Most CPA firms I talk to assume the cloud-versus-server backup debate is settled. It isn't — it just got renamed.
Here's the part that surprises people. When a file is deleted from SharePoint or OneDrive, Microsoft keeps it for 93 days across both recycle bin stages. After that it's permanently deleted. Not archived somewhere quiet. Gone.
That's not a flaw. Microsoft's job is keeping your service running and your data available. It was never sold to you as the copy you fall back on when something goes wrong — which is exactly why Microsoft now sells backup as a separate paid service.
The old on-premises argument was "I want to be able to touch my data." The real question is simpler: if a year of working papers disappeared this afternoon, who has a second copy, and how many days until your team is billing again?
Microsoft's own backup covers Exchange, SharePoint and OneDrive, runs about fifteen cents per gigabyte per month, and doesn't charge you to restore. Third-party tools cover more ground. Either one beats what most firms have today, which is a hopeful shrug and a recycle bin.
If you can't answer that question for your firm, it's worth an hour before your next cyber renewal.
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