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Azure Backup is a cloud-native backup and restore service in Microsoft Azure that centrally protects data and applications. It provides automated storage management so you don’t have to provision storage manually, and it automatically scales with your data to help keep storage costs efficient. Key storage redundancy options:
  • Locally Redundant Storage (LRS)
  • Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS)
  • Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS)
Choose the redundancy level that meets your compliance and business-continuity requirements. Azure Backup encrypts data both in transit and at rest, and supports application-consistent backups so backups capture a consistent application state without disrupting running workloads. You can configure multiple retention policies and retain backups for as long as your compliance or business needs require.
Azure Backup manages storage transparently through the Recovery Services vault. You only configure what to protect and the retention policy — Azure handles storage allocation and scaling.
Azure Backup does not charge for data transferred to/from the Recovery Services vault, but standard Azure bandwidth charges may apply for cross-region transfers or network egress. Review your network architecture before large-scale restores or cross-region replication.
A slide titled "Azure Backup – Benefits" that defines the service as an Azure-based backup and restore solution. It lists key benefits (like automatic storage management, multiple storage options, data encryption and long-term retention) and shows a diagram of files/folders/computers being backed up to the cloud.
At a high level, all protected data is managed through the Azure Backup service by using a Recovery Services vault. The exact steps to protect a workload depend on where it runs (Azure, on-premises, or other clouds). Common tasks you perform with Azure Backup:
  • Create a Recovery Services vault
  • Register or discover the workload (VM, file share, server)
  • Configure a backup policy (schedule + retention)
  • Trigger backups and monitor jobs
  • Recover items (file/folder-level, full VM, or database)
Example Azure CLI and PowerShell commands to create a Recovery Services vault: Azure CLI:
PowerShell:
You then configure the appropriate workload-specific backup (Azure VM, Azure Files, SQL in VM, etc.) from the vault. Supported data sources vary with the environment:
  • For Azure-hosted workloads you can protect:
    • Azure virtual machines
    • Azure Files (File share backups)
    • SQL Server in Azure VMs
    • SAP HANA on Azure VMs
  • For on-premises and other environments you can protect:
    • Files and folders
    • Hyper-V virtual machines
    • VMware virtual machines
    • SQL Server
    • SharePoint
    • Exchange
    • System State
    • Bare-metal recovery
This wide set of supported data sources allows integration of on-premises and multi-cloud systems with Azure Backup for centralized protection and recovery.
A presentation slide titled "Data sources" showing two side-by-side panels for "Azure Workloads" and "On-Premises Workloads." The Azure panel highlights selecting "Azure FileShare" while the On-Premises panel shows "Files and folders" chosen for backup.
Summary table — which backup option to choose: Best practices
  • Use application-consistent backups for databases and enterprise applications.
  • Select redundancy (LRS/ZRS/GRS) according to RTO/RPO and compliance needs.
  • Test restores regularly and document recovery runbooks.
  • Use lifecycle management to remove old recovery points and control costs.
Useful links and references
To ensure predictable costs, combine an appropriate storage redundancy choice with tiered retention policies and monitor backup job metrics from the Recovery Services vault dashboard.

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