Microsoft Introduces Cloud Database Backup Service for SQL Server

Making SAP Cloud Platform available on Azure wasn't the only recent addition to Microsoft's cloud ecosystem. The company also introduced an "infrastructure-less," pay-as-you-go data protection service called Azure Backup for SQL Server, allowing customers to back up SQL Server databases running on Azure instances. This approach frees administrators from managing backup agents, servers, storage and other components that are typically required to maintain database backups and recover data when disaster strikes, explained Anurag Mehrotra, a Microsoft Azure Backup program manager, in a blog post. Azure Backup for SQL Server hooks right into SQL's backup and restore APIs, enabling support for full, differential and log backups, along with providing space-saving capabilities like backup compression, noted Mehrotra. As a bonus, existing SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) users can monitor their backups with the tool. The offering also allows users of Azure Recovery Services to centrally manage their backups, including short- and long-term retention periods, and set email notification policies in case of issues that cause backup or restore failures. In terms of business continuity, the service supports 15-minute recovery objectives, Mehrotra said. When problems do arise, customers will be able to get back up and running by restoring databases down to a specific second.