11 Privacy Things You Should Know About The Microsoft Cloud

As a Canadian Cloud Solutions partner, we field a lot of questions about Microsoft’s stance on privacy, and how Microsoft uses your data when you trust them to store it in the cloud.  The answer: Microsoft does not use your data; you use your data – Microsoft’s role is as the “custodian” or “processor”.

More interested in security? See our 45 Reasons Encore Trusts the Microsoft Cloud.

Here are eleven points to remember when determining  your opinion on Microsoft’s cloud services privacy:

1. Microsoft was the first company to meet the high standards of EU privacy law.
2. Microsoft does not mine your data for advertising or for any other purpose other than providing you services that you have paid for. For example, you have access to usage reporting to find out how well your organization is making use of Microsoft’s services.  But this isn’t used for advertising.
3. If you ever choose to leave a Microsoft service, you take your data with you with full fidelity.
4. Microsoft tells you where your data resides, who has access, and under what circumstances.
5. Access to your Microsoft data is strictly limited, non-destructive, logged and audited.
6. Microsoft has data centers in Canada. If you are concerned about the United States Patriot Act, consult Encore and make sure your data stays in your home country.
7.  Microsoft regularly discloses the number of law enforcement requests they receive through their transparency reports.
8. If a government approaches Microsoft for access to customer data, they redirect the inquiry to you, the customer, whenever possible and have and will challenge in court any invalid legal demand that prohibits disclosure of a government request for customer data.
9. Privacy controls allow you to configure who in your organization has access and what they can access.
10. Design elements prevent mingling of your data with that of other organizations using Microsoft Services.
11. Extensive auditing and supervision prevents admins from get unauthorized access to your data.

Here’s a Recent Video of Microsoft Executives Speaking about Building Trust in a “Post-Snowden” Era:

We welcome your additional concerns.  Please reach out or see trust.office365.com for more info.