Microsoft Ignite: Veeam Backup Solutions for Microsoft Cloud Platforms

Veeam Software, Inc. announced the public beta release of the Veeam Backup for Microsoft Office 365 v4 at Microsoft Ignite 2019 in Orlando, FL.

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Additionally, the company showcased Microsoft Ignite attendees a sneak peek of a cloud-native data protection solution for Microsoft Azure workloads, Veeam Backup for Microsoft Azure. These solutions support the company’s cloud strategy and provide Microsoft Corp.‘s users with additional data protection, scalability, and enhanced control of their cloud-based data.

With Office 365, Microsoft is responsible for the uptime of the Office 365 infrastructure, but backup and management of the data is the customer’s responsibility. The Backup for Microsoft Office 365 v4 offers direct integration with Azure Blob Storage, giving companies that want to keep their Office 365 data in Azure a scalable and secure solution for doing so. This latest release also adds additional performance improvements for backing up SharePoint and OneDrive for Business.

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Ease of use is built into the Veeam Backup for Microsoft Azure with turn-key deployment via the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, while recovery capabilities are also delivered with features like file-level recovery for native snapshots and Veeam backups. A built-in cloud cost estimator tool will provide customers with cost controls and savings while integration with the company’s Backup & Replication will allow customers to take control of their cloud data by protecting and managing Azure backups alongside their cloud, virtual and physical data.

“With 114% Y/Y growth, Veeam Backup for Microsoft Office 365 continues to be the fastest growing product in Veeam’s history,” said Ratmir Timashev, co-founder and EVP, sales and marketing, Veeam. “Just as in the on-premises days with customers backing up and protecting their data, the need persists with SaaS solutions to backup and protect this same critical information. Veeam Backup for Office 365 delivers on this need and with the rapid rise in adoption for Azure we’re seeing across our customer base, Veeam is excited to build from our work with Microsoft and deliver a native backup solution developed specifically for Azure-based workloads.“

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Backup for Microsoft Office 365 v4 enables IT decision makers from cloud-first companies who prefer to store their Office 365 backups in Azure a cloud-optimized solution leveraging Azure Blob Storage for doing so.

Benefits of this version include the ability for customers to:

• Reduce costs with object storage and pay for what is consumed.

• Leverage unlimited scalability with unlimited storage capacity.

• Simplify deployment in the public cloud and no complex planning.

As a Gold Microsoft Partner, the company works closely to extend the value of Microsoft solutions to businesses worldwide. This commitment is proven in the upcoming releases of Veeam’s Azure-native data protection solution.

A sneak peek at Microsoft Ignite demonstrated that the firm’s customers will soon be able to extend Backup & Replication to protect Azure-native instances with the following integrated capabilities:

• Cloud-native data protection built for Microsoft Azure workloads, with support for native snapshots and Veeam backups, and cloud optimized for long-term data retention in Microsoft Azure Blob.

• Reliable recovery technologies to achieve RTOs, including file-level recovery of native snapshots and Veeam backups, as well as the ability to restore to an on-premises data center or any other company’s supported environment.

• Drive cost savings with a cloud cost estimator tool. Simulate policy charges to avoid excessive costs before you start your backups.

Veeam Backup for Microsoft Azure – both free and paid versions – will be available for deployment via the Azure Marketplace for cloud-first companies or departments. Backups from Backup for Microsoft Azure can be managed with Backup & Replication and integrated with the company’s ‘Universal License’.

Veeam Backup for Microsoft Office 365 is available as a public beta with availability expected by the end of 2019.
Customers can download the beta, as well as be notified when version 4 is available.

“Microsoft has a long-standing relationship with Veeam, and our validation of the overall collaboration includes support for Veeam’s innovations, including Microsoft Office 365 and Veeam Backup for Microsoft Azure. As cloud storage becomes increasingly popular as a backup strategy, Veeam’s support for Azure Blob Storage enables organizations to eliminate the need for on-premises storage, enabling faster RTOs, improving availability, reducing costs and accelerating our customer’s journey to the cloud,” said Tad Brockway, corporate VP, for Azure, storage, media and edge, Microsoft.

“Cloud is seen as the engine for business growth and innovation and cloud spending – across IaaS, SaaS and PaaS – continues to grow at a fast rate. As cloud applications such as Microsoft Office 365 become the center of business productivity, excluding them from enterprise backup strategy is risky because the customer has the ultimate and exclusive responsibility for all business data wherever they reside. Savvy enterprises are beginning to understand the risks of data loss in cloud applications due to ransomware or internal threats such as accidental deletions and identify SaaS data protection as a key priority. They are evaluating cloud-native backup solutions to protect and manage the data sprawl in their new cloud environments,” said Archana Venkatraman, research manager, IDC.

“We absolutely love the simplicity and speed of Veeam Backup for Microsoft Office 365. This new version will open up even more options for us to leverage Office 365 data protection in the cloud,” said Karen St. Clair, VP, finance, Columbia Power and Water Systems, a Veeam customer.