Yew Jin Kang - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Technology Officer at Plus Expressways Bhd
Real User
Top 10
Stable solution but missing ransomware protection
Pros and Cons
  • "It offers seamless integration."
  • "Ransomware protection is missing in Azure Backup."

What is our primary use case?

We used it for the backup of virtual machines.

What is most valuable?

It offers seamless integration with Azure because there may be around 150 VMs in Azure. So we used to run Veeam. It was easy to implement.

What needs improvement?

Ransomware protection is missing in Azure Backup.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution since 2018.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution. I rate it nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable solution. I rate it eight out of ten.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy. I rate it nine out of ten. The solution was deployed in a few days.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is in the middle as it is not the most expensive, yet they are not the cheapest.

I rate it six out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

If you are new to the cloud and looking for a solution with essential backup support, go for Azure. But if you want advanced features, then this is not recommended. I was looking for Ransomware Protection and had to move away from Azure as it does not have such advanced features.

I rate it a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Team lead/ Cloud Specialist at a tech company with 11-50 employees
Real User
A stable solution that assists us with transitioning clients from on-premises to the cloud
Pros and Cons
  • "The fact that Azure Backup is integrated is one of its biggest advantages."
  • "In the next release, I would like to see the ability to back up to different cloud providers."

What is our primary use case?

We are a Microsoft reseller for everything that has to do with the cloud and migrating from on-premises infrastructure. Azure Backup is one of the solutions that we implement for our clients.

Our primary use case is to assist schools with moving their on-premises workloads to the cloud. We use the backup facility as it's provided by the platform to help them move everything they run on VMware, Hyper-V, or physical servers.

What is most valuable?

The fact that Azure Backup is integrated is one of its biggest advantages. Everything is on one platform and we can use it from PowerShell automation, which is helpful.

The recovery, in many cases, is quite fluid.

What needs improvement?

It would be helpful if it included the ability to perform Office 365 backups so that we didn't have to use additional software.

In the next release, I would like to see the ability to back up to different cloud providers. For example, some customers would like to be able to synchronize with an Amazon data store. It is always best to follow the 3-2-1 Backup Rule.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Azure Backup for more than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In terms of stability, over the past two or three years, this solution is bulletproof. This service is used continuously and we have no complaints.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We do some work with the educational market and we have onboarded 50 schools to Azure. We have never had any issues with scaling. Most of our clients range in size from 200 to 1,000 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have been in contact with Azure technical support but not for backup purposes, with this solution. I've never opened a ticket for Azure Backup.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

In addition to Azure Backup, we have experience with Veeam and Altaro.

The main difference between Azure Backup and other solutions is that it is oriented to back up Azure Cloud data. The other solutions offer more functionality for on-premises environments and help to synchronize files across local data centers.

How was the initial setup?

Once you know how to do it, the initial setup is pretty easy and pretty straightforward. Even later on, as you transfer the responsibility to the customer, they can do it on their own.

What about the implementation team?

We deploy this solution for our customers.

What other advice do I have?

To this point, I have not run across any issues that are blocking. 

My advice to anybody who is considering this solution is to go ahead and use it. It works and it's a good service on the platform. It is just one of the building blocks that we use every day on Azure, so I can't see any reason to move to another one.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner, reseller
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Azure Backup
April 2024
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MohamedShedeed - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud specialist at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Cost-effective and efficient, but it needs support for application-level backup
Pros and Cons
  • "The storage backup is very efficient."
  • "The support for Office365 backup is atrocious and is something that has to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We are a Microsoft partner and we implement solutions for our customers. We also provide managed services. We work with most of the services on Azure, and this is one of the solutions that we have provided.

Azure Backup is a public cloud service, and you can use it to backup on-premises or cloud services. The primary use case is backing up cloud services. However, if you are using it on-premises then the cloud part is much more convenient.

What is most valuable?

The storage backup is very efficient.

What needs improvement?

The solution needs to be fully supported by VMware. It works, but when you go to VMware they say that Azure Backup is not recommended, or is not a very good solution.

I would like to have an application-level backup, rather than interface-level only. Examples would be Exchange backup,  SharePoint backup, and SQL backup.

The support for Office365 backup is atrocious and is something that has to be improved. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not faced any problems with the stability of this solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability has not been an issue.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support for this solution depends on the type of support that you have.

