Azure Backup Reviews

The main use case is to back up my on-premises machines, essentially resembling the traditional backup software that has been included with Windows operating systems for the past three decades. In this specific case, it's a cloud-based solution. This cloud-based backup service also offers regional redundancy. For instance, if you're using the South UK region as your primary location for backups, you have the option to mirror your backups to another designated region. In the past, this secondary region used to be highly customizable, but now specific regions are designated as partners. For instance, Western North Europe may be a partner region. This means you are constrained to using specific partner regions for redundancy. If the primary region encounters issues, the secondary region will seamlessly take over the backup load.

It is a functional backup solution. One of its standout features is similar to the "Recycle Bin" on your Windows Explorer desktop but for your backups. You have the flexibility to encrypt your backups and choose the storage capacity you're comfortable paying for. It empowers you to create virtual machines that scan your network and assume the administrative tasks related to backup. This means you can easily configure backups between different machines, similar to what you can do with vSphere in VMware, where automation takes care of administering your machines. These capabilities extend beyond just Hyper-V and also cover Mobile Device Management (MDM).

When attempting to back up encrypted files and later restore them to another location, it's essential to configure your service principal names. Many Windows administrators are familiar with this and handle it manually. It would be beneficial to receive alert messages if something isn't configured correctly, for instance, if service principal names are missing, a message could prompt you to set them up. This is a common challenge shared by various backup programs and administrators who are unaware of these requirements tend to overlook them, rendering encrypted file restores impossible. It is essential to test the restore functionality to ensure it works as expected. Also, having configuration assistance with quality of service features would be valuable for administrators. This would allow administrators to allocate resources effectively, deciding how much bandwidth to assign to different backup tasks. An upcoming feature, that appears promising, is the platform connectivity feature. This feature will apply to various types of networks, including video networks and other backup networks. It would be great to see a similar capability integrated into Azure Backup in the future.

I have been working with it for five years.

The customer support is truly exceptional. I've had the opportunity to experience support from Cisco, which is renowned for its top-tier service. In comparison, Microsoft's support is right up there, coming in as a close second. I would rate it ten out of ten.

Positive

I have some experience, but I am not actively utilizing Veeam anymore. I've found Azure Backup to be quite satisfactory for my needs. Some of my clients still prefer Veeam. It's worth noting that the terminology and concepts in these backup solutions are very similar. Veeam is often considered more user-friendly, but it comes at a higher cost. With Azure Backup, you primarily pay for storage. It may seem like a marketing strategy by Microsoft, but it's important to understand that the cost of the backup service itself is bundled into the storage pricing.

The initial setup is relatively straightforward. You just need to follow the instructions provided, which are usually quite clear. Whether you're selecting Hyper-V or a barebone machine, the instructions are generally easy to understand. The only potential challenge I've encountered is with download links when you need to install an agent. When it comes to the backup processes themselves, I haven't faced any significant issues. All of my students have been able to follow the instructions, which speaks to the product's usability and reliability.

In terms of ROI, it has proven to be quite successful for my specific needs, and it is incredibly cost-effective. I am quite satisfied with it.

It is incredibly cost-effective and offers fixed pricing, with no additional fees for the licensing.

As with any backup software, it's crucial to thoroughly test the recovery process to ensure it functions as intended. Sometimes, the issue might simply be forgetting to configure your service principal names (SPNs). SPNs can be somewhat similar to DNS names. When you enter "Google.com," you expect to receive an IP address. Similarly, when dealing with service principal names, you specify the HTTP or another service on a particular machine and expect to validate it with a certificate. It is an essential step that should not be overlooked. If these configurations are forgotten, it could result in backups that cannot be restored, which is far from ideal. Therefore, rigorous testing is essential to validate the effectiveness of your backup strategy. Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

With Azure Backup, you can readily make your environment if your setup somehow fails on the cloud or on-premises. You can immediately get your system from the backups within five or ten minutes.

While Azure Backup allows ingress data, the egress data is chargeable, which should be excluded. Our clients mostly complain that taking a backup with Azure Backup is free, but retrieving the backup from Azure is chargeable.

It is easy to back up small data and run your system in Azure Backup. After your system is ready, you have to sync your system with Azure Backup, which costs more. There are two segments of people. One segment is happy because they got the emergency recovery of their system. They mention that they feel better if they have to pay for the backup or the egress data because their system is okay. Some people are unhappy because their backup is available, but they have to pay for it. Only a small portion (around 20-30 %) of people fall into this segment, but most are happy.

