Contoso could use Recovery Services vaults to store backup data for its various Azure services, such as IaaS virtual machines (Linux or Windows) and Azure SQL databases. A Recovery Services vault is a storage entity in Azure that hosts data, typically copies of data or configuration information for virtual machines, workloads, servers, or workstations.

What is a Recovery Services Vault?

Recovery Services vaults make it easier to organize backup data while reducing management overhead. A vault is a storage entity that retains recovery points created over time. It also contains the backup policies associated with the protected items. Recovery Services vaults support DPM, Windows Server, Azure Backup Server, and more.

Creating and managing vaults in the Azure portal is simple because the backup service is integrated into the Azure settings menu. This integration allows you to create or manage a vault in the context of the target service.

For example, to view the recovery points of a virtual machine, select the VM, then under the Operations section, click Backup. The backup information specific to that VM will appear. You do not need to know the name of the vault storing the recovery points—you can access it directly from the VM.

If multiple servers are protected by the same vault, it may make more sense to use the Recovery Services vault directly. You can search for all vaults in the subscription and then select one from the list.

Create a Recovery Services Vault

To create a Recovery Services vault, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to your subscription in the Azure portal.
2. In the navigation pane, select All services.
3. In the All services dialog box, enter Recovery Services. The resource list will filter based on your input.
4. From the resource list, select Recovery Services vaults. The list of vaults in the subscription will appear.
5. On the vault dashboard, click Add.
6. When the vault dialog box opens, provide the following settings:
   • Subscription: Select the subscription to use.
   • Resource group: Use an existing group or create a new one.
     • To see the list of available groups, select Use existing, then choose from the dropdown list.
     • To create a new one, select Create new, then enter a name.
   • Vault name: Enter a unique name to identify the vault in the Azure subscription.
   • Region: Select the geographic region for the vault. To protect a data source, the vault must be in the same region as the source.

You do not need to specify storage accounts for backup data—the vault and Azure Backup handle this automatically.

When ready, click Create.

Further Reading

For more information, see:

• Overview of Recovery Services vaults

Next unit: Implement Azure Backup Policies