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The Sky is the Limit – Backup Exec 16 and Azure

Andy_Spencer
Level 2
Employee

iStock_87792305_150.jpgThe recent release of Backup Exec 16 introduced direct cloud connectors that enable writing data directly to hot and cool Azure storage. By embedding this capability directly into the backup workflow, Veritas improves user productivity and business agility. Inexpensive cloud targets can easily replace aging tape libraries and provide a higher degree of availability for long-term data retention. Instead of complex processes that depend on human intervention (who forgot to put new tapes in on Friday night?), IT professionals can actively meet their business’ data storage policy and reduce costs. Their data is stored offsite, in encrypted containers that are highly available and have lower TCO than local storage.

A recent study commissioned by Veritas asked over 900 mid-market IT professionals about backup and recovery practices. Over 78% of respondents reported they are using or plan to use cloud storage as backup and archiving target, with Microsoft Azure the most frequently named service. Although survey respondents expressed concern about storing sensitive and proprietary data in cloud, the ease of use and economic advantage of public cloud services are deeply compelling reasons to move data in this direction. Increasingly, organizations are gaining trust in Microsoft’s ability to protect cloud data and keep it within specific geographies.

As public cloud targets become more acceptable to the business, storage and backup teams map their organization’s path forward. They begin with defining data types and assigning appropriate retention levels. Not everything can, or should, be sent to the cloud. Infrastructure is evaluated, especially WAN bandwidth and latency. With solid information gathered, IT teams begin the journey. Business policies are easily reflected in Backup Exec 16, and resulting operations optimize the efficiency of long-term data storage.

Or in simpler terms: look before you leap, and try before you buy. Backup Exec 16 is available for a free 60-day trial, and Microsoft has a generous program for sampling the benefits of Azure storage. Between these two offers, organizations can easily try cloud services with little up-front risk.