Can we use Managed Identities to automatically update Mobility Agent in ASR

Question

I'm wanting to setup ASR so that a Managed Identity can do the automatic updates for the Mobility Agent. Is this the right direction? When I go into a new RSV to enable ASR, I still use only see the option to create an automation account when setting up "Allow ASR to Manage"?? Aren't these "automation accounts" going away in Sep 2023? Please provide context. Thanks!

Answer 1

Hello @Rob McNees Thank you for reaching out to us on Microsoft Q&A platform. Happy to answer any questions you may have!

Azure Automation Accounts are essential for Site Recovery to keep the agents of protected virtual machines up to date. Azure Automation Accounts are not being deprecated. Site Recovery creates Azure Automation Run As Accounts when the user opts in for automatic agent upgrade option via the IaaS VM Blade and Recovery Services Vault. 

However, Azure Automation Run As Accounts will be discontinued on September 30, 2023, and Microsoft will not offer support after that date. To ensure automatic agent upgrades, the authentication type of existing Automation Accounts must be migrated to Managed Identities.Reference doc - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/site-recovery/how-to-migrate-run-as-accounts-managed-identity. Managed Identities are a secure and convenient way to access Azure resources without storing any credentials in your Automation Account. They also improve the scalability and performance of your Site Recovery operations. 

Hope this answers your question. Feel free to reply if you have any question!

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