x360Recover
Direct-to-Cloud for
Microsoft Azure

With Axcient x360Recover Direct-to-Cloud (D2C) for Microsoft Azure, MSPs can protect, virtualize, and recover their client’s Azure data and deliver on their business continuity SLAs. Built on the same best-in-class proprietary Chain-Free backup technology as our other products, x360Recover D2C for Microsoft Azure skips the local appliance and sends data straight to the secure Axcient Cloud.

Deployed through Axcient’s hardware-free agent, x360Recover D2C for Microsoft Azure fully supports Windows servers and desktops running in the Microsoft Azure public cloud. MSPs get D2C’s built-in, advanced automation features for DR testing and recovery with AutoVerify backup integrity testing, full virtualization for immediate failback and VM export, and Virtual Office with client-specific Runbooks – all priced at a flat fee per month. 

Nearly a quarter of SMBs are choosing Microsoft Azure as the foundation to host their infrastructure and applications in the public cloud. Similar to M365, Microsoft does not have SLAs surrounding the actual data stored within their services. That means MSPs are responsible for protecting their clients’ workloads and data within Azure.

Consider Microsoft’s own division of responsibility in their Microsoft Azure shared responsibility documentation:

“As you consider and evaluate public cloud services, it’s critical to understand the shared responsibility model and which security tasks are handled by the cloud provider and which tasks are handled by you.”

Having your client’s Microsoft Azure and 365 data in a separate location could mean the difference between your clients staying in business or losing their livelihood.

The Risks of Native Azure Backup

Native Azure Backup is a popular choice for backing up Azure cloud environments. However, there are some risks associated with using this service.

• Single point of failure: If there is an Azure incident, outage, or cyberattack, both your production infrastructure and your backups could be unavailable. This could lead to complete downtime for your organization.
• Complexity: File restores from native Azure backups are often more complicated than other backup solutions because you need to use additional services for disaster recovery and testing.
• Cost: Native Azure Backup is not an all-in-one solution. You need to use Azure Backup for backups and Azure Site Recovery for business continuity. This can add complexity and cost to your stack.

It can be tempting to use another native Microsoft service for backing up Azure cloud environments, but with native Azure Backup service, your backups and the production infrastructure live in Azure. In the event of an Azure incident, outage, or cyberattack, it’s possible that both the production infrastructure and your backups will be unavailable.

The Benefits of Separating Backups

There are several benefits to separating backups from production infrastructure.

• Increased availability: If there is an Azure incident, outage, or cyberattack, your backups will still be available in a separate location. This can help to prevent complete downtime for your organization.
• Simplified restores: File restores from a separate backup location are typically simpler than from native Azure backups. This is because you do not need additional disaster recovery and testing services.
• Reduced complexity and cost: Using a separate backup solution can reduce the complexity and cost of your backup stack because you do not need to use multiple Azure services, which often don’t deliver a good profit margin for an MSP.

There are risks associated with using native Azure Backup that could give an MSP heartburn. Sleep more soundly at night by separating backups from production infrastructure to increase availability, simplify restores, and reduce complexity and cost.