The M365 Recovery Gap That Could Cost You More Than You Think

Microsoft 365 sits at the heart of your daily operations — email, files, Teams, collaboration. But what happens if something goes wrong?

A lot of IT leads assume their Microsoft 365 data is automatically safe, recoverable, and retained. After all, Microsoft manages the infrastructure, so they must handle backups too, right? Unfortunately, that assumption could leave you exposed to serious data loss, costly downtime, and compliance risks.

The reality is Microsoft’s built-in protection has major recovery limitations. If you rely on it alone, you could be left without the ability to restore what you need, when you need it most.

The Core Problem: Microsoft Protects Uptime, Not Your Data

Microsoft does a great job of keeping the 365 platform available. But their own Shared Responsibility Model makes it clear: uptime is their responsibility, protecting your organisation’s data is yours.

Here are some critical gaps to be aware of:

• Deleted emails — you’ve only got a 30–90 day window to recover them.

• Teams chats — individual conversations or threads can’t be recovered.

• Overwritten files — version history in OneDrive and SharePoint can be limited and unreliable.

• Deleted mailboxes — once the retention period is up, they’re gone for good.

Bottom line: Microsoft doesn’t provide true backups. And most organisations only discover this after it’s too late — when recovery tools fall short or data is already outside the retention window.

Why It Matters for Your Business

Losing access to Microsoft 365 for even a few hours can bring your business to a standstill. Losing data altogether can cause lasting damage.

Today’s threats go beyond accidental deletion. Ransomware is increasingly targeting SaaS platforms like Microsoft 365, and the native tools simply don’t provide:

• Point-in-time recovery

• Immutable backups (copies of your data that can’t be altered or deleted, even by attackers)

• Fast and granular restore options

If attackers encrypt your files or wipe email archives, Microsoft’s built-in tools won’t get you back on your feet quickly — or at all.

To make matters worse, retention policies are inconsistent and frequently change. Exchange Online keeps deleted items for 30 days, but Teams and OneDrive follow different rules. You could be out of compliance without even knowing it.

And if you operate under GDPR, NIS2, or industry-specific regulations, auditors expect you to prove strong data protection and recovery. Failing to do so can cost you both financially and reputationally.

Five Recovery Checkpoints You Shouldn’t Ignore

1. Understand Your Responsibilities

Microsoft ensures uptime. Protecting your Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive data is down to you.

2. Audit Your Retention and Recovery Settings

Test them. Try restoring a mailbox deleted six months ago or recovering a single Teams chat. If you can’t, you’ve found a gap that could cause real problems in a live incident.

3. Measure Recovery Against Business Needs

Ask yourself: Can we restore a corrupted OneDrive folder fast enough to keep the business running? Could we roll back a SharePoint site without hours of disruption? If the answer is no, your recovery window isn’t good enough.

4. Evaluate Third-Party Backup Solutions

Look for daily snapshots, instant recovery, immutable storage (so backups stay locked and tamper-proof), and role-based access.

5. Add Microsoft 365 to Your Disaster Recovery Plan 

Don’t let 365 sit outside your strategy. Define clear recovery times and points, map out workflows, and test them regularly. Everyone in your team should know exactly what to do.

What Can Go Wrong (and Has)

• A shared OneDrive folder full of project work gets deleted.

• A former employee wipes critical emails before leaving.

• Ransomware spreads through synced files across your organisation.

With native tools alone, these situations can lead to permanent data loss, lengthy downtime, and major costs.

Don’t Assume — Verify and Secure It

Microsoft 365 is essential for modern business, but it isn’t built to be a backup solution. If you can’t restore exactly what you need, when you need it, your organisation is left exposed.

Acting now is far more cost-effective than scrambling during an incident. To avoid costly downtime and major data loss, you need reliable, tested recovery solutions that go beyond Microsoft’s basic retention settings.

Curious how prepared you really are?

Join our live webinar, How to Build Disaster Recovery Against Ransomware Attacks, and uncover where your 365 recovery gaps may be—and how to close them before it’s too late.