real backup is the only control that covers all of them:
Note that two of these — malicious and accidental deletion — never trigger a security alert. The data is simply gone. That's why backup is a data-protection control, not just a security one.
A proper Microsoft 365 backup keeps independent, recoverable copies of your data outside the tenant, on a schedule, with restores you've actually tested. We run a hybrid model: Veeam protects on-premises systems, and AvePoint protects Microsoft 365 cloud data across Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams.
As a Microsoft partner, we also optimize and discount your Microsoft licensing so the savings can fund the security and backup layers that licensing alone doesn't cover. You own your licenses and keep full admin access — no black box. And because we manage your environment end to end, backup isn't a bolt-on; it's part of how we keep your business recoverable.
700+ organizations trust Ridge IT, an Inc. 5000 honoree three years running and a #1 MSSP. We build in stages so protection improves without disrupting your users.
| Capability | Native M365 only | Ridge IT managed backup |
|---|---|---|
| Retention window | 14–93 days, then purged | Long-term, policy-driven |
| Ransomware recovery | Limited; encrypts cloud copy too | Clean copy outside the tenant |
| Restore speed | Manual, item-by-item | Tested, granular restores |
| Coverage | Partial across workloads | Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams |
See how backup fits the bigger picture on our Microsoft 365 management and cloud infrastructure pages.
No. Microsoft keeps the platform running and replicates data for its own resilience, but under the shared responsibility model your organization is responsible for backup and recovery of your content. Our Microsoft 365 management service closes that gap.
SharePoint and OneDrive recycle bins retain deleted items for 93 days. Exchange Online deleted items default to 14 days, configurable to 30. After those windows, data is permanently purged. See our cloud services for how we extend protection.
No. Retention and legal-hold policies preserve data for compliance, but they aren't point-in-time recovery copies you can quickly restore after ransomware or mass deletion. A true backup is separate and recoverable. Our managed cybersecurity team builds that in.
Research points to malicious deletion, ransomware, accidental deletion, and misconfiguration as the leading causes. A real backup protects against all four. Start with a security assessment to see your exposure.
We use a hybrid model — Veeam for on-premises systems and AvePoint for Microsoft 365 cloud data across Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams — with tested recovery. Talk to our managed IT team to scope it for your environment.
700+ organizations protected. Inc. 5000 #1 MSSP, three consecutive years. Start with a risk-free assessment of your backup and recovery posture.
Rapid response times, with around the clock IT support, from Inc. Magazine’s #1 MSSP.