The releases keep coming from us here at Veeam and off the back of updated versions Veeam Backup & Replication (v11a) , Veeam One (v11a) and Veeam Service Provider Console (v6) we have released new version of Veeam Backup for AWS v4 (Build 4.0.0.741) and Veeam Backup for Azure v3 (Build 3.0.0.666). This comes off the back of our August release of Veeam Backup for Google Cloud Platform v2.

The version numbers for the public cloud products are representative of their release order, and with each subsequent release the number of features and enhancements catches up with the others. What we have tried to do is produce a uniform look and feel to each of these public cloud products and keep features in step with each other, while recognising that each cloud platform does things slightly (sometimes drastically) differently to each other.

The value of using 3rd party backup products for protecting public cloud workloads can’t be undersold. Built-in native tools only go so far and actually adds to customer lock-in while added features and functionality add flexibility and choice.

Veeam Backup for AWS v4

Apart from the bonus of the free edition to get started with, there are a number of capabilities in v4 release which have improved on the v3 release and will prove valuable for customers looking to consume the product.

  • Amazon Elastic File Systems (Amazon EFS) can be protected using flexible policy-based scheduling and lightning-fast recovery to an exact point-in-time in just seconds to the original location or to a new location. Benefit from backup copies across AWS accounts and regions and protect yourself against outages caused by failures and disasters that affect the availability of file systems that are in the same location.
  • Amazon S3 Glacier and S3 Glacier Deep Archive Storage Class support Backup administrators can now automatically tier Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) backups to Amazon S3 Glacier and S3 Glacier Deep Archive Storage for the most cost-effective long-term retention and compliance of AWS data.
  • AWS KMS support Starting from this version, backup administrators can now use the AWS Key Management Service to encrypt backed-up data. This improves security and control over the keys and passwords used by the backup policies.
  • Standalone AMI deployment Veeam Backup for AWS can now be installed using the AMI deployment method. By utilizing either automatic or manual installation mode, you can customize the installation to your company’s needs. This feature is also fully supported via the RESTful API, making it easy to automate the deployment.

In terms of the other enhancements, the VeeamKB lists them all, but they include a number of UI and UX improvements such as new login screen, full page wizards and improved wording and help messaging. Backup and Recovery enhancements around support for multiple security groups and more as well as more integration with Veeam Backup & Replication to be able to see new EFS policies, the ability to update the appliance and as well as improved logging.

To upgrade, confirm that you are running Veeam Backup for AWS v3 (build 3.0.0.319) or later before kicking off the process and follow this guide. If you want to deploy fresh you can do that direct from the Market Place or, as I did today… use the new Standalone AMI deployment by searching for Veeam.

Backup for AWS and Azure

Veeam Backup for Azure v3

Again, repeating the message from above for AWS, there is also a free edition to get started with, and there are a number of capabilities in v3 release which have improved on the v2 release that are targeted at archive storage and account enhancements.

  • Azure SQL Support Veeam Backup for Microsoft Azure can now back up and restore SQL databases running either on a SQL Server or as an Azure SQL Managed Instance. Flexible policy-based schedule allows Azure users to perform database-consistent backups via pre-configure staging servers. The resulted backup file (BACPAC) can be used as a backup or an opportunity to test out any changes to SQL databases avoiding the interaction with the production servers.
  • Azure Archive Storage Class Support Backup administrators can now automatically tier backups to Azure Archive Storage for the most cost-effective long-term retention and compliance of Azure data. This functionality is available to both types of supported workloads, Virtual Machines, and Azure SQL databases.
  • Multiple Azure Accounts Support Backup administrators can now use a single Veeam backup appliance to protect multiple accounts and have a single pane of glass view across all registered accounts.
  • Role-Based Access Control enables the delegation of roles and access permissions to specific users, maximizing operational efficiencies while ensuring greater security.
  • Azure Key Vault Support Starting from this version, backup administrators can now use Azure Key Vault to encrypt backed up data. This improves security and control over keys and passwords used by the backup policies.

In terms of the other enhancements, the VeeamKB lists them all, but they also include a bunch of UI and UX improvements similar to what I listed above for AWS, from a security point of view there is a the addition of SSO and Azure acccount granular permissions, support for private Azure VM IP addresses and again, more integration with Veeam Backup & Replication to be able to see new workloads, update the appliance and have improved logging.

To upgrade, confirm that you are running Veeam Backup for Microsoft Azure v2 (build 2.0.0.303) or later before kicking off the upgrade mentioned in this guide and once again if you want to deploy fresh, you can do this direct from the Azure Marketplace.

Links and Downloads: