How To Configure Azure Backup And Disaster Recovery?

Introduction:   

It‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ is a top priority to secure data of important business processes delivered through Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) against scenarios such as data loss, corruption, and regional outages. Though Azure offers native resilience at the infrastructure level, organisations need to implement full Backup and Disaster Recovery (B&DR) plans proactively. 

Understanding the Core Tools: Azure Backup vs. Azure Site Recovery:

Even‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ if they are both controlled through the Recovery Services vault, Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery (ASR) have different, but still dependent on each other, functions in a full business continuity plan. Knowing which device deals with threats to operations (such as file deletion) and which device deals with threats to the region is very ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌important. 

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Step 1: Establishing the Central Hub—The Recovery Services Vault

The‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ Recovery Services vault is the core resource in Azure that is used for the administration and scheduling of backup and disaster recovery operations. It is a data storage container for all backup and replication configurations, as well as the recovery plans of the protected Azure VMs and other workloads. The proper initial setup of the vault is a prerequisite for not only determining the protection area but also for guaranteeing data redundancy standard compliance. To further know about it, one can visit the Microsoft Azure Online Course. The keys to the Recovery Services vault configuration revolve around:

• Resource Group and Region Selection: The vault should be allocated in a resource group solely for it and in a region different from the one in which the primary VM resources are located to maintain resilience.
  
• Storage Replication Type: The vault storage redundancy is determined by setting the storage of the vault, and most of the time, the choice will be Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS) so that the backup data can be replicated in a secondary Azure region.
  
• Soft Delete Enablement: Soft Delete must be enabled so that the backup data is protected from the deletion that is either accidental or malicious deletion for the retention period set.
  
• Security Settings: The security configurations, such as network isolation or managed identity access, should be set up in a way that limits the vault access and management only to the authorised personnel.
  
• Monitoring Integration: The connections that the vault establishes with Azure Monitor and Log Analytics are used to monitor job status, performance, and recovery point creation.
  
• Tagging: The usage of descriptive tags (e.g., ‘Environment: Production’, ‘Cost Centre: IT’) enables the cost management that is coupled with the tracking to be done effectively.

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Step 2: Configuring Data Backup with Azure Backup

Azure Backup is a tool that allows enterprises to make copies of the state of their Azure VMs at different points in time. The method requires setting up very specific policies that will govern the backup frequency, the time for which the backup will be kept, as well as the consistency that is required. Application-consistent backups that are carried out through Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) writers are very important for complex workloads, e.g., databases (like SQL Server, Oracle), since in that way, the data is secured at the exact time of capture, which then makes the restoration process trustworthy. The method of configuring a backup for an Azure VM is comprised of the following steps:

• Selecting‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ Workload Type: On the backup blade of the Recovery Services vault, pointing to "Azure Virtual Machine."
  
• Policy Creation: Creating a Backup Policy that, among other things, will decide the backup frequency (e.g., daily, weekly) and the retention time (e.g., keeping daily backups for 30 days).
  
• Application Consistency: Ensuring that the policy is application-consistent so that it can be utilized for the recovery of the database and server, which are the most heavily invest parts of the mission.
• Exclusion Policies: Surely there are disks containing data that are not needed (e.g., scratch disks) and which may optionally be excluded from the backup. Thus saving on storage and making the backup process quicker.
  
• Initial Backup Execution: The first off-the-record backup is accomplished manually to immediately localize the VM and establish the baseline recovery points.
  
• Monitoring Backup Jobs: If one is consistently monitoring backup jobs, checking their status and recovery point creation, RPO requirements can be met ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌regularly.
  

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Step 3: Implementing Disaster Recovery with Azure Site Recovery (ASR)

With‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ Azure Site Recovery (ASR), the mechanism is put in place for cross-region disaster recovery by the continuous replication of the primary VM to a secondary, passive Azure region. This ongoing replication reduces the Recovery Point Objective (RPO) to a minimum as the data in the target region is always almost up to date. In case of a disaster in the region, ASR is instrumental in achieving very short Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) as it allows nearly instant, automated failover of the entire workload to the unaffected region. Many institutes provide Microsoft Azure Certification course, and enrolling in them can help you start a promising career in this domain. ASR replication configuration steps comprise the following:

• Target Region Selection: Identifying the secondary Azure region where the data will be replicated, and the resources for failover will be stored.
  
• Replication Policy: Description of the synchronisation frequency of data changes (e.g. every 5 minutes) and recovery points retention period.
  
• Network Mapping: Setting up the network parameters so that the VM, which has failed, can connect to the right virtual network (VNet) in the secondary region.
  
• Capacity Provisioning: Making sure that the target region has enough quota and pre-staged resources (VNets, storage accounts) to take the entire workload over in case of failover.
  
• Test Failover: Non-disruptive test failover execution for verification of replication settings, boot sequence, and application functionality in isolation.
  
• Recovery Plan Creation: The process of pairing up the interdependent VMs (for instance, the web server and database server) in a sequence-defined Recovery Plan for orchestrated failover.

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Conclusion:

Setting up a detailed B&DR plan for Azure VMs is about the smart use of Azure Backup together with Azure Site Recovery. While Azure Backup is used for point-in-time data recovery, ASR helps in regional failover orchestrated smoothly. After starting with a securely set-up Recovery Services vault and defining strict policies for both replication and retention, organisations become less vulnerable to failures in the cloud environment. Gaining credentials like the AZ 104 Certification can help you start a promising career in this domain. Frequent testing of ASR Recovery Plans, in particular, is a must if the set Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) are to be realistic. Thus helping to safeguard the essential business functions against unexpected ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌outages.