Many businesses assume that because their email and files live in Microsoft 365, Microsoft is backing them up. It's one of the most common — and costly — misunderstandings we see at San Antonio businesses.
The shared responsibility model
Cloud providers like Microsoft operate on a shared responsibility model. Microsoft is responsible for keeping the service running: its data centers, infrastructure and uptime. You are responsible for your data — who can access it, how it's protected and whether you can get it back. Microsoft's own shared responsibility guidance lists your data, accounts and devices as responsibilities you always keep, no matter which cloud service you use.
What Microsoft 365's built-in tools don't cover well
- Accidental or intentional deletion. Recycle bins and retention settings only keep deleted items for a limited time. Once that window passes, the data can be gone.
- Ransomware. If ransomware encrypts files that sync to OneDrive or SharePoint, the encrypted versions sync too.
- Departing employees. When a user's license is removed, their mailbox and OneDrive can be deleted after a grace period.
- Compliance and legal holds. Industries like healthcare, insurance and finance often need longer, provable retention.
What a proper Microsoft 365 backup looks like
- Automatic backups of Exchange email, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams — several times a day.
- Backups stored separately from Microsoft 365, so a compromised account can't delete them.
- Fast, granular restores: one email, one folder or an entire user.
- Retention that matches your compliance requirements.
NexGenGuard provides this with Axcient SaaS Protection, managed and monitored for you.
Not sure if you're covered?
We'll review your Microsoft 365 setup as part of a free IT security audit and tell you exactly where the gaps are.
