Do I Need to Backup My Microsoft 365 & Google Workspace Even Though They’re Cloud Based?
Many businesses assume that being “in the cloud” means their data is fully protected — but in reality, solutions like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace operate under a Shared Responsibility Model.
Put simply: the provider secures infrastructure, but managing and restoring your business data remains your job.
What Cloud Providers Cover — And What They Don’t
Microsoft and Google deliver highly available platforms and protect their data centres, but their retention, deletion and restore policies have limits. According to Backup (NZ), deleted items or purged mailboxes may become unrecoverable without third-party backups.
Ransomware, user errors, or cloud sync issues aren’t automatically covered by the SaaS vendor’s core service.
Real-World Risks to Your Cloud Data
• Accidental deletion or user account removal — changes can replicate instantly and become permanent.
• Ransomware or malware attacks that encrypt cloud file-stores and shared drives.
• Short or inflexible retention policies that erase data beyond retention windows.
• Sync errors, migration issues or mis-configured workflows that corrupt or overwrite critical files.
Why A Third-Party Backup Makes a Difference
• Independent backups store your data outside the SaaS provider’s system — safe from provider outages or account issues.
• You control retention, version history and restore options — meaning you can recover files, mailboxes or entire accounts when needed.
• NZ-hosted backup ensures data sovereignty and rapid local restore, important for NZ businesses.
• Automated, frequent backups build business resilience — reducing downtime and operational risk.
Which Data Should You Backup?
• Emails, mailboxes & calendar items in Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace.
• OneDrive / Google Drive files and SharePoint / Shared Drives.
• Teams chats or Google Chat history.
• User accounts & permissions snapshots.
• Metadata, version history, and audit logs — especially for compliance and regulatory needs.