I have been using Azure Backup for almost more than five years.

The solution's stability and performance are good, except for an issue with its servers.

Azure Backup is a scalable solution.

The problem with technical support is the same for all Microsoft products. Azure Backup's technical support team responds well to severe cases. Their response is too much slow for a non-severe case due to being overwhelmed by severe cases. The support team rarely responds to less severe cases; sometimes, it takes two or three days for them to respond. The support team complies with the SLA for severe cases, but sometimes they fail to do it.

Neutral

Azure Backup has the most user-friendly interface compared to AWS, Google Workspace, or Google Cloud. The Azure platform is much easier to work with than AWS and Google Cloud.

The setup for insight cloud backup is easy. However, site recovery from on-premise to the cloud can be tough because we have to set a lot of parameters.

The initial syncing process is tough in case of site recovery. However, it performs better once your system is synced. It is difficult in specific situations, like if you stop syncing, if storage is full, or if your on-premises server storage is full. The initial setup is difficult for site recovery and backup. It becomes easy once the initial backup is completed.

We strongly recommend to our clients that if they already have a primary backup system, it is advisable to complement it with a cloud or secondary backup for added safety. This is crucial because your backup could crash at any moment due to malware. We recommend all our partners and clients have a cloud backup.

We advise our clients to keep a backup on Azure Backup Cloud. We suggest financial organizations keep a tertiary backup. It would be helpful if the solution introduced a reserve system for backup. The clients would only pay for storage and backup service price. They need to reduce prices so that more people would use cloud backup.

Although some customers already have an on-premises backup for their environment, offering a slightly lower price and the option for one-year and three-year reserve systems may draw more people to opt for secondary backup on the cloud.

Overall, I rate Azure Backup an eight and a half out of ten.

Our company was facing a lot of difficulties maintaining the servers, and we did not have a solid backup solution. So, we moved to Azure.

The product is very reliable and easy to use. Microsoft tools are very user-friendly.

The product could improve its performance.

I used the solution in my previous organization for about two years.

The tool had stability issues. The support team took care of it.

The tool is easily scalable since it is cloud-based. Around 1500 people were using the solution in our organization.

The support was superb. Whenever we had any issues, we called the support team.

Positive

The installation was easy. We took two to three months to deploy the solution. We had to plan since we had a lot of servers.

We had a partner who assisted us in installing the solution. We had a SPOC who was taking care of everything. We required two or three people on the back end to deploy the product. The partner assisted us, and we did the planning and strategy. The solution was easy to maintain. We needed two people to maintain it.

The product is neither too expensive nor too cheap. It is moderately priced. We pay a monthly subscription fee for the solution. We have to pay additionally for the ticket cost for support. We also have to pay for any extra services that we avail.

The solution is neither better nor worse than other products. It is on the cloud, so we don't have any backup appliances on-premises. The drawback is that it relies on network bandwidth and other factors for recovery. If we had a backup appliance on-premise, it would be easy to recover.

We had branch offices in India, headquarters in Hong Kong, and multiple offices in Singapore, the UK, and the US. All the branches were using Azure.

People who want a purely cloud-based solution can use the product. People who want a hybrid solution must consider other vendors. Though Azure has secondary data on the cloud, it still recommends using some third-party tools like Veeam and Commvault. Having data on Azure and backup data on another third-party vendor is fair enough.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

We use Azure Backup to back up Azure servers and databases. It isn't used for active data storage. 

Azure Backup helps us resolve some issues on the back end. 

Azure Backup enables us to store anything Azure-related. 

The recovery time could be faster.

I have used Azure Backup for about four years.

Azure Backup is cloud-based, so it's scalable.

Our support is good because we have a support agreement with Microsoft. 

I rate Azure Backup nine out of 10. You should plan what you want to back up so you can implement the solution quicker. 

We use Azure for our application and back end software. Most of our servers are on Azure. We have our fleet management and system tracking, and all the data from our thousands of clients are connected to Azure. We provide each client with their own backup solution to help them with disaster recovery.

Azure Backup has helped us reach needed information wherever we are. The compression features reduce storage costs and allow us to store more data using less space. It significantly lowers costs, especially in cloud-based solutions.

