In May 2016, Microsoft announced the general availability of Recovery Services vaults, based on Azure Resource Manager, for Azure Backup.

Since then, the software giant from Redmond announced a lot of new features that are available only for Recovery Services vaults. To enable customers to use these new features, Microsoft will upgrade all “old” (classic) Backup vaults into Recovery Services Vaults starting October 31st, 2017.

So what is a Recovery Services vault?

A Recovery Services vault is a storage entity in Azure that houses data. The data are typically copies of data, or configuration information for virtual machines, workloads, servers, or workstations. A Recovery Services vault is the Resource Manager version of a Backup vault. The following new features are only available in Recovery Services vaults:

  • Enhanced capabilities to help secure your backup data.

  • Central monitoring for your hybrid IT environment.

  • Role-Based Access Control.

  • Protect all configurations of Azure Virtual Machines.

  • Instant restore for IaaS virtual machines.

What could this change mean for you?

Beginning on October 31, 2017, your classic Backup vaults will be automatically upgraded/migrated to Recovery Services vaults without any downtime.

What actions am I required to take?

None, this upgrade will occur automatically, so there is no action required on your part, but…

How can I ensure that I’m in control of the upgrade/migration process?

You could just sit back and wait for Microsoft to do their magic, when they feel inclined to upgrade your Vault, or have a little more say in the what and when of the matter. You also have the option of manually upgrading your Backup vault before October 31, 2017. To upgrade your Backup vault in your own time, you can sign up for your Backup Vault or Site Recovery Vault below to be upgraded earlier.

Once your subscription has been white-listed for upgrade, Microsoft will contact you to proceed with the upgrade.

There is significant demand for upgrading to the RS vault, and Microsoft is expecting a number of customers to sign up for early upgrade.

You can sign-up for upgrade using the following links:

Backup vaults: Sign up
Site Recovery vaults: Sign up

If you need a little more reference, no worries.
Here’s the complete article from the Azure Backup team.

Leave a Reply