Ready to Take Charge of Your Cloud Security?

You’ve moved your business to the cloud. Your data sits safely in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or another platform — accessible anytime, from anywhere. But here’s the question: who’s really responsible for protecting it?

Even in the cloud, data loss is common. Human error, cyber threats, and software glitches can all lead to critical information disappearing. A strong cloud backup strategy ensures your business stays resilient, no matter what happens.

In this blog, we’ll unpack why cloud backups are essential, how Microsoft’s Shared Responsibility Model impacts your data protection, and how Exodesk’s Cloud Backup Solution keeps your digital assets safe, compliant, and recoverable.

Why Cloud Backup Is Non-Negotiable

Cloud storage isn’t the same as cloud backup. Cloud platforms like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace store your data but don’t guarantee recovery if something goes wrong. Most businesses don’t realise this distinction until it’s too late.

Common causes of data loss include:

• Accidental deletion or overwriting
• Malicious insider actions
• Ransomware and phishing attacks
• Sync or migration errors
• Limited retention policies

Even the most advanced cloud providers focus on infrastructure reliability, not full data recovery. When an employee deletes a file or an attacker encrypts your data, the provider can’t always restore it. That’s your responsibility.

The Microsoft Shared Responsibility Model Explained

Microsoft’s Shared Responsibility Model makes this distinction clear. Microsoft secures the platform, data centres, and uptime. You’re responsible for securing and managing your own data.

Here’s how it breaks down:

Responsibility Area	Microsoft	Your Business
Infrastructure Security	✔️	❌
Platform Availability	✔️	❌
Account and Access Management	❌	✔️
Data Classification and Protection	❌	✔️
Backup and Recovery	❌	✔️

This means Microsoft won’t restore files lost due to user error, malicious activity, or expired retention policies. Without a third-party cloud backup, that data may be gone for good.

The Business Risks of Ignoring Cloud Backup

For many organisations, cloud data holds everything — communications, financial reports, contracts, and customer information. Losing access can grind operations to a halt. Even a brief outage or accidental deletion can impact revenue and client trust.

Without proper backups, your business faces:

• Extended downtime during recovery
• Loss of critical business data with no restore option
• Regulatory breaches from non-compliance
• Reputation damage if sensitive data is lost

Cloud backup provides a safety net, ensuring you can restore everything from a single file to an entire user account in minutes.

How Exodesk’s Cloud Backup Solution Protects You

Exodesk’s Cloud Backup Solution ensures your Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace data is continuously backed up, securely stored, and instantly recoverable. It’s a simple, managed approach designed to protect your most valuable digital assets.

What It Covers

Our solution safeguards your full collaboration environment, including:

• Exchange Online mailboxes
• OneDrive and SharePoint files
• Teams conversations and attachments
• Google Workspace Drive, Gmail, and Calendar data

Your data is stored in an isolated, encrypted environment, completely separate from your live cloud platform. This means even if a cyberattack targets your production environment, your backups remain untouched.

Key Features

• Automated Daily Backups – Backups run automatically multiple times per day, reducing manual oversight.
• Fast, Granular Restore – Restore individual files, folders, or entire user accounts with ease.
• Searchable Backup Archives – Quickly locate and recover specific items without restoring entire data sets.
• Unlimited Retention Options – Keep historical data for as long as your business or compliance requires.
• Secure Encryption – Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, maintaining complete confidentiality.
• Comprehensive Audit Logs – Detailed activity tracking for compliance and governance.

Our Cloud Backup Solution integrates seamlessly with your existing Cloud Solutions or Managed IT Services to ensure a unified, resilient IT ecosystem.

Why Backups Are Still Needed in SaaS Environments

Even though cloud platforms include limited retention features, they’re not designed for full-scale disaster recovery. Versioning tools, recycle bins, and retention tags are temporary measures. Once a retention window expires, deleted or corrupted data is gone.

A dedicated cloud backup preserves every version, allowing full restore flexibility and ensuring business continuity after cyber incidents or human mistakes.

For example:

• Microsoft 365 typically keeps deleted items for 30–90 days.
• Google Workspace retains data until a user or admin permanently deletes it.

With Exodesk’s Cloud Backup Solution, your business sets the rules — not the platform.

The Benefits of a Managed Cloud Backup Strategy

When Exodesk manages your cloud backups, you gain more than just data protection. You get a partner who understands your business, your compliance requirements, and your operational goals.

Here’s what you can expect:

1. Business Continuity

Rapid, reliable recovery means you can resume operations quickly after incidents. Whether data loss stems from human error or ransomware, downtime is kept to a minimum.

2. Regulatory Compliance

Many industries in New Zealand — such as finance, healthcare, and professional services — must adhere to strict data retention and privacy regulations. A comprehensive backup strategy helps meet these obligations with auditable records.

3. Cost Efficiency

Recovering lost cloud data manually can be time-consuming and expensive. Automated backups reduce administrative burden and prevent financial losses tied to downtime or lost productivity.

4. Scalable Protection

Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, Exodesk’s solution scales with you. As your team grows, your backup coverage expands seamlessly — without infrastructure upgrades.

5. Peace of Mind

Knowing your business-critical data is protected around the clock gives you confidence to focus on growth, not disaster recovery.

Integrating Cloud Backup with Cyber Security

Cloud backup isn’t just about recovery — it’s also a vital part of a holistic cyber security strategy. By maintaining immutable backups, your organisation can recover quickly from ransomware and limit data exposure.

Pairing backups with proactive defence measures like a Managed Firewall or a strong Cyber Security plan further strengthens your digital resilience.

The Future of Data Protection

As cloud adoption accelerates across New Zealand, businesses are recognising that shared responsibility means shared accountability. Relying solely on SaaS retention features or manual exports isn’t sustainable.

Modern backup solutions automate the process, protect against evolving threats, and ensure data recovery is fast and reliable. Cloud backup is now an essential pillar of every IT continuity plan — not an optional add-on.

FAQs

1. Isn’t my Microsoft 365 or Google data automatically protected?
Not fully. Microsoft and Google secure their platforms, but they don’t back up your specific files or emails. They ensure uptime and infrastructure security — not recovery from human error, malware, or accidental deletion. You’re still responsible for protecting and restoring your data.

2. How often is my data backed up?
Exodesk’s Cloud Backup Solution performs multiple automatic backups every day. We can also tailor the frequency to suit your business needs or compliance requirements, ensuring your data is always up to date.

3. Can I recover specific files or messages?
Yes. You can instantly restore individual items, folders, or entire user accounts in just a few minutes — without overwriting existing data. This means quick recovery with zero disruption to ongoing work.

4. Is the backup data secure?
Absolutely. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest using AES-256 encryption — the same standard used by banks and government agencies. Backups are stored in secure, compliant data centres to ensure full confidentiality and integrity.

5. How does backup fit into my wider IT strategy?
Exodesk integrates cloud backup into your broader IT and cyber security strategy, creating a unified defence against data loss and downtime. Our experts align backup with IT Services, IT Consulting, and Cyber Security for complete business continuity and compliance.

Your data is one of your most valuable business assets — don’t leave it vulnerable. Cloud platforms deliver performance and accessibility, but only dedicated backups ensure true resilience.

Contact us today to discuss how we can help your business or connect with us on LinkedIn to stay updated with more insights.