You need to know how to back up files and folders to an Azure Recovery Vault and, when necessary, how to restore those files and folders.

Back Up Files and Folders

Backing up files and folders to Azure Backup is simple and follows a relatively straightforward process:

1. Create a Recovery Services Vault
To back up your files and folders, you must create a vault in the region where you want to store the data. You must also choose the storage replication type:

• Geo-redundant (GRS) (default)
• Locally redundant (LRS)

If you use Azure as the primary backup storage point, keep GRS as the default. If Azure is a secondary point, choose LRS to reduce storage costs.

2. Download the Files
Download the backup agent for Windows Server or Windows Client, along with the vault credentials. These credentials will be used in the next step to register the agent.

3. Install and Register the Backup Agent
Enabling backup via the Azure portal will soon be available. Currently, you must use the local Azure Recovery Services agent to back up your files and folders.

4. Back Up Your Files and Folders
The initial backup includes two key tasks:

• Schedule the backup
• Perform the first backup of files and folders

Restore Files and Folders

Once your backup is created, you can use the backup agent to recover the data. During restoration, you can:

• Select the recovery mode
  Identify the server on which the backup was originally created.
• Select the volume and date
  You can restore from any point in time. First select the date, then the time.
• Select the items to recover
  Choose the files and folders you want to restore.
• Specify recovery options
  You can restore:
• To the original location
• To another location on the same machine

If the file or folder already exists at the target location, you can:

• Create copies (two versions of the same file)
• Overwrite existing files
• Skip recovery of files already present

It is strongly recommended to keep the default option that restores the access control lists (ACLs) of the recovered files.

Further Reading

For more information, see the following document:
Azure Backup – Frequently Asked Questions

Next Unit: Perform Backup and Restore of On-Premises Workloads