Before setting up Azure VM Backup and Disaster Recovery, there are some prerequisites you need to fulfil. Here are the prerequisites for Azure VM Backup and Disaster Recovery:

Pre-requisites

1. Resource Group: Create an Azure resource group to logically organize and manage the resources related to Azure VM Backup and Disaster Recovery.
2. Recovery Services vault: Create a Recovery Services vault in Azure to store backup data and manage the backup and disaster recovery operations. The Recovery Services vault acts as a central hub for managing backup and recovery.
3. Backup Policy: Define a backup policy that specifies the backup frequency, retention period, and other backup settings. This policy determines how often your VMs are backed up and how long the backup data is retained.
4. Network Connectivity: Ensure that your Azure VMs have network connectivity to the Recovery Services vault. This connectivity allows the VMs to send backup data to the vault and enables communication for disaster recovery operations.
5. Permissions and Access: Make sure you have the necessary permissions and access rights to create and manage resources in Azure, including the ability to create and configure backup and recovery-related components.
6. Azure Site Recovery: If you plan to enable disaster recovery for your VMs, you need to have Azure Site Recovery set up. Azure Site Recovery helps replicate and orchestrate the failover of VMs to a secondary Azure region or an on-premises location.

Steps to setup Azure VM Backup and Disaster Recovery

Step 1: Sign in to the Azure portal using your Azure account credentials.

Step 2: Create a “Recovery Services vault” to store the backup and disaster recovery data.

1. In the Azure portal, click on “Recovery Services vaults” in the left-hand menu.
2. Click on the “Add” button to create a new Recovery Services vault.
3. Provide a name for the vault, select the desired subscription, and choose a resource group.
4. Choose a region to store the vault data.
5. Review the settings, and click on “Review + create.”
6. Once the validation is successful, click on “Create” to create the Recovery Services vault.

Step 3: Configure backup policies to define the frequency and retention period for backing up your Azure VMs.

1. In the Azure portal, navigate to the Recovery Services vault you created.
2. Click on “Backup” in the left-hand menu.
3. Click on “Backup policies” and then click on “Add.”
4. Provide a name for the policy, select the backup frequency and retention settings.
5. Choose the items to be backed up, such as Azure VMs.
6. Review the settings, and click on “Create” to create the backup policy.

Step 4: Enable backup for your Azure VMs to start protecting them against data loss.

1. In the Azure portal, navigate to the Recovery Services vault.
2. Click on “Backup” in the left-hand menu.
3. Click on “Azure Virtual Machine backup” and then click on “Backup.”
4. Select the Azure VMs that you want to back up.
5. Review the settings, and click on “Enable backup” to start backing up the VMs.

Step 5: Test backup and disaster recovery Periodically to ensure data recoverability.

1. In the Azure portal, navigate to the Recovery Services vault.
2. Click on “Backup” in the left-hand menu.
3. Click on “Backup items” to view the list of protected items.
4. Select a protected item (Azure VM) and click on “Restore VM.”
5. Follow the prompts to restore the VM and verify the data recovery process.

That’s it! You have successfully set up Azure VM Backup and Disaster Recovery. By following these steps, you can protect your Azure VMs and ensure business continuity in the event of data loss or a disaster.