In order to stay on top of the latest technology, Microsoft introduced its Azure backup system. But is it right for you? Read on to learn all about the service.

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80% of Fortune 500 companies use the Microsoft cloud to keep their businesses running smoothly.

One of the reasons for the company's popularity? It's constantly offering updates, new technology, and most of all, better backup systems.

If you've heard about Microsoft's new Azure backup system, you've likely thought about whether or not it's right for your business.

This article will help you decide if the new Azure backup system is a good fit for you.

Understanding The Basics Of Azure Backup

With over 80% of all US companies having been hacked in the past year, a backup system isn't just smart to have in place if your computer crashes. It's also a great way to be able to restore your old system if your data has been hacked or otherwise compromised.

In a nutshell, Azure backup is a cloud-based system that helps its users create, manage, and deploy applications throughout all of Microsoft's datacenters.

What makes it different is that it's accessible anywhere, and you can customize your applications, tools, and other frameworks.

When it comes to the security and backup methods of Azure, you're mainly working within the Azure Security Center. It has a three-fold method of detection, prevention, and response to cyber attacks.

Even better? Azure has over 50 different offerings for compliance.

Now that you understand the basics, let's go ahead and take a look at some more specifics of the backup cloud.

Understanding The Different Types Of Azure Backup

With so many options available on Azure, it makes sense that it also offers three main different types of backup. They are:

1) Full Backups: This is when a copy of your data is made, and stored in the cloud. While it's certainly an effective way to ensure all your data is covered, keep in mind that it also takes up a lot of storage space.

2) Differential Backups: This type of backup finds the data that has changed or been added onto since your initial data backup, and then copies and stores just those new parts. This takes up less storage space and prevents you from having multiple copies of the same data. However, some of your data can still be backed up multiple times, even in differential backups.

3) Incremental Backups: This is probably the most popular type of Azure backup, as it takes up the least storage space and keeps your network running efficiently. Incremental backups work by storing the blocks of data that have been added or altered since the last time you backed up your data - not the initial backup, as in differential backups.

Incremental backups don't make multiple full copies of your data, saving you valuable space.

Note though, that all three options take roughly the same amount of time to complete their backups - so time-saving isn't really a factor here.

Microsoft Azure also gives you pay-as-you-go services when you're working with their backup options (more on that later.)

What Other Features Does The Azure Backup Offer?

Azure doesn't just stop with maximizing the benefits of incremental backups. It also...

• Offers unlimited scaling: Your data will be available anywhere, but you won't need to do much maintenance or worry about monitoring.
• Automatic Storage Help: This is probably one of the most popular features of the system. Since the software automatically allocates your backup, it saves you tons of time and effort. Their pay-as-you-use method means that you're only paying for the storage you use. Even better? Using storage devices that are on-premises won't cost you anything extra.
• Data Encryption: This is a huge security bonus of the Azure backup, especially since we know storing sensitive information in a public cloud is a source of stress for many. Since your pass phrase isn't stored or shared in Azure, meaning it can't be hacked - only you have the key.
• Data Transfer Is Unlimited: Not only is there no fee for data that's transferred, there's also no cap on the amount of data you can send or receive. Do note, though, that if you're importing especially large amounts of data, you may incur a fee after a certain level.
• Backup That's Consistent With Applications: Application-consistent backups provided by azure mean that no matter what type of server or application you need to protect, you won't need extra fixes. This allows for a much shorter restoration time, which everyone loves.
• Retention That's Long-Term: There's no limit to the amount of time that your data remains in the cloud of Azure, or in the Recovery Services portion of the program. This means that Azure is ideal for both long and short-term data retention.

Anything Else I Should Know?

Just a few more quick things.

• Azure doesn't require a backup server (as it's cloud-based)
• You can back up your data up to three times every day
• It doesn't offer Linux support
• Your data and backups are stored in the Azure Backup Vault
• It works with file, volume-level, and folder restores exclusively

Be aware that there are many different types of Azure backup systems - this is just a general overview of the overall features of the Azure system. If you need more information about the specific types and features of the Azure system, reach out to an industry professional.

Ready To Make Azure Backup Part Of Your Plan?

If this article has shown you that Azure is a great fit with your business, you're likely ready to get the ball rolling on the installation process.

No matter what type of business you're in, or the amount of data you need to protect, and the length you need to keep it in storage, Azure is a great solution for your company.

Ready to install the software and system on your network?

That's where we come in. To learn more about Azure, as well as other types of backup services, feel free to check out our website and blog.

If you have any more questions, please get in touch with us. We'll be waiting to hear from you, so we can start making your data safer today.