We have implemented a secondary contingency plan for most clients, where the primary infrastructure is on-premise, and the containers are hosted in the cloud. Some clients are currently migrating their primary solutions to the cloud. In these cases, the servers run on Azure, and Azure Backup provides backup server services. Additionally, we have implemented Azure SQL and Azure Intune for these clients.
Owner at VM7 TECHFABER
An easy-to-use solution with seamless operational capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "The daily backups have become easier since we no longer need to handle large backups. The use of Azure Backup as a service has proven reliable and simplified our daily operations. Previously, we relied on LTO backups for data retention, but after migrating to the cloud and adopting Azure Backup, the delivery process has become smoother."
- "I believe more options could be available to understand better what's happening in the system. Additionally, automating the client updates and connector updates would be beneficial. Updating the connector from time to time can be challenging, and it could be made more transparent and straightforward for users. Moreover, another drawback lies in the time it takes to test full data backup recovery. Deploying a full recovery takes longer. We need to allocate a longer period for complete data recovery to establish the environment again."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
The daily backups have become easier since we no longer need to handle large backups. The use of Azure Backup as a service has proven reliable and simplified our daily operations. Previously, we relied on LTO backups for data retention, but after migrating to the cloud and adopting Azure Backup, the delivery process has become smoother.
What is most valuable?
The simplicity of the whole operation is the most valuable feature of the solution.
What needs improvement?
I believe more options could be available to understand better what's happening in the system. Additionally, automating the client updates and connector updates would be beneficial. Updating the connector from time to time can be challenging, and it could be made more transparent and straightforward for users. Moreover, another drawback lies in the time it takes to test full data backup recovery. Deploying a full recovery takes longer. We need to allocate a longer period for complete data recovery to establish the environment again.
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For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for the past four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the stability of the solution as a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In a fully cloud-based solution, scalability is good, and I rate it a ten out of ten. On the other hand, for an on-premise setup, there may be challenges related to recovery and the potential impact on the Internet link's bandwidth. Therefore, I rate it an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
I believe Microsoft could improve its backup support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of the solution does not depend on the service itself but rather on the minimum data volume encountered. This pricing approach seems reasonable and is on par with other competitors in the market. It is a good solution for on-premise needs because it is more cost-effective. When evaluating the overall financial expenditure, including operational costs and the impact on the IT team, Azure Backup is a favorable choice.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend it; however, I want to emphasize the importance of thoroughly checking if the cloud backup solution aligns with the required time frame for recovery. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Chief Executive at a non-profit with 51-200 employees
Useful native backup capabilities, quick setup, but lacking immutability
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Azure Backup is the native backup capabilities."
- "Azure Backup could improve the backup data copies because they are not immutable."
What is our primary use case?
I use Azure Backup VM backups.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Azure Backup is the native backup capabilities.
What needs improvement?
Azure Backup could improve the backup data copies because they are not immutable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Azure Backup for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the stability of Azure Backup a seven out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have two engineers that are using the solution in my organization.
Azure Backup has a medium scalability level.
I rate the scalability of Azure Backup a seven out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
I have not needed to use the support from the vendor.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Dell Avamar prior to Azure Backup. We switched to Azure Backup because we were having to pull data back down to an on-premise hardware infrastructure and Azure Backup meant we didn't have to pull the data down through our express route.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Azure Backup took a couple of hours to complete. It was quick and straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We completed the implementation of the solution in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a cost per terabyte for using this solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Azure Backup a seven out of ten.
My rating was because the absence of immutability, a critical feature in our current backup system, is a limitation of its monitoring and reporting capabilities.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Azure Backup
November 2024
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816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Consultant at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
A user-friendly solution with a straightforward initial setup
Pros and Cons
- "Azure Backup is very simple to use and user-friendly."
- "Azure Backup's licensing model is very challenging because it doesn't give a clear picture."
What is most valuable?
Azure Backup is very simple to use and user-friendly. From the technical side, features like the tenant and the restoration part are much better. It's a Microsoft tool, and all the info we have based on the VMs will be built on the Azure platform. It's easy for us to do the backup in its OEM tool.
What needs improvement?
Azure Backup has some drawbacks. We can't have the granular level restoration, particularly for the Azure files. Sometimes, indexing doesn't happen in the Azure files. That's why we are keen to have a solution that can consider all the applications, all the OS, and the legacy applications.
One of the disadvantages of Azure Backup is that it doesn't have a MAC backup. In Azure, we cannot take the MAC backup for Mac devices.
