Microsoft Teams compliance call recording explained
Microsoft Teams is central to enterprise communication, enabling calls, meetings and collaboration across distributed workforces. Yet for regulated sectors, this shift brings added responsibility. These organisations must capture and securely retain communications for years to meet legal and regulatory requirements.
This is where Teams compliance call recording becomes essential. Unlike basic call recording, it ensures communications across Teams are recorded, retained and auditable in line with regulatory standards.
In this article we define the concept, explain why it matters, explore who needs it most and outline the features that make a solution truly compliant.
What is Teams compliance call recording?
Microsoft Teams compliance recording is the controlled, policy-based capture of calls, meetings and messages within Teams. It goes well beyond a simple recording option.
- Basic recording is user-driven and intended for convenience, such as capturing a meeting for colleagues who couldn’t attend.
- Compliance call recording is automated, policy-driven and designed to meet obligations such as FCA, GDPR and other regulatory standards.
This form of compliance recording covers:
- Voice and video calls (internal and external)
- Meetings including chat, screen sharing and shared files
- Messaging within Teams channels
- Metadata such as participant details and timestamps
Unlike ad hoc recordings, a compliant solution ensures consistent capture, secure storage and full audit trails.
Why is Teams compliance call recording important?
Meeting regulatory requirements
Recording compliance is mandated across multiple sectors:
- FCA compliance call recording — The UK Financial Conduct Authority requires financial firms to record and retain client communications, including advice and trade instructions.
- GDPR compliance call recording — Calls and meetings often include personal data. Organisations must retain this securely, respect deletion rights and meet data protection standards.
- Call recording regulatory compliance — Rules such as MiFID II in Europe, SEC and FINRA in the US, and industry-specific frameworks impose strict requirements on recording and retention.
Legal and operational protection
Beyond regulation, recordings support:
- Freedom of Information (FOI) requests in the public sector
- Litigation and dispute resolution, where recordings provide defensible evidence
- Internal investigations and staff accountability
- Customer protection, particularly important during periods of economic pressure when vulnerable customers may be at greater risk
For organisations handling sensitive or regulated transactions, GDPR compliance call recording and similar frameworks are no longer optional—they are a core part of risk management.
Who needs Teams compliance call recording?
Not every sector is bound by regulation, but for many industries, call recording compliance is a requirement.
Financial services
Banks, insurers, wealth managers and lenders are subject to some of the most stringent requirements. Mortgage providers, for example, may need to retain communications for the life of a mortgage—often up to 40 years—plus additional years after closure.
Utilities
Energy, water and telecoms companies must demonstrate fair treatment of customers. Recording interactions provides evidence in disputes and supports regulatory audits. With vulnerable customers under financial pressure, secure documentation is critical.
Public sector
Healthcare providers, local government and emergency services often operate under transparency laws. Communications may be subject to FOI requests or needed for compliance audits.
Legal and capital markets
Capital markets require Microsoft Teams compliance call recording for trade verification and compliance monitoring. Law firms benefit from evidentiary retention while balancing client confidentiality.
In each case, compliance call recording for Microsoft Teams is essential for demonstrating accountability and meeting long-term regulatory obligations.
What makes a Teams compliance recording solution truly compliant?
To satisfy regulators, a solution must offer more than simple capture. Buyers should look for:
- Microsoft certification — Ensures alignment with Teams APIs and Microsoft’s partner requirements. Only certified MS Teams compliance recording partners can guarantee this level of integration.
- Automated capture — Calls and meetings must be recorded automatically through policy, not user action.
- Long-term retention — The ability to archive communications securely for years or decades as required.
- Searchable audit logs — Metadata tagging and indexing enable rapid retrieval for audits or investigations.
- Secure storage — Encryption and tamper-proof retention ensure evidentiary integrity.
- Access control and auditability — Role-based permissions and full chain of custody protect sensitive data.
A well-structured Teams compliance recording policy should reflect these capabilities.
How Liquid Voice supports Teams compliance call recording
As a Microsoft-certified partner, Liquid Voice provides a Microsoft Teams recording solution designed to support regulated organisations with confidence.
Key features include:
- Certification by Microsoft ensuring trusted integration
- Secure-by-design architecture with encryption and role-based access
- Scalable retention supporting FCA and GDPR requirements, including long-term storage
- Unified archiving bringing together Teams and legacy recordings into one searchable system
- Advanced search and retrieval for compliance officers, auditors and legal teams
This combination ensures that organisations can meet obligations without compromising collaboration.
Conclusion
Microsoft Teams compliance recording is a necessity for regulated sectors. From banks that must store communications for decades to utilities protecting vulnerable customers, the ability to securely capture, retain and audit Teams interactions is critical.
The most effective solutions are Microsoft-certified, policy-driven and designed for long-term compliance. For organisations operating under FCA, GDPR and other frameworks, this capability provides not just regulatory assurance but also resilience, accountability and trust.
