Azure backup for VM - Recommend policy settings for archiving of to-be-deleted VM

Question

Hi,

I have VMs that will soon be deleted and want to keep 1 backup/snapshot of the VM for archiving. What is the recommendation backup policy settings for such purpose?

The goals:

• Run backup on-demand only.
• Retain that snapshot/recovery point for 10 years.

When setting up new policy , there are fixed Frequency options Daily and Weekly only. Can I add the VM run backup once and disable back up for that VM; then enable tiering to have the recovery point available for 10 years?

TIA

Answer 1

Hello AH

Thanks for reaching out in the Microsoft Q&A!

To achieve your goal of creating a single on-demand backup and retaining it for 10 years with Azure Backup policies, you can follow these steps. First, during the configuration of a new backup policy, set the schedule to "Weekly" as there isn't an option for on-demand backups. This won't trigger any actual backups since weekly is the minimum frequency allowed. Next, configure the retention settings to keep the recovery point for 10 years (3650 days). Enable tiering to move eligible recovery points to the vault archive tier after a specified period, with Microsoft recommending a minimum buffer of 45 days. Once the policy is in place, you can manually trigger a backup job, either through the Azure portal or using Azure PowerShell or Azure CLI. Optionally, you can disable the weekly schedule to prevent any unintended future triggers. By following these steps, you'll create a backup policy that meets your requirements, ensuring a single archival backup is retained for 10 years while optimizing for cost-effectiveness.

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