Azure Backup's licensing model is very challenging because it doesn't give a clear picture. Whenever we go to the vendor or the OEM to buy some of the workloads, we have to take everything. We have to pay for the VMs and the storage in the Azure platform. Hence, the licensing model should be very simple for the end user to get things easily.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Azure Backup for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate Azure Backup a nine out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate Azure Backup an eight and a half out of ten for scalability. Two thousand five hundred users use the solution in my company.
How are customer service and support?
We have partner support from Azure Backup. Usually, we can see support in the stipulated time. We get the support based on the SLA timeline.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
Since Azure Backup is a very user-friendly solution, its initial setup is very simple and shouldn't be a challenge for anyone.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented the solution through our technical team.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We do not have any additional costs for Azure Backup.
What other advice do I have?
Sometimes the solution has a huge bandwidth. However, it lags and does not completely perform when it has low bandwidth.
We have around 11 people involved in the maintenance of Azure Backup. Out of these 11 people, five people are from the solution architecture, and the rest are tech support partners.
Overall, I rate Azure Backup an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Team lead/ Cloud Specialist at a tech company with 11-50 employees
A stable solution that assists us with transitioning clients from on-premises to the cloud
Pros and Cons
- "The fact that Azure Backup is integrated is one of its biggest advantages."
- "In the next release, I would like to see the ability to back up to different cloud providers."
What is our primary use case?
We are a Microsoft reseller for everything that has to do with the cloud and migrating from on-premises infrastructure. Azure Backup is one of the solutions that we implement for our clients.
Our primary use case is to assist schools with moving their on-premises workloads to the cloud. We use the backup facility as it's provided by the platform to help them move everything they run on VMware, Hyper-V, or physical servers.
What is most valuable?
The fact that Azure Backup is integrated is one of its biggest advantages. Everything is on one platform and we can use it from PowerShell automation, which is helpful.
The recovery, in many cases, is quite fluid.
What needs improvement?
It would be helpful if it included the ability to perform Office 365 backups so that we didn't have to use additional software.
In the next release, I would like to see the ability to back up to different cloud providers. For example, some customers would like to be able to synchronize with an Amazon data store. It is always best to follow the 3-2-1 Backup Rule.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Azure Backup for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In terms of stability, over the past two or three years, this solution is bulletproof. This service is used continuously and we have no complaints.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We do some work with the educational market and we have onboarded 50 schools to Azure. We have never had any issues with scaling. Most of our clients range in size from 200 to 1,000 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have been in contact with Azure technical support but not for backup purposes, with this solution. I've never opened a ticket for Azure Backup.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In addition to Azure Backup, we have experience with Veeam and Altaro.
The main difference between Azure Backup and other solutions is that it is oriented to back up Azure Cloud data. The other solutions offer more functionality for on-premises environments and help to synchronize files across local data centers.
How was the initial setup?
Once you know how to do it, the initial setup is pretty easy and pretty straightforward. Even later on, as you transfer the responsibility to the customer, they can do it on their own.
What about the implementation team?
We deploy this solution for our customers.
What other advice do I have?
To this point, I have not run across any issues that are blocking.
My advice to anybody who is considering this solution is to go ahead and use it. It works and it's a good service on the platform. It is just one of the building blocks that we use every day on Azure, so I can't see any reason to move to another one.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner, reseller
Head of IT-Infrastructure at a construction company with 11-50 employees
Included in Azure, with good technical support and good reliability
Pros and Cons
- "The scalability has been good."
- "Technical support can be slow to respond at times."
What is our primary use case?
The main use case is to back up the virtual machines.
What is most valuable?
It's part of the Azure cloud service. The solution is included in the overall price.
The solution is stable.
The scalability has been good.
Technical support is okay. They do help you when you need them.
What needs improvement?
As I don't work directly with the solution (my team does), I don't have any notes for improvement.
Technical support can be slow to respond at times.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've only been using the solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. If a company needs to expand it, it's possible to do so.
Only the IT backups use the solution. That's just two people. No one else does.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is okay. They are helpful, however, they are not always fast.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we only used Micro Focus Data Protector. We were on our data center on-premise. After the migration, to save, the machines to the Azure cloud, we switched from the VM backups to Azure Backup. The other backups are still running on Micro Focus Data Protector.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is done by our cloud solution provider. While I'm not aware of the details. my understanding is that the deployment was quick and did not take long.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is part of the greater Microsoft service. I am not sure if there is a separate license just for this. It's not an additional price. There may be more costs according to how much storage is needed. You have to do the backup to a storage account and the storage account costs a price per terabytes.
What other advice do I have?
We are a customer with an enterprise agreement.
