The Shared Responsibility Model and the Importance of Cloud Backup

Education is a key component of a managed service provider’s (MSP) role. Their client base, typically small and medium businesses (SMBs), often aren’t aware of IT trends, risks, policies, etc. As advisors in all things technology, MSPs are responsible for keeping their clients in the know.

As more businesses migrate their data and business operations to the cloud, one piece of education many MSPs are finding they need to iterate to their clients is the need for third-party backup. Oftentimes, businesses using Software-as-as-Service (SaaS) solutions like Microsoft 365 or G Suite assume that the SaaS provider is responsible for their data security, but that’s not always the case. Data stored in the cloud is still susceptible to incidents like cyberattacks, human error, and malicious deletions. When those incidents happen, it’s the responsibility of the end user to recover their data. This is why it’s important for every business to understand the Shared Responsibility Model - a policy instituted by Microsoft to outline who is responsible for data loss in different scenarios.

Check out our infographic below that outlines data loss as a result of human error, and why Microsoft would not be responsible for the data recovery in this situation.

Interested in sharing this infographic with your clients? Download here for a digital and print version!