Want to protect your data? Our guide to Microsoft Azure Backups.

Undoubtably we’ve all had a moment in life when we’ve thanked our lucky stars for data backups - whether you had a power outage or a drink spillage, manual or automatic backups can often save the day. Backing up your important documents and data is essential in today's digital age where unexpected events like hardware failures, cyber-attacks, and natural disasters can cause irreversible damage to your information.

Thus, in anticipation of International Backup Day, we’re investigating how and why you should be using Azure to keep your documents and data safely backed up in the cloud. Cloud-based backup solutions like Microsoft Azure make it easy and convenient to protect your data and keep it safe, and we’ve compiled a handy how-to guide for keeping your business data protected.

What is Microsoft Azure?

To summarise, Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform and a collection of services offered by Microsoft that enables organisations to build, deploy, and manage applications and services through a global network of data centers. It provides a wide range of services, including virtual machines, databases, storage, networking, and analytics, among others, all accessible via the internet.

Azure offers a range of deployment models, including public, private, and hybrid clouds, enabling customers to choose the most suitable model for their needs. The platform also offers a variety of tools and frameworks, including DevOps tools and solutions for managing big data and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

Azure is designed to help businesses reduce costs and increase efficiency by providing scalable, flexible, and reliable computing resources that can be quickly provisioned and released. Whatsmore, Azure offers enterprise-level security and compliance features to ensure data privacy and regulatory compliance.

How can I backup my data with Azure?

One of the most popular services within the Azure platform is Backup, a facet which enables you to back up your data to the cloud to protect against data loss. As highlighted, any range of incidents can threaten the safety of your data, from malicious attacks to natural occurrences, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

To help you and your employees start backing up your documents and data with Microsoft Azure, we’ve compiled a step-by-step guide to getting started:

1. Create an Azure storage account: Go to the Azure portal, sign in with your Microsoft account, and create a storage account.
   
   
2. Create a container: In the storage account, create a container to hold your backup data.
   
   
3. Install Azure Backup agent: You need to install Azure Backup agent on the machine that you want to back up. Azure Backup agent can be downloaded from the Azure portal.
   
   
4. Configure backup: After you install the Azure Backup agent, you can configure backup by specifying the files and folders that you want to back up, the backup schedule, retention policy, and other options.
   
   
5. Monitor backups: Once you have configured backup, you can monitor the backup status and manage backup data from the Azure portal. You can restore your data whenever you need it.

Keeping Your Data Safe

As discussed, the benefits of backing up your documents and data with Microsoft Azure are innumerable. The service offers a reliable and secure backup solution that ensures your data is safe and available in case of any unexpected events. Providing an easy-to-use backup solution that requires minimal setup and maintenance - with inbuilt scalability that enables you to easily scale your backup solution as your data grows.

If you want to start backing up your data to ensure business continuity and compliance goals are being met but want additional assistance, then certainly your trusted MSP will be able to assist. At Fitzrovia IT, our Microsoft Solutions Certified team have helped countless clients develop and institute data backup solutions for their businesses. With insider knowledge and continuous training and development, our team of specialists can help you get the most from your Microsoft Solutions.

To discuss your current backup solutions, or to enable Microsoft Azure Backups for your business, contact our MS specialist team today.