Learn the things to know about Azure Recovery Services Vaults

A Recovery Services Vault (RSV) is a fundamental component of Azure's backup and disaster recovery services, providing a centralized and secure repository for managing recovery points and configurations for various Azure workloads.

Here's what you need to know about Recovery Services Vaults.

Purpose of Recovery Services Vault

A Recovery Services Vault is used to:

1. Store and manage backups of Azure resources such as virtual machines, databases, and files.

2. Facilitate disaster recovery by managing configurations and replication for Azure Site Recovery (ASR).

Features of Recovery Services Vault

Backup Management

1. Centralized management of backups for Azure VMs, SQL databases, Azure Files, and on-premises resources.

2. Supports long-term retention and policy-based scheduling for backups.

3. Cross-region Restore: Enables restoration of backups in a secondary region for added resilience.

Disaster Recovery

Used with Azure Site Recovery to:

1. Configure and manage VM replication to a secondary region.

2. Perform failover and failback in disaster recovery scenarios.

Data Security

1. Encryption: All backup data is encrypted at rest and in transit.

2. Soft Delete: Protects against accidental deletions by retaining deleted backups for up to 14 days.

3. Immutable Vaults: Ensure backups cannot be deleted or modified, even by administrators, for compliance.

Monitoring and Alerts

1. Integrated monitoring using Azure Backup Reports or Log Analytics for tracking backup health, usage, and failures.

2. Supports email notifications and alerts for backup failures or policy violations.

Supported Workloads

Recovery Services Vault can manage backup and recovery for:

1. Azure Resources:

   • Virtual Machines (Windows and Linux)

   • SQL Server in Azure Virtual Machines

   • Azure Files and Blob Storage (via snapshots)

2. On-Premises Resources:

   • Windows Servers and Linux machines (via Azure Backup MARS Agent or Azure Backup Server).

   • VMware and Hyper-V virtual machines.

Cost Management

Storage Options

1. Locally Redundant Storage (LRS): Stores data within the same Azure region, cost-effective but less resilient.

2. Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS): Replicates data to a secondary region, ensuring disaster recovery readiness.

Pricing

1. Charges are based on the amount of backup data stored and the number of instances protected.

2. No upfront cost for creating a vault; you pay for the storage and operations.

Configuration Considerations

1. Policy Configuration: Recovery Services Vault requires backup or replication policies to define:

   • Backup schedules (e.g., daily, weekly).

   • Retention periods for recovery points (short-term and long-term retention).

2. Replication Settings: When used with Azure Site Recovery, replication policies determine the frequency and consistency of data replication.

3. Soft Delete: Enabled by default to provide an extra layer of protection against accidental data loss.

Integration with Other Azure Services

1. Azure Backup: Manages all backup operations through the Recovery Services Vault.

2. Azure Site Recovery: Orchestrates disaster recovery processes like failover and failback.

3. Azure Monitor and Log Analytics: Tracks backup success/failure and compliance with backup policies.

4. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Provides fine-grained access control for managing the vault and backup jobs.

Limitations of Recovery Services Vault

1. Single Region Restriction: A vault is tied to a specific Azure region; you cannot use it for cross-region management of resources.

2. Resource Locking: Once configured for a resource, switching to another vault requires reconfiguration.

3. Limit per Subscription: There is a cap on the number of Recovery Services Vaults you can create in a single subscription (default is 500).

Best Practices

1. Use Separate Vaults for Different Workloads: Organize backups by application, department, or environment (e.g., production vs. test).

2. Enable Soft Delete: Protect against accidental deletion of backups.

3. Monitor Vault Usage: Use Azure Monitor and Log Analytics to analyze storage trends and optimize costs.

4. Apply Backup Policies Consistently: Ensure all resources follow the appropriate backup schedule and retention requirements.

5. Choose GRS for Critical Workloads: Use geo-redundant storage for disaster recovery needs.

Summary of Key Benefits

A Recovery Services Vault is essential for any organization relying on Azure for business-critical workloads, offering a robust solution for data backup, recovery, and disaster preparedness.