DCIG is pleased to announce the immediate availability of its inaugural TOP 5 report on Microsoft Azure Cloud Backup Solutions. This TOP 5 report provides organizations guidance on the best backup solutions for backing up and recovering applications and data hosted in the Microsoft Azure cloud.
Based on these criteria, DCIG awarded the following Azure cloud backup solutions a TOP 5 ranking:
- Cobalt Iron Compass
- Commvault Backup and Recovery
- HYCU for Azure
- Unitrends Backup
- Zerto IT Resilience Platform
KEY SIMILARITIES
In reviewing these solutions, DCIG noted the TOP 5 solutions shared these characteristics to include:
- Back up and recover non-Azure databases such as MySQL, Oracle Database, and SAP HANA hosted in Azure. Each TOP 5 solution can protect MySQL, Oracle Database, and SAP HANA databases hosted in the Azure cloud.
- Perform instant recoveries. Each TOP 5 solution comes equipped to perform instant application or data restores to keep downtime to a minimum.
- Protect on-premises data. Any of these TOP 5 solutions can protect applications and data residing in the Azure cloud and on-premises.
- Protect VMware applications running in Azure. Each TOP 5 solution gives enterprises the flexibility to protect their VMware applications running in Azure.
KEY DIFFERENCES
The TOP 5 solutions also differ in some ways in how they respectively back up and recover applications and data in the Microsoft Azure cloud. These differences include:
- Deployment options in the Azure cloud. Each of these TOP 5 offers different options to deploy its solution in the Azure cloud. Two make their solution as an Azure cloud-native SaaS offering. Two deliver their software as a SaaS-based offering outside of the Azure cloud. Four make their software available as an Azure virtual appliance or as software organizations may host on an Azure VM.
- Backup storage. Every organization should confirm the Azure storage options each TOP 5 solution offers aligns with their requirements. While the solutions all support Azure Blob, each one manages Azure Managed Disks, Azure File, and Azure Blob storage tiers and regions differently. The use of these tiers potentially impacts backup costs and application and data recovery times.
- Protection of Azure applications. The TOP 5 solutions each differ significantly in their protection of general and specialized Azure applications. Organizations might expect them to protect applications such as Azure Active Directory, Exchange, and SQL Server on Virtual Machines. Four TOP 5 solutions protect those three applications. However, only two solutions currently protect SharePoint with three offering protection for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). Organizations using other specialized Azure applications such as AutoScale, Container Instances, or Function must choose even more carefully. Only one solution offers comprehensive support for these specific Azure applications.
- Protection of Azure databases. Organizations needing to protect databases such as Azure Database for MariaDB, MySQL, or PostgreSQL, among others, will find limited choices. Only three TOP 5 solutions protect Azure Database for MariaDB or MySQL while two protect Azure Database for PostgreSQL and Azure SQL database.
REPORT AVAILABILITY
The full TOP 5 report is available for download immediately at either of the two trusted third-party sites listed below. The full report contains additional details such as:
- A list of all twelve solutions evaluated
- Next generation Azure cloud backup features
- Azure cloud backup features that all Azure cloud backup solutions share
- A deeper explanation on the key similarities and differences between the TOP 5 solutions
- A profile of each TOP 5 Azure cloud backup solution that lists the ways it distinguishes itself from the other solutions
https://dcig.com/2020/09/dcig-2020-21-top-5-azure-cloud-backup-solutions-report.html