As a cybersecurity company, we value the data encryption and security offered by Azure Backup. 

The encryption, both in transit and at rest, provides additional security against data breaches. Azure Backup is also reliable and scalable, allowing for scalability and different storage options like cold and hot storage. 

The compression features save us money and speed up the backup and restore process.

Azure sometimes provides reliable recovery that can be slow for large-scale scenarios. They can add features that allow quicker recovery for large databases or virtual machines. 

Easier configuration and automation would be helpful for cross-region backups, improving disaster recovery for global operations. Enhancements in reporting and analytics could be beneficial.

I have been working with Azure Backup for around eight or nine years.

The solution is very stable. Over the years, we never had any problems with it.

For scalability, I would rate Azure Backup an 8.5 out of ten. Everything needs to be scalable, and it is important for us.

Azure offers 24/7 support and multiple support plans. It depends on what you choose. If you choose the basic, it's limited. 

We've been satisfied because we provide our own support. I understand that if you choose premium support, Azure can dedicate resources for you.

Positive

I tried AWS and Google, however, we have been with Microsoft for more than 18 years. AWS has limited support, which is a problem for me as a consultant.

The setup process can be challenging for someone new or with minimal technical background. However, Microsoft has simplified its interface. The backup interface with the Azure portal is user-friendly, with a wizard guide system. 

Complexity can arise when connecting to databases, but the wizard simplifies the process.

Pricing is middle plus, and it's a bit high. We always wait for prices to reduce, however, Azure sometimes offers special discounts or packages if you commit for more years.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Backup is a competitor. AWS is good for heavy environments but lacks support compared to Azure.

Reporting and analytics improvements with AI technology would be helpful. The setup process is brief and user-friendly with clear steps at each stage.

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

I utilized Azure Backup for the purpose of backing up and restoring data. Specifically, I performed a recovery operation by transferring data from a single location to one of several designated locations. Our objective is to replicate the data from the original location to a secondary location, ensuring that we can restore it from the alternate site in the event of any unforeseen disruptions.

Azure Backup provides support for virtual machines. To get started, we must install the agent on the VM, allowing us to initiate backups and store the data in our designated storage. By leveraging the backup data, we can then enable the site recovery feature. Initially, we must create the site recovery configuration, where we identify the purpose and requirements of our setup. Additionally, we need to create an account and subscription to facilitate this process. Within the subscription, we gain the ability to migrate or replicate our backups from one location to another, ensuring data loss prevention measures are in place which has improved our organization's functionality.

The most valuable feature of Azure Backup is the file recovery and file vault.

Azure lacks sufficient solutions for a particular scenario, we may need to resort to using third-party applications. In such cases, these applications can be employed to facilitate backup, replication, and the efficient utilization of internet connectivity and bandwidth. They enable us to effectively manage and transfer data while ensuring optimal utilization of network resources. However, it would be a benefit if we did not have to use third-party applications for these operations.

As an additional solution for prospective clients, we can implement Digital Rights Management (DRM) or high availability measures. By setting up DRM or establishing high availability configurations, we can ensure that services remain operational even in the event of downtime. This approach guarantees uninterrupted production and minimizes any negative impact. To deliver this type of solution to clients, the vendor will need to create and provide an architecture and solution that ensures zero downtime.

I have been using Azure Backup for approximately seven years.

I rate the stability of Azure Backup a seven out of ten.

We have engineers using this solution who report to me.

We use the solution regularly and we plan to increase usage.

I rate the scalability of Azure Backup a seven out of ten.

I rate the support of Azure Backup an eight out of ten.

Positive

I have used Veeam Backup and Veritas Backup previously. I switched to Azure Backup because we are able to have flexible deployment methods.

The initial setup required some assistance. The deployment depends on the company's size and environment. 

The first stage of our deployment is accessing the client's information, such as environment size, the reason for use, and what deployment model we are interested in.

I rate the initial setup of Veeam Backup & Replication a seven out of ten.

I am able to the deployment of this solution in some cases. However, if it is a large environment I will need assistance. We need approximately two to three engineers for the deployment, but it depends on the requirements. We could need more people to assist. The engineers will have to have knowledge regarding Azure and hybrid integration. We use a third party for deployment.

