June, 2024
Azure NetApp Files, a native, 1st-party file storage service in Azure that makes it easy and cost-effective to run file-based applications in the cloud using the same protocols and tools customers rely upon on-premises, has announced the general availability (GA) of Azure NetApp Files backup, a cost-effective way to offload snapshots to a Backup Vault, for longer-term retention, archive, and compliance, protecting data from accidental deletion.
Customers often create snapshots of data volumes as a quick and easy way to protect their data. Snapshots allow the customer to revert to a specific point in time of the volume for restore. When snapshots are only retained within the primary volume data, they can be vulnerable to accidental deletion just like the data they are designed to protect. With Azure NetApp Files backup, snapshots are offloaded from the primary volume to a low-cost secondary location called a Backup Vault for long-term retention and to protect against accidental deletion. These backup copies use the built-in snapshot technology of Azure NetApp Files where only the changed data blocks are offloaded to the vault, making the process fast, space-efficient and cost-effective. Customers can have many recovery points providing restore flexibility with only the data that changed being stored in the snapshot. Recovering the data is simple for the customer as the protected snapshots represent a full view of the entire data volume that can be restored directly to a new volume without requiring the time consuming incremental restore process.
The Azure NetApp Files backup feature is now generally available (GA). Additional information can be found in the documentation.