Their response time is within the SLA, which is good, but sometimes I have trouble communicating with the support staff. It is normally a case of the technical support person having an accent which is difficult for me to understand, which makes it inconvenient. I have trouble trying to explain the problem.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of this solution is straightforward. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing of this solution is good, and it is one of the easiest things that you can sell Azure with. 

What other advice do I have?

This is a solution that I might recommend, depending on the customer's requirements. If they need application-level backup then I will not even consider it. However, if they need infrastructure backup for Azure, then, of course, it is a good option. Generally speaking, I recommend this solution.

Overall, the service is good for certain use cases, but it is short of functionality when you consider the competitors.

I would rate this solution a five out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner,
PeerSpot user
IT Support at NCPB
Real User
It's simple to set up, but I would like the option to customize the frequency
Pros and Cons
  • "Setting up Azure Backup is straightforward and the total deployment time was about a month."
  • "I would like to have the option to increase the frequency of the backups. Azure Backup does backups on an hourly basis, but I would prefer it to take backups more often."

What is our primary use case?

We use Azure Backup to back up our data from our application server to the disaster recovery site. 

What needs improvement?

I would like to have the option to increase the frequency of the backups. Azure Backup does backups on an hourly basis, but I would prefer it to take backups more often. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Azure Backup for nearly three years.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up Azure Backup is straightforward and the total deployment time was about a month. 

What about the implementation team?

A reseller handled the whole deployment.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We have an annual license and pay separately for support from a local provider.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Azure Backup seven out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Technical architect at a manufacturing company with 1-10 employees
Real User
A stable backup solution with good support, but it would be better to increase the backup frequency
Pros and Cons
  • "I like that it's a stable solution and their support is good. I think Microsoft's commercial force is superior."
  • "They need to improve the frequency of the backup. You can only backup one to three times a day. It would be better to back up continuously throughout the day."

What is our primary use case?

I use Azure Backup to backup Microsoft Domain Controller for my client. The need was to protect the domain controllers as they were critical controls for Watson Web. So, even if a hacker attacked the firm with a ransom through Watson Web, it would be possible to recover the data from Azure because the data would have been protected.

What is most valuable?

I like that it's a stable solution and their support is good. I think Microsoft's commercial force is superior.

What needs improvement?

They need to improve the frequency of the backup. You can only backup one to three times a day. It would be better to back up continuously throughout the day.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been dealing with Azure Backup for about five years. But I have more than eight years of experience in all cloud or Azure services, including Azure Backup and Azure VM Backup.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a very stable solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

Microsoft technical support is okay. I never had any problem with it. Compared to Amazon Web Services, I think I like Microsoft's support. I just have to call them to obtain all the support that I need, and they are very proactive. They help you build solutions because they know that your business will grow and mature after helping you design the solution, provide you with tools and free licenses.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward, but you have to think about the recovery strategy.  Implementing the two is quite easy, but you also have to think about the backup and the overall recovery strategy and what kind of recovery strategy you will use to backup and restore. I know it's easy for the most common use cases.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I believe Azure Backup is superior to AWS, and Google is a little bit more powerful for implementations.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale from one to ten, I would give Azure Backup a seven.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
Director of Technology at a energy/utilities company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Cloud-based, simple, stable, and the support is good
Pros and Cons
  • "I like that it's a simple system."
  • "I would like to see better integration with more products, and more services."

What is our primary use case?

We use Azure databases and we run a backup script for it.

What is most valuable?

I like that it's a simple system.

It's a cloud product and service for dummies.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see better integration with more products, and more services. 

There are new products coming up all of the time with better integration. There are a number of things that are happening.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Azure Backup for several years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's a scalable solution. We have 100 users and we plan to continue using it.

How are customer service and technical support?

Because it's part of Microsoft, you can have technical support from Microsoft.

How was the initial setup?

There is no installation, it's all in the cloud. You're just building into it.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Price-wise, it's similar to AWS. 

It's always better to see a lower price.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated several. IBM has similar services, as well as Azure, AWS, Rackspace offers some services but not the same as Azure. You have Google entering the space too, so you have GCP with them.

What other advice do I have?

It's a competitor to Amazon.

I would recommend this solution to others.