We evaluated other options before choosing Azure Backup, such as Veeam Backup.

Maintenance does not necessarily require any additional review. We can calculate and plan where everything based on the scheduled downtime. If the codebase is extensive, requiring a hundred or more hours of work, it would be advisable to allocate a team of three to five engineers to handle the maintenance tasks efficiently.

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Azure Backup an eight out of ten.

The product is a part of our cloud infrastructure strategy.

All of the core features are valuable to us.

The product satisfies the need for backups within Azure. However, it is not very flexible in the world of technology. I can’t use the solution to restore another native cloud solution. Azure must add this new feature.

I have been using the solution for five to six years.

We have had very little downtime. I rate the tool’s stability an eight out of ten.

The solution has decent scalability. I rate it an eight out of ten.

We reached out to the technical support team for some minor issues. Microsoft’s technical support is not the greatest. Our experience has been the same across all the services.

Neutral

We used Commvault. It is quite diverse in its capabilities and provides flexible options for backup across multi-cloud platforms.

The initial setup was straightforward. The product is deployed on the cloud.

We have enterprise-level pricing. I rate the pricing a five out of ten.

We can use the solution if we don't plan to work in a multi-cloud environment. It meets our requirements. Azure Backup might not be the right product for us if we want a higher disaster recovery capability. Overall, I rate the tool a seven out of ten.

We're using it as a native tool for VM-level backup.

When it comes to Azure Backup, the advantage is that it's native and it's very easy to configure. We don't require a separate tool or manage something on a separate server. At the backend, it's managed by Microsoft itself, and we don't need to manage it. 

In Avamar, the file-based restores are very quick and fast, whereas, in Azure Backup, VM restore is super easy, but if I have to do a file or a folder restore, I have to mount the entire VM image. I have to wait for some time for it to be mounted, and then I have to go inside and then check the file and copy it somewhere. It's a bit of a manual process, whereas in Avamar, you can directly select a file and folder, and it'll recover with whatever permissions you want. That's better in Avamar, and that's the only thing that's lacking in Azure. File or folder recovery is complex and time-consuming.

I've been working with Azure Backup for two years.

There is no separate tool, so there is no issue with stability. If the Avamar server goes down, all the backups will fail, whereas, in the case of Azure Backup, there is no separate tool. If there is any issue with a particular server, only that backup will fail, but there is no single point of failure in Azure Backup, which is not the case with Avamar because it has to rely on a server. I'd rate Azure Backup a ten out of ten in terms of stability.

I'd rate it a ten out of ten in terms of scalability because there is no limit. You can configure as many backups as you like. There is no limitation on storage space because it's not a separate tool. It goes to the Azure backend. They are managing it, so there is no storage limit. It's completely scalable.

The level-one support is not that good, but it's slightly better than Avamar. I'd rate them a five out of ten.

Neutral

We also use Avamar, but that can only take a file-level backup for the VMs in Azure. For a VM-level backup, we have to use a native Azure tool.

With Avamar, we have to manage the Avamar server, whereas we don't need to manage the Azure server. We just directly configure the backup of each server, and we don't have to worry about the maintenance of the tool because it's inherently native to the Azure portal. That's the biggest advantage.

I'd rate its setup a ten out of ten in terms of ease because you don't need to read anything to configure it. It's super easy like filling out a form.

The number of people required for its deployment depends on how many devices we need to configure. If we're migrating a big enterprise with hundreds or thousands of servers, we would require two or three people to manage it.

The deployment duration depends on the migration timelines. Generally, 300 or 400 can be configured in one day because it's centralized. There is a checkbox to select everything and put it once the other policy is created.

It comes with a total package of VMs and other things, so it's a bit difficult to distinguish between just the backup cost because it's an all-in-one cost. I don't manage the billing. There is a separate team that manages the billing. Overall, its cost is better because the VMs are already there, and whatever you back up, there is only the additional cost of that storage, whereas if I have to use Avamar in Azure, a separate cost is there for the Avamar server, and in addition, whatever I take as a backup, there is a separate license with Avamar for that. So, there is a double cost if we have to use Avamar in the cloud.

It's pretty easy. When you do the AZ-900 or AZ-104 course, you will understand most of it, whereas, in the case of Avamar, there is no training shared for free.

Overall, I'd rate Azure Backup an eight out of ten.