Microsoft Teams and GDPR: criteria and alternatives
Microsoft Teams is widely deployed in enterprise. For video communication subject to GDPR, IT and the DPO must verify hosting, subprocessors, and transfers — not just the Microsoft 365 licence. This comparison structures the decision with a sovereign video alternative when contract or customer-facing usage requires it.
Short answer
Teams and GDPR: verify the Microsoft DPA, data residency (tenant, region), subprocessors (transcription, cloud recording), transfers outside the EU, and recording governance. Video infrastructure hosted in France simplifies framing for customer and partner journeys when Teams stays reserved for internal collaboration.
Simple definitions
Teams as a collaboration tool
Teams covers chat, files, meetings, telephony in the Microsoft ecosystem. The contract (Microsoft Customer Agreement, DPA) and tenant configuration determine where data transits and rests.
Sovereign video alternative
WebRTC infrastructure hosted in France, project DPA, guest journey without Microsoft account, enterprise brand. Complements Teams for external use without replacing all of M365.
GDPR comparison: Teams vs France infrastructure
| Criterion | Microsoft Teams | Leagora video infrastructure (France) |
|---|---|---|
| Contract | Microsoft 365 DPA | Project DPA, listed subprocessors |
| Hosting | Tenant region (often EU possible) | France / on-premise |
| External guest | Microsoft account or guest link | Browser without installation |
| Recordings | OneDrive / Stream, Microsoft policy | Contractually framed storage |
| Transcription / AI | Documented Microsoft subprocessors | Disabled or scoped per project |
| Customer brand | Teams / Microsoft | White label |
| SI integration | Microsoft ecosystem | API, CRM, portal |
| Typical usage | Internal collaboration | Customer, support, partner |
Questions for your DPO (Teams)
- Residency: tenant region, meeting and recording location;
- DPA: signed version, up-to-date subprocessors;
- Transfers: SCC, CLOUD Act — Microsoft documentation read and archived;
- Recordings: who accesses, retention, purpose;
- Transcription / Copilot: new personal data flows?;
- External guests: minimized data? mandatory account?
Frequent hybrid model
- Teams: employees, internal meetings, Office ecosystem;
- Sovereign business video: customers, partners without Microsoft account.
This limits shadow IT (parallel Zoom links) while meeting stricter customer-facing requirements.
How Leagora complements Teams
Leagora does not replace M365: it documents and deploys video infrastructure where Teams is insufficient (brand, no account, CRM integration):
| Need | Resource |
|---|---|
| Branded professional meetings | meeting.leagora.io |
| Customer support | assistance-video.fr |
| Video appointments | mes-rdv.fr |
| GDPR hub | /en/gdpr-video-compliance/ |
Request a quote to scope a Teams + business video schema.
FAQ
Is Teams banned by GDPR?
Not in itself. Contract, transfers, and your usage determine compliance.
Does Microsoft EU hosting suffice?
Often a good point, not the end of analysis: subprocessors, recordings, and AI matter too.
Must we abandon Teams for customers?
Not mandatory: many keep Teams internally and business video for external use.
Where to compare hosting with Zoom?
Key takeaways
- Teams + GDPR = DPA, residency, recordings, AI subprocessors — validate with DPO.
- Teams excels at internal collaboration; external business may need dedicated sovereign infra.