I do not backups myself. I don't know the versions we are using.
I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior System Specialist at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Simple to configure and easy to use
Pros and Cons
- "It's very simple to configure which is very useful. It's not complex to configure it."
- "To make it a ten, it should have the ability to extend the retention and to perform a copy of the data outside of the subscription - with no additional costs."
What is our primary use case?
Our customers have VMs on their test environment that are backed up with Azure Backup for short retention, around one month. They need a machine that does not need integration with backup over BPE.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is that it's very simple to configure which is very useful. It's not complex to configure it.
What needs improvement?
I would like for the backup of VMs to be improved. The first thing our customers require is for me to back up their VM. I would like to do the backup using the integration. But I don't think the customers I am managing are ready for this yet.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Azure Backup for around two to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable. There are no problems regarding the backups. Some customers require a double copy of the backup. From on-prem to Azure or from Azure to on-prem or to another site. In these cases, it is necessary to use other software to perform the backup.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is a great improvement that is offered on the cloud. With a few clicks, you can scale up resources.
How are customer service and technical support?
When you open a ticket, it is transferred to India. We've had problems that have taken two or three days to resolve. Their response time isn't so fast.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Commvault, Veeam, NetBackup - a lot of other softwares. The difference between these solutions and Azure is that they offered better options for backup across hybrid environments. It depends on what the customer is looking for.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very simple. The time it takes to deploy depends on the environment. For a medium deployment, it will usually take one day to deploy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In my opinion, the price should be a little lower to be more competitive with other software. It depends on the customer's environment and subscription.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Azure an eight out of ten.
To make it a ten, it should have the ability to extend the retention and to perform a copy of the data outside of the subscription - with no additional costs. There is a cost for downloading data on Azure or on-prem. If I would like to have a copy on-prem I need to pay more for the data. Azure should modify its policies.
I am a consultant. We discuss what the customer is looking for and we'll recommend this solution based on their environment. Azure is easy and simple to configure. It's easy to use. If there are other requirements, I would recommend another software.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
Cloud specialist at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Cost-effective and efficient, but it needs support for application-level backup
Pros and Cons
- "The storage backup is very efficient."
- "The support for Office365 backup is atrocious and is something that has to be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We are a Microsoft partner and we implement solutions for our customers. We also provide managed services. We work with most of the services on Azure, and this is one of the solutions that we have provided.
Azure Backup is a public cloud service, and you can use it to backup on-premises or cloud services. The primary use case is backing up cloud services. However, if you are using it on-premises then the cloud part is much more convenient.
What is most valuable?
The storage backup is very efficient.
What needs improvement?
The solution needs to be fully supported by VMware. It works, but when you go to VMware they say that Azure Backup is not recommended, or is not a very good solution.
I would like to have an application-level backup, rather than interface-level only. Examples would be Exchange backup, SharePoint backup, and SQL backup.
The support for Office365 backup is atrocious and is something that has to be improved.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have not faced any problems with the stability of this solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability has not been an issue.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support for this solution depends on the type of support that you have.
Their response time is within the SLA, which is good, but sometimes I have trouble communicating with the support staff. It is normally a case of the technical support person having an accent which is difficult for me to understand, which makes it inconvenient. I have trouble trying to explain the problem.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of this solution is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of this solution is good, and it is one of the easiest things that you can sell Azure with.
What other advice do I have?
This is a solution that I might recommend, depending on the customer's requirements. If they need application-level backup then I will not even consider it. However, if they need infrastructure backup for Azure, then, of course, it is a good option. Generally speaking, I recommend this solution.
Overall, the service is good for certain use cases, but it is short of functionality when you consider the competitors.
I would rate this solution a five out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner,
Chief Technology Officer at Plus Expressways Bhd
Stable solution but missing ransomware protection
Pros and Cons
- "It offers seamless integration."
- "Ransomware protection is missing in Azure Backup."
What is our primary use case?
We used it for the backup of virtual machines.
What is most valuable?
It offers seamless integration with Azure because there may be around 150 VMs in Azure. So we used to run Veeam. It was easy to implement.
What needs improvement?
Ransomware protection is missing in Azure Backup.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution since 2018.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution. I rate it nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. I rate it eight out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy. I rate it nine out of ten. The solution was deployed in a few days.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is in the middle as it is not the most expensive, yet they are not the cheapest.
I rate it six out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
If you are new to the cloud and looking for a solution with essential backup support, go for Azure. But if you want advanced features, then this is not recommended. I was looking for Ransomware Protection and had to move away from Azure as it does not have such advanced features.
I rate it a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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