The backup Microsoft never promised you

Confidence in an organization's cyber recovery capabilities should be treated with caution after a ransomware attack disables SaaS data in the Microsoft cloud. The pace at which operations resume depends on assumptions that often prove inaccurate. While Microsoft offers native retention and recovery capabilities, these tools are not designed as backups and cannot protect against ransomware or recover data.

Microsoft's shared responsibility model means that in the event of a cyberattack, the recovery burden is split between the provider and the subscriber. MSPs face additional pressure to meet stringent SLAs and manage their own staffing and profitability. Independent backup protection is recommended, using immutable data stored offsite in a third-party datacenter.

This ensures that if SaaS credentials are compromised, critical assets remain safe from attack, and restoration can push needed data directly back into the SaaS environment.