Windows Azure Backup

In the corporate sector it should provide service of backup for use of a cloud of Windows Azure — Backup. Since April, 2013 this opportunity became available in the version of Preview.

Windows Azure Backup allows to create in Windows Azure cloud backup copies for the applied systems working at normal IT infrastructure based on Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 and Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 Essentials and System Center Data Protection Manager 2012 SP1.

Process of creation of storage is simple and intuitive, practically does not differ from how it becomes in usual conditions. The mechanism of incremental copying is implemented that allows to save traffic and volume of the space selected in 'cloud' and also to recover system configurations to any earlier created reservation points.

Politicians and standard means of data compression and enciphering are supported.

2015: New schemes of pricing Azure Backup are entered

On April 3, 2015 it became known of the beginning of action of new schemes of pricing in Azure Backup service. According to Microsoft, its innovations will help customers to cut down expenses on data protection^[1].

In the new scheme three parts:

• cost depends on number of the copied machines (virtual machines on the Hyper-V platform, Windows applications of Server and client computers) and the volume of the stored data. At the same time, the space more occupied by machine, the payment — from $5 a month for the machine requiring the volume of 50 GB up to $40 a month for the machine on 2 TB is higher. As consider in Microsoft, such approach is profitable to machines of any type from notebooks to corporate servers.

• changes concern type of the storage used for reservation in Azure cloud. Now users of the cheapest service of storage Block Blob will pay for this type of service separately. According to Microsoft, it will become profitable to regular customers of Azure as benefits from data storage grow in Block Blob eventually.

• changes are connected with LRS services (Locally Redundant Storage, storages with the scheme of support of replication in one geographical region) and GRS (Geographically Redundant Storage, replication both in the region, and between two regions). LRS saves three copies in one DPC, and GRS are three more copies in other region. The customers wishing to cut down expenses can select LRS service instead of GRS set by default. It is useful to those who prefer to replace reservation on the magnetic tape with one copy in Azure cloud.

Microsoft does not charge a fee for data recovery, traffic at data transmission and transaction of storage.

For comparison, before emergence of these schemes users paid only for amount of memory — up to 5 GB free of charge, and moreover — $0.20 a month for 1 GB.

Notes