Amazon Web Services has officially announced AWS Backup, a fully-managed backup service for cloud and on-premises workloads. The cloud-based backup and disaster recovery (BDR) platform arrives just as rivals like Veeam and Rubrik line up major funding.
Early adopters of AWS Backup include Rackspace's managed services business, which plans to use the backup service to “help automate, manage, and monitor data protection for customers," the MSP says.
How AWS Backup Works
The AWS Backup service works with the well-known AWS Management Console. According to the cloud services provider (CSP), the backup service supports:
- Automation: create a policy that defines how frequently backups are created and how long they are stored;
- Cloud Data Protection: Backing up Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS), Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS), Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS), and AWS Storage Gateway.
- On-Premises Data Protection: Back up on-premises application data through the AWS Backup integration with AWS Storage Gateway, providing a common way to protect on-premises data in the AWS cloud, the company says.
Among our key questions:
- Third-party Cloud Backup?: Amazon did not mention whether the service will back up third-party IaaS and PaaS clouds (for instance, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform) and SaaS systems (Office 365, Salesforce, etc.) to AWS. Among the clues to consider: Sources say Amazon's focus is on adding additional support for AWS services.
- Home Grown or Acquired?: Amazon didn't mention whether the AWS Backup service involves the newly acquired CloudEndure business. But sources say this product is not related to the CloudEndure acquisition.
Cloud Backup: Crowded Market
Amazon is entering a fast-growing but crowded market, where most rivals offer multi-cloud BDR support.
Among the fast-growing players, Veeam confirmed a $500 million investment earlier today, Rubrik raised $261 million in Series E funding earlier this week, and Datto announced a new CEO earlier this month. Other fast-growth players include Druva and Cohesity. Also, key players like CloudBerry Lab have leaned heavily on AWS backup services.
We'll be watching to see if the Top 100 Public Cloud MSPs, in addition to Rackspace, embrace the Amazon service.
