When organizations move to Microsoft 365, many believe Microsoft takes care of all data protection. The truth is more complex. Under the Shared Responsibility Model, Microsoft keeps its cloud infrastructure secure and reliable, but the data itself is always in your hands. This is especially true in a SaaS environment like Microsoft 365.

Microsoft 365 includes built-in replication and high availability to keep services online, but these features aren’t the same as backups. Replicas are fully managed by Microsoft and can’t be controlled or used as independent recovery points. That means, companies still need to protect their data, plan for data retention, and implement recovery plans for accidental deletion, ransomware, outages, or mistakes. Microsoft openly acknowledges this and recommends using regular backups with third-party solutions.

Compliance requirements add another layer of pressure. Regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA place responsibility solely on data owners, not cloud providers. Even with Microsoft 365’s native compliance and governance tools, customers don’t gain full control over data retention policies, data location, or long-term recovery—because all copies remain within Microsoft’s cloud.

To sum up, Microsoft secures the platform and keeps it running, but your data is your responsibility. Understanding where Microsoft’s role ends and yours begins is essential for building a resilient Microsoft 365 data protection strategy.

[Read the full article about the backup responsibility](https://www.nakivo.com/glossary/backup-responsibility-microsoft-365/) on [NAKIVO](https://rapidapi.com/user/nakivobackup)'s blog to explore why independent Microsoft 365 backups are critical—and how they help you maintain control over your data.