Here is the detailed list of available features:
- Agentless Backup: Azure Backup Server uses VMware’s VADP API to protect VMware VMs remotely without installing agents on vCenter or ESXi servers, freeing administrators from the hassle of managing agents for VMware VM backup.
- Discoverability and Auto-Protection: Customers can seamlessly discover and protect VMware VMs residing on external storage targets too such as NFS and cluster storage. Managing large environments is effortless since VMs are discovered and protected at the folder level. Any future VMs added to a protected folder are backed up automatically.
- Integrated Hybrid backup: Customers can back up to disk for faster operational recovery and to cloud for an offsite copy or long term retention.
Microsoft Azure Backup Server (MABS) is a cloud-first backup solution of Azure Backup which protects data and workloads across various IT environments of enterprises.
The service is available for download here.
Users that are new to the service will have to download and install Update 1 after installation in order to start with VMware backup. Microsoft has provided a detailed, four-step instruction for configuring VMware server and Azure Backup Server.
A significant improvement
Adding WMware VM backup is a significant upgrade for Azure Backup Server. Up until now, data storage was restricted to content running only on physical machines or Hyper-V.
However, with the new feature, data now stores on a disk or in the cloud. As a result, the potential of cloud backups enables enterprise customers to have a single, more permanent backup solution.
The service was first released in October last year and has steadily grown since then. Recently, it received an unusual marketing push from Microsoft by using FBI’s ransomware guidelines.
The company believes the service offers a secure way to house important data in the case of an attack. It provides multiple backups each day. This means that organizations can get up and running quickly and with little data lost.
