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Office 365 - the marketing and the truth

It’s often the case that there’s a gap between marketing spin and the product’s reality. If the gap is too wide, it’s called false advertising.

It’s often the case that there’s a gap between marketing spin and the product’s reality. If the gap is too wide, it’s called false advertising.

Microsoft is putting a bigger than usual gap between the spin and reality with their promotion of Office 365.

Under the link ‘Trust and Security’ we noticed this section headed, apparently without irony, ‘Leadership in Transparency’.

Office 365 - Leadership in Transparency image from Office 365 - the marketing and the truth at Office-Watch.com

Microsoft’s Office 365 service boasts that


As an Office 365 customer, you know ‘where’ your data resides,

It also says:


Microsoft notifies you, if requested about changes in Office 365 data center locations.

which sounds as if a customer is told if their data is moved to another location. But that’s not what it really means.

Those statements directly conflict with their legal statement only a click away from that marketing promise:


Will Microsoft give notice when customer data is transferred to a new country?

No. But Microsoft will give notice if and when Microsoft changes the information about Office 365 Geographic Boundaries referenced in the table above.”

In other words, Microsoft may tell you when their data server boundary definition changes and where they have data centers.  But not where your particular data is stored nor notify you if your data actually moves between countries.

Microsoft says:


We offer clear information on who can access your Office 365 Customer Data and under what circumstances they access it.”

Again it sounds great but the ‘clear information’ under that link is limited to Microsoft’s access to customer’s data. There’s no talk on the linked page about how Microsoft can and does copy customer data at the request of the US government and maybe other governments.

So it’s transparency, but ‘through a glass, darkly’. You need to read past the spin to the details, and read very, very carefully, noticing what’s missing as well as what’s said.

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