Let’s explore how Azure Backup works (Vaults and Policies)

Azure Backup is a comprehensive data protection solution provided by Microsoft Azure to ensure that your critical data, such as virtual machines, files, SQL databases, and other workloads, are regularly backed up and can be restored when needed.

Azure Backup utilizes Recovery Services Vaults and Backup Policies to manage and automate backup processes.

Here’s how Azure Backup works, focusing on Recovery Services Vaults and Backup Policies.

Recovery Services Vaults

The Recovery Services Vault is the primary storage location for backup data in Azure Backup.

It serves as a centralized management point for backup jobs and recovery operations.

The vault is responsible for storing and managing backup data securely, and it interacts with Azure Backup to provide features like backup scheduling, monitoring, and restoration.

Key Features of Recovery Services Vault

1. Centralized Management: All backup data, jobs, and configurations are managed within the vault. This simplifies the management and monitoring of your backup resources.

2. Backup Storage: The vault stores your backup data, including snapshots, configuration data, and metadata. It's not a traditional file storage system but rather a container for backup operations.

3. Encryption: Data stored in a Recovery Services Vault is encrypted both in transit and at rest, using Azure Storage Encryption with customer-managed keys (CMK) or Microsoft-managed keys.

4. Backup Types Supported: A Recovery Services Vault can back up various resources, including:

   • Azure Virtual Machines

   • Azure Files

   • SQL Databases on Azure VMs

   • Azure Blob Storage

   • On-Premises Workloads (through the Azure Backup Agent)

   • Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Persistent Volumes (via custom backup solutions)

Steps to Create a Recovery Services Vault

1. In the Azure Portal, search for Recovery Services Vault.

2. Click Create and provide the following details:

   • Subscription: Select the Azure subscription under which the vault will be created.

   • Resource Group: Choose an existing resource group or create a new one.

   • Region: Choose the Azure region where you want the vault to be created (choose a region that makes sense for disaster recovery).

Once the vault is created, it appears under Backup and Site Recovery in the Recovery Services section.

You can now configure backup items (e.g., VMs, files, or databases) within this vault.

Backup Policies

Backup Policies in Azure define the frequency of backups (e.g., daily, weekly), the retention period, and the backup schedule.

The policies ensure that backups are performed consistently, automatically, and according to business requirements.

Key Features of Backup Policies

1. Backup Schedule: You can define the frequency of backups (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly) and set specific times for when the backup should occur.

2. Retention Range: Backup policies allow you to configure how long backup data should be retained. This can range from a few days to several years, depending on the business needs or regulatory requirements.

3. Backup Frequency: The backup frequency dictates how often backups are taken. This can be configured for different workloads:

   • VMs: Backups can be scheduled daily, weekly, or monthly.

   • Azure Files: You can schedule daily or weekly backups.

   • SQL Databases: Frequency depends on the Azure Backup solution and database workload.

4. Granular Retention: Policies allow you to set retention rules for backup data, specifying how long each backup should be retained based on your needs (e.g., 7 days, 30 days, 1 year, etc.).

Types of Backup Policies

1. Daily Backups: You can set up daily backups at specific times, and Azure Backup will perform incremental backups.

2. Weekly Backups: Weekly backup policies can be set to run on specific days of the week, for example, every Sunday at midnight.

3. Monthly Backups: Monthly policies can be configured for systems that only need less frequent backups, such as less critical systems.

4. Retention: The retention policy is key for compliance, defining how long backups are stored before being automatically deleted. Azure allows both short-term (e.g., daily, weekly) and long-term (e.g., years) retention.

Azure Backup Workflow

Azure Backup automates the entire backup process using Recovery Services Vaults and Backup Policies.

Here's how the backup process works from start to finish.

Step 1: Configure the Backup

1. Set up Recovery Services Vault: Create a Recovery Services Vault to store your backup data.

2. Define Backup Policy: Set up a backup policy in the vault. You can specify the schedule (e.g., daily at a certain time), backup frequency (e.g., hourly or daily), and retention period.

3. Select Backup Items: Choose the items to back up, such as virtual machines, SQL databases, or Azure File Shares. These items are known as "backup items" and are the resources that will be protected.

4. Assign Policy to Backup Item: Attach the appropriate backup policy to the backup items.

Step 2: Azure Backup Operation

1. Snapshot Creation: Azure Backup takes a snapshot of the selected backup item (e.g., a VM or Azure File Share) based on the policy schedule. This snapshot represents the backup point.

   • Full Snapshot: The first backup is a full snapshot, capturing the entire state of the resource.

   • Incremental Backups: Subsequent backups capture only changes made since the last backup (incremental). This helps to save storage and reduce backup time.

2. Storage of Backup Data: The snapshot or backup data is encrypted and stored in the Recovery Services Vault or another Azure storage location (e.g., Azure Blob Storage or Azure Disk Storage).

3. Backup Retention: The backup data is retained based on the retention rules defined in the backup policy. For example, daily backups might be retained for 30 days, and weekly backups for 1 year. Azure Backup automatically deletes old backups that are no longer needed, ensuring compliance with your retention requirements.

Step 3: Restore from Backup

1. Access the Backup Vault: In the Azure Portal, navigate to the Recovery Services Vault.

2. Select Backup Item: Choose the backup item you wish to restore (e.g., a virtual machine or file share).

3. Choose Restore Point: Azure Backup allows you to select a recovery point, which represents the specific point in time to which you want to restore your data.

   • For VMs, this could be an application-consistent or crash-consistent recovery point.

   • For file shares, you can restore files or folders to their original location or to a new location.

4. Restore: Once you select the appropriate recovery point, you can initiate the restore operation. Depending on the type of resource, this can restore the entire VM, a specific disk, or files from Azure File Shares.

Monitoring and Management of Backups

1. Monitoring: Azure provides built-in monitoring and alerting features for backup jobs. You can track backup status, job success/failure, and retention policies via the Azure Portal or Azure Monitor.

   • Use the Backup Jobs section to view the status of all backup operations, including any failed jobs.

   • Use Azure Alerts to create notifications for critical backup issues or missed backup jobs.

2. Backup Reports: Azure Backup also includes reporting capabilities to provide visibility into backup health, trends, and compliance with backup policies. You can access detailed reports to ensure that your backup strategy is working as expected.

Best Practices for Azure Backup

1. Granular Backup Policies: Tailor backup policies to specific business requirements. For example, mission-critical VMs may require more frequent backups (e.g., hourly), while less critical systems might have daily backups.

2. Retention Management: Implement effective retention policies to ensure that you are compliant with regulatory requirements while not over-consuming storage.

3. Test Backups: Regularly test backup and restore operations to verify that your data can be recovered successfully.

4. Use Geo-Redundancy: For disaster recovery purposes, configure Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS) to replicate backup data to a secondary region, ensuring your data is protected against regional failures.

5. Encryption and Security: Ensure that backups are encrypted and secure. Use customer-managed keys (CMK) for additional security if required, and enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for backup-related actions.

Summary

Azure Backup provides a robust and flexible solution for protecting data and ensuring business continuity.

It relies on Recovery Services Vaults to store backup data and Backup Policies to automate backup schedules and retention.

With features like incremental backups, snapshot-based backups, and application-consistent backups, Azure Backup ensures that your data is securely protected and can be restored quickly when needed.

By using Azure Backup and configuring the appropriate vaults and policies, you can efficiently safeguard a wide range of data types, from virtual machines and SQL databases to Azure File Shares, while maintaining compliance and minimizing the risk of data loss.