This is the most common gap we find, and the most consistently misunderstood. Microsoft's shared responsibility model is explicit: they guarantee platform availability, you own your data. Retention policies and the recycle bin are not backup — they expire, they can be changed by an administrator, and they will not help you after a ransomware event or a departing employee clearing a mailbox.
We deploy third-party backup covering Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams, with retention you control rather than a 30-day window. Restores are granular: a single email, one document version, an entire site collection, without a support ticket.
Endpoint backup addresses the other half of the problem. Laptops carry work that never reaches a server — and a stolen laptop or failed SSD in Pune traffic is a more likely data-loss event for most businesses than a data centre failure.
What you end up with
Outcomes, not activity.
Common questions
M365 & Endpoint Backup — asked and answered.
Doesn't Microsoft already back up our data?
No, and this is the single most costly misunderstanding in the space. Microsoft ensures the service is available and resilient. Recovering content you or an attacker deleted beyond the retention window is not part of that commitment.
How long can we retain data?
As long as you need — commonly one to seven years depending on sector and audit obligations. That is precisely the control the native platform does not give you.
Can users restore their own files?
Yes, and it is usually the biggest day-to-day benefit. Self-service granular restore removes most recovery requests from your helpdesk entirely.
Related
Where this connects.
Browse all services
Twenty-one services, five areas of accountability.
Managed & support
Ongoing operational ownership — someone accountable when a system stops behaving.
Infrastructure & cloud
The layer everything else depends on: compute, storage, network, cloud and the office itself.
Backup & data protection
Recovery you have actually tested, and data you can still find in five years.
Security & safety
Physical and digital protection specified by one team, so the systems interlock.
For overseas businesses
Landing in India for the first time, with one accountable partner on the ground.
Talk about m365 & endpoint backup
Tell us the site, the constraint and the timeline.
Talk through your site, risks, current infrastructure and timeline with a solutions consultant.