How can I apply the 3-2-1 rule to my Azure VMs?

Question

Hello World!

We recently migrated some servers to Azure VMs. When we had our on-premises servers, we applied the 3-2-1 backup rule.

• How can we apply this rule to the cloud?

We used to have two different media backups: a virtual and a physical.

• Does Azure also have a physical backup service?
• If not, how can we comply with the two different media backups on the cloud?

Thanks for your help!!

Answer 1

Hello DAN RODRIGUEZ,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A and thank you for posting your questions here.

I understand that you are seeking guidance on how to apply the 3-2-1 rule in the cloud environment, specifically asking whether Azure offers physical backup services and how to ensure compliance with the rule's requirement for two different types of media in the cloud.

To implement the 3-2-1 backup rule can still be applied when using Azure VMs. The rule states that you should have at least 3 copies of your data, store the data on 2 different types of media, and keep 1 backup copy offsite.

In the context of Azure, this is how you can apply this rule:

Three Copies of Data

Azure automatically creates 3 copies of your data in a locally redundant storage (LRS) configuration. This ensures that you have at least three copies of your data.

Now, practical base solution about Three Total Copies of Data

• Primary Data: Stored on the Azure VM itself.
• Backup Copy 1: Stored in Azure Backup or another cloud backup solution.
• Backup Copy 2: Stored in a different cloud region or on a different platform.

Two Types of Media

In the cloud, data is stored on disks, but Azure provides different types of storage services such as Blob Storage, File Storage, and Disk Storage. These can be considered as different "media" types.

Now, practical base solution about two Different Types of Media concept for the cloud.

Azure does not provide a physical backup service like traditional on-premises systems. However, you can still achieve the "two different media" requirement by leveraging different storage technologies or platforms:

• Azure Blob Storage: Use Azure Backup to store backup data in Azure Blob Storage. This can be considered one media type.
• Alternative Cloud Storage: Store a second backup in a different cloud provider (e.g., AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage) or a different Azure region to count as a second media type.

One Offsite Backup

Azure's geo-redundant storage (GRS) automatically replicates your data to a secondary region that is hundreds of miles away from the primary region.

Now, practical base solution about One Copy Offsite

• Offsite in Azure: Store backups in a different Azure region using geo-redundant storage (GRS) or by configuring Azure Backup to store data in a different region.
• Offsite in a Different Cloud Provider: Store a backup copy with another cloud provider like AWS or Google Cloud to ensure geographical separation.

References

For more reading and information, kindly use the link provided below:

Source: Cloud Backup Services. Accessed, 5/29/2024.

Source: Guidance and best practices - Azure Backup. Accessed, 5/29/2024.

Also, use the additional resources available by the right side of this page.

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Best Regards,

Sina Salam

Answer 2

@DAN RODRIGUEZ - Welcome to Microsoft Q&A and thanks for reaching out to us.

Azure Backup provides a reliable and scalable backup solution for your data in the cloud. It allows you to back up your data to the cloud, and you can store your backups in different regions for disaster recovery purposes.

It supports both virtual and physical backups. For virtual backups, you can use Azure VM backup to back up your virtual machines. For physical backups, you can use Azure Backup Server to back up your on-premises servers and applications to Azure.

To comply with the two different media backups, you can use Azure Backup to back up your data to the cloud and use a local backup solution to back up your data to a local storage device. This way, you will have two different types of media backups.

Hope this helps. and please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions.

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