Hands-on – step-by-step to Back up your Azure Virtual Machines

To back up your virtual machines (VMs) in Azure, you use Azure Backup with a Recovery Services Vault.

Here’s a step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Set Up a Recovery Services Vault

1. Navigate to the Azure Portal:

2. Create a Recovery Services Vault:

   • Search for Recovery Services Vaults in the search bar.

   • Click + Create or Add.

   • Select your Subscription, Resource Group, and provide a Name for the vault.

   • Choose the appropriate Region (where your VMs are hosted).

   • Click Review + Create and then Create.

Step 2: Configure Backup for the VM

1. Go to the Recovery Services Vault:

   • Open the newly created Recovery Services Vault from the Azure portal.

2. Set Backup Goal:

   • Click Backup in the vault menu.

   • Select Azure as the Where is your workload running? option.

   • Choose Azure Virtual Machine for the What do you want to back up? option.

   • Click Start Discovery to list available VMs in your subscription.

3. Select VMs:

   • From the list of discovered VMs, select the VMs you want to back up.

   • Click Enable Backup.

Step 3: Configure a Backup Policy

Choose a Backup Policy

When enabling backup, you can select an existing policy or create a new one.

1. Default Policy:

   • Daily backups retained for 30 days.

2. Custom Policy: Set backup frequency:

   • Daily: Specify a time for the backup.

   • Weekly: Choose specific days and times. Set retention rules:

   • Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly retention based on business needs.

Apply the Policy

Save the policy and apply it to the selected VMs.

Step 4: Trigger the Initial Backup

1. Initiate Backup:

   • After enabling the backup, go to the Backup Items section of the vault.

   • Select Azure Virtual Machine.

   • Choose the VM and click Backup Now.

2. Specify Retention Period:

   • Specify how long to retain the backup.

   • Click OK to start the backup process.

Step 5: Monitor Backup Status

1. Check Job Status:

   • In the Recovery Services Vault, go to Backup Jobs.

   • Monitor the progress and ensure the initial backup is successful.

2. Review Backup Items:

   • Go to Backup Items > Azure Virtual Machine to view the list of backed-up VMs and their recovery points.

Additional Tips

1. Retention Management

   • Configure policies to balance cost and compliance requirements.

   • Use long-term retention for critical workloads.

2. Soft Delete

   • Enable Soft Delete to protect backups from accidental deletion.

3. Cross-Region Recovery

   • Use Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS) in the Recovery Services Vault for disaster recovery.

4. Testing Backup and Restore

   • Regularly test the backup process by restoring VMs to ensure the backups are usable.

5. Automation

   • Use Azure Policy or PowerShell/CLI scripts to automate backup enablement for new VMs.

Summary

By following these steps, your Azure VMs will be backed up, ensuring data protection, compliance, and recovery readiness.