Simplified backup and instant recovery for virtual machines

Virtual backup is the process of copying data from a virtual machine (VM) to another, separate location to prevent data from being permanently lost or damaged. Depending on traditional backup software is risky because VMs can end up in “resource contention”—meaning a conflict over access to a shared resource that can adversely impact performance. What’s needed is an end-to-end, software-defined solution for backing up all on-prem, edge, and public cloud VM environments at scale and to any point in time.

The VM is a standard unit for both compute and storage in today’s IT environments. Some organizations run IT environments that are completely or almost completely virtualized. VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, RHEV, and Nutanix AHV are popular hypervisor providers of virtual machines, and virtual machine backups are an important aspect of every backup and recovery strategy.

Robust VMware backup is necessary for business continuity because cybercriminals are increasingly targeting organizations’ data with ransomware. Analysts predict ransomware attackers will be targeting a business every 2 seconds by 2031. The most effective virtual backup solution will include comprehensive capabilities to detect and deter ransomware, and to help organizations with rapid recovery in case of an attack.

Having a simple, secure way to manage virtual backups is also a business necessity to meet compliance requirements. Auditors will often ask teams to prove they’re complying with long-term retention policies and can easily initiate data recovery if needed.

Modern backup solutions simplify backing up VMs. Cohesity, for example, integrates with VMware snapshot technology and VMware vCenter to:

• Consolidate disconnected, standalone backup software, target storage, proxy and media servers, and cloud gateways into a single solution
• Provide comprehensive data protection for a broad set of enterprise apps, databases, network-attached storage (NAS), and workloads running as virtual machines on the VMware hypervisor
• Globally search VMs, files, and objects across locations and instantly recover at scale to any point in time