What’s in Veeam Backup & Replication v11

At the end of February 2021, Veeam® Software, the leader in Backup solutions that deliver Cloud Data Management™, announced the latest release of their Backup and Replication solution. The 11th rendition of their software is now available with over 150 updates. As a Veeam Certified Service Partner, Assurance IT is thrilled to provide insights on what this means for you as a Veeam user. In this blog, we review what’s in Veeam Backup and Replication v11 and what we are most excited about.

‍

What you need to know

‍

Veeam’s latest release comes after a year of a dispersed workforce, increased ransomware attacks and companies’ need for more efficient software on a tighter budget. The Global Leader in Cloud Backup reveals that “data is harder to manage and control than ever before. In response to the new data protection challenges customers faced in 2020 and in anticipation of those to come this year, the new V11 includes reliable security and ransomware protection that fends off increasing risks of cyberthreats now and into the future, delivering unprecedented resiliency for companies of any size.” Now let’s jump into five prominent features of the release.

‍

1.Continuous Data Protection (CDP)

‍

Continuous Data Protection is the introduction of near-zero Recovery Point Objection (RPO). To recap, RPO is a maximum period on which data and operations can be lost between the last backup and the disruptive event. RPO is based on the company requirements and business continuity strategy. With CDP, businesses don’t have to worry about setting an RPO. The data is continuously backed up, so if anything happens, your RPO is almost zero and you can go back to normal business almost immediately.

‍

Our Thoughts

‍

This feature will affect every single Veeam User. It’s a game-changer. We are super excited about this new feature. If you have any questions, contact us here.

‍

2. Automate Data Lifecycle Management

‍

Veeam always focused on the Performance and Capacity of data for their clients. However, in Veeam v11, they included Archive through the Veeam Scale-out Backup Repository™ Archive Tier. It's where their new native support for Amazon S3 Glacier (including Glacier Deep Archive) and Microsoft Azure Archive Storage help customers manage their long-term archive needs. If you are currently using tape management for your long-term archiving needs, Veeam’s Archive solution is twenty times faster.

‍

Our Thoughts

‍

Although it’s great to see a full data lifecycle management, AWS Glacier is not the most reliable way to archive data. In our opinion, there are better archiving platforms that are less costly and more reliable. For more detail about what we mean, reach this blog about AWS Glacier.

‍

3. Additional Ransomware Protection

‍

Ransomware attacks are on the rise. According to a recent study, 20% of small businesses have experienced a ransomware attack. Ransomware isn’t going anywhere and businesses have to take precautions.

‍

In Veeam v11, businesses can “ keep backups safe with immutable, hardened Linux repositories compliant with SEC 17a-4(f), FINRA 4511(c) and CFTC 1.31(c)-(d) regulations, preventing encryption by ransomware, accidental or malicious deletions; based on general-purpose servers, without any hardware lock-in.”

‍

Now, what does this mean? It is not possible to delete or change immutable data. This was available in v10; however; it was only available for data backup where businesses had to invest in a storage unit or appliance for 3 to 5 years. In other words, the data couldn’t be touched for 3 to 5 years.

‍

Now, with the tick of a checkbox, you can make your original data safe in the Linux repository that you choose, like XFS, EXT, BtrFS, and more. In addition, immutability can be set for as long as you need. There is no minimum requirement of three years like an external storage unit would require.

‍

Our Thoughts

‍

Manageable immutability is desirable for many businesses. However, let’s not forget that ransomware is on the rise. Cybersecurity will be top of mind for every business within the next 10 years. Veeam v11 includes a lot of flexibility and simplicity but, before checking off boxes, determine a policy that the team follows so everyone is on the same page.

‍

Conclusion

‍

Overall, Veeam v11 includes dozens of other new features making this version one of our favorites. With cybersecurity in mind, Veeam is moving in the right direction.  For any questions on how to upgrade your Veeam solution, contact us here.

‍

__________________________________

Access The Untold Stories of IT Professionals.

Assurance IT launched IT Spotlight - a weekly newsletter putting the spotlight on IT professionals. Get the inside scoop on their careers, their predictions in the industry and more. Once a week, every week, find out what other IT professionals are up to. Learn more here.

‍

‍