Azure Backup

Azure Backup is a Microsoft native backup service which provides a seamless and scalable way to secure your data, applications and workloads and restore the data or application in an effiecient manner.

In this blog we will be discussing the following points:

  • What is Azure Backup
  • What I can Backup
  • Key Features
  • Use Cases
  • Pricing Structures
  • Conclusion

What is Azure Backup

Azure Backup is Backup-as-a-service(BaaS) offered by Microsoft azure to protect and restore your infrastruture,data and applications hosted across different environment. It helps to reduce the operational overhead and ensure the compliance with security and retention requirements.It is a scalable solution that can protect everything from individual files and folders to entire virtual machines, databases, and applications

Azure Backup Overview

What I Can Backup

Azure Backup supports a wide range of workloads across different environments:

  1. Azure-native Workloads

    • Azure Virtual Machines (Windows & Linux)

    • Azure Files

    • Azure Disks (via backup of disk snapshots)

    • Azure Blobs (Preview)

    • Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) volumes (via Azure Backup Center)

  2. On-premises & Hybrid Workloads

    • Windows Server (System State & Full Volume)

    • SQL Server on-premises and in Azure VM

    • SAP HANA databases on Azure VM

    • SharePoint and Exchange (via MARS/MABS agents)

    • VMware & Hyper-V virtual machines (via Azure Backup Server or Azure Arc-enabled servers)'

    Note:

    For protecting the Onprem Workload it will require MARS or MABS Agent to be configured.

Key Features

Agentless VM Backup

  • Backup Azure VMs without needing to install agents.

Application-Aware Snapshots

  • For consistent backups of SQL Server, SAP HANA, etc.

Long-Term Retention

  • Retain data for years with configurable retention policies.

Centralized Management

  • Backup management through Azure Backup Center.

Granular Recovery Restore individual files, folders, or databases.

Security & Compliance Built-in encryption, multi-user authorization, and soft delete protection.

Instant Restore

  • Mount backup as a drive for fast access without full restore.

Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS)

  • Store backups in geographically redundant locations.

Policy-Based Automation

  • Define backup schedules and retention policies for automation.

Use Cases

  1. Enterprise VM Backup Protect production Azure VMs with daily backups, retention for up to 10 years, and rapid file-level recovery.

  2. On-Premises to Cloud Backup Eliminate tape and on-prem infrastructure by backing up Windows Servers or VMware workloads to Azure.

  3. Database Protection Use Azure Backup for SQL Server in Azure VM or SAP HANA, enabling transactional-consistent backup and restore.

  4. Ransomware Recovery Use features like Soft Delete, Multi-user Authorization, and Immutable Vaults to defend against ransomware threats.

  5. Developer/Test Environments Backup environments before major testing cycles, enabling quick rollbacks using snapshot-based recovery.

  6. Compliance & Governance Meet regulatory requirements (e.g., HIPAA, ISO 27001) with encrypted, long-term backup storage and audit trails.

Pricing

Azure Backup pricing is based on two primary components:

  • Backup Item Size (i.e., the size of the data you’re backing up)

  • Storage Consumption (Standard or Vault Storage used to retain backups)

This pay-as-you-go model ensures cost efficiency, scalability, and flexibility.

Backup Items Pricing

Azure charges a fixed monthly fee per protected instance, based on the size of each instance.

Instance Size Monthly Cost (per instance)
≤ 50 GB ₹183.48 (approx $5)
> 50 GB – ≤ 500 GB ₹366.96 (approx $10)
> 500 GB ₹733.92 (approx $20) + ₹366.96 for each additional 500 GB

Example:

  • A 300 GB VM = ₹366.96/month
  • A 1.2 TB VM = ₹733.92 (for 500 GB) + ₹366.96 × 2 = ₹1,467.84/month

Storage Pricing

Azure Backup uses Recovery Services Vault to store your backups. You choose between:

  • Locally Redundant Storage (LRS) 3 copies of your data within a single data center

Cheaper, suitable for test/dev workloads

  • Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS) 6 copies: data replicated to a secondary region

Recommended for production and compliance

Storage Type Cost (per GB/month)
LRS ₹1.26 – ₹1.75 ($0.015–0.021)
GRS ₹2.62 – ₹3.50 ($0.031–0.042)

Storage charges apply only for the actual backup data stored, including retention.

Conclusion

Azure Backup is a robust, scalable, and cost-effective backup solution tailored for hybrid and cloud-first enterprises. Its native integration with the Azure ecosystem, rich support for mission-critical workloads, and built-in security features make it an ideal choice for organizations aiming to simplify their data protection strategy.

Whether you’re protecting Azure-native resources, extending protection to on-prem environments, or looking to enhance your disaster recovery posture, Azure Backup delivers the flexibility and reliability modern businesses need.