I would rate Azure Backup a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Cloud Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
It has a good user interface and is helpful in reducing the downtime
Pros and Cons
  • "The feature that I have found the most valuable is that it is easy to create a backup by using Azure Backup. It also has a good user interface and nice features for sending notifications when any backup fails or there is a change in the status of virtual machines."
  • "I once tried restoring a Linux environment, and the size of the Linux VM or the data disk was really huge. It took a really long time to restore the environment and send the data from the storage to the disk. It took around 25 to 30 minutes, which was much longer than I anticipated. They can improve the duration of such restore operations. In the next release, it would also be good if they could reduce the duration for transferring the data from their storage to the actual storage while creating a virtual machine. They can reduce the duration or increase the data transfer rate."

What is our primary use case?

I have created a virtual machine that I use as a testbed to validate the Azure backup and restore functionality.

How has it helped my organization?

It is mainly used for backups, which are a key part of any organization's structure. Azure Backup has definitely helped us to reduce the downtime. Whenever something goes wrong, we can fix and restart it within no time. Azure Backup has increased the productivity of our connection, and on top of that, it has helped to reduce the operating cost of our organization.

What is most valuable?

The feature that I have found the most valuable is that it is easy to create a backup by using Azure Backup. 

It also has a good user interface and nice features for sending notifications when any backup fails or there is a change in the status of virtual machines. 

What needs improvement?

I once tried restoring a Linux environment, and the size of the Linux VM or the data disk was really huge. It took a really long time to restore the environment and send the data from the storage to the disk. It took around 25 to 30 minutes, which was much longer than I anticipated. They can improve the duration of such restore operations.

In the next release, it would also be good if they could reduce the duration for transferring the data from their storage to the actual storage while creating a virtual machine. They can reduce the duration or increase the data transfer rate. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Azure Backup for the last ten months. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is really stable. There were no problems with its stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Its scalability is very good.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have interacted with their technical support. I have no complaints. They are neither so good nor so bad. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I previously used an Oracle solution and worked extensively with Oracle Database. The way to take a backup and do everything else was different from Azure Backup.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy. To install it, you just choose an agent, and that agent is automatically deployed.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is a bit costly initially, but it is well worth it in the long run, especially for fighting against a number of threats, such as ransomware, which the IT industry is facing.

What other advice do I have?

It is really a valuable product. Most of the organizations nowadays, especially in North America, prefer Microsoft products over the Linux environment. There are, however, some people who use the Linux environment as well. 

Overall, I would rate Azure Backup an eight out of ten. It meets the day-to-day requirements of most of the IT people, and it can be automated. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
IT Support at NCPB
Real User
Stable, with has good backup capabilities, but isn't user friendly
Pros and Cons
  • "The best aspect of the solution is its backup functionality."
  • "The solution is quite technical. I wouldn't describe it as user friendly. It could be simplified a lot to make it more accessible to the average user."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for its backup functionality. It's the number one reason we utilize the product.

What is most valuable?

The best aspect of the solution is its backup functionality.

Overall, the solution has many great benefits and features.

What needs improvement?

The solution may be better suited to certain companies over others. It depends on the type of data you are working with.

The solution is quite technical. I wouldn't describe it as user friendly. It could be simplified a lot to make it more accessible to the average user.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for around three years now. It hasn't been an extremely long amount of time.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I haven't experienced any issues with stability. I don't recall dealing with bigs or glitches. It doesn't seem to crash. I would describe it as pretty reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

While 100% of our organization utilizes the solution, I don't believe we've ever tried to scale it. I don't know if it scales well or not. I don't know if our organization plans on expanding in the future, either.

How are customer service and technical support?

We've never needed to contact technical support. We haven't had any issues that were big enough to warrant us reaching out. I don't have any personal experience dealing with them hands-on, therefore, I can't speak to how easy they are to deal with or how good their support offering actually is.

How was the initial setup?

I was not involved in the initial setup. I can't speak to the complexity or straightforwardness of the implementation.

I'm not sure how long deployment takes.

We have an in-house team that handles maintenance.

What about the implementation team?

We have an in-house team that handled everything for us. They also do maintenance on the solution as necessary.

What other advice do I have?

We are simply using the solution as a customer. We don't have any professional affiliation with Azure. We simply use a lot of Microsoft products, including its OS and Office suite.

We have a site where do backups, but we do not do anything on a big scale on the cloud.

I'm not sure of which version of the solution we're using.

I'd recommend the solution to other organizations to try. It's a very good solution.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. The product should be more non-technical. If it as more user-friendly, I would rate it higher.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
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Updated: April 2024
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