Team chat
Google Chat vs Microsoft Teams: which keeps data in Canada?
Where each stores and processes data, and who owns each company, from the vendors' own pages. Not features or prices.
Google Chat is part of Google Workspace, so the facts here are Google Workspace's (Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Meet, Chat).
The short answer
Google Workspace: no.
Google Workspace does not offer storage in Canada. Where it is processed: United States or Europe if a data region is set. It is owned by a US company, so the US CLOUD Act can require it to produce data it controls, wherever that data is stored.
Microsoft Teams: yes.
For Canadian customers, Microsoft Teams stores data in Canada. Where it is processed: Real-time media is not covered by the at-rest commitment. It is owned by a US company, so the US CLOUD Act can require it to produce data it controls, wherever that data is stored.
Both are owned by US companies, so the US CLOUD Act can require either to produce data it controls, wherever that data is stored.
Side by side
| Claim | Google Workspace | Microsoft Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Stored in Canada? | No | Yes |
| Where data is stored | No Canadian data region. Data regions offered: United States, Europe, or no preference | Canada, for tenants provisioned in Canada: Teams chat messages at rest (Microsoft Product Terms); meeting recordings are saved to OneDrive/SharePoint, also covered |
| Where it is processed | United States or Europe if a data region is set | Real-time media is not covered by the at-rest commitment |
| Support and backups | Not stated on the pages read | Not stated on the pages read |
| Owner | Google LLC (Mountain View, CA) · Parent country: United States | Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, WA) · Parent country: United States |
| Servers run by | Google data centres · US company | Microsoft data centres in Canada · US company |
| Customer-held keys | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Certifications | Not recorded (blank means not checked, not none) | CCCS Medium (Microsoft 365 is in Microsoft's assessed scope) |
| Caveats | — | Schools and universities: for an Office 365 Education tenant without the Advanced Data Residency for Education add-on, Microsoft "may provision Customer's Office 365 Education tenant in, transfer Customer Data to, and store Customer Data at rest anywhere within the European Union or North America" (Product Terms language, checked 2026-10-15). |
| Tier | Tier 5: Data leaves Canada | Tier 4: US-owned, Canadian region |
| Checked | 2026-10-13 | 2026-10-15 |
Sources
Google Workspace · checked 2026-10-13
Microsoft Teams · checked 2026-10-15
- Where the data is stored: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/m365-dr-product-terms?view=o365-worldwide
- Who owns it: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/privacystatement