Backup M365 and Azure with VDC

Backing up Microsoft 365 and Azure remains one of the most persistent blind spots in resilience strategies. Yet the shared responsibility model is crystal clear: Microsoft guarantees service availability, not the recovery of your data following accidental deletion, retention expiration, identity compromise, or a ransomware attack.

Faced with this reality, many organizations know they have a gap in their security, but lack both the time and the resources to deploy and maintain a dedicated backup infrastructure. This is exactly where Veeam positions Veeam Data Cloud: a fully managed SaaS platform from Veeam, where the vendor handles the infrastructure, software, and storage, while you retain control over your backup policies and restores from a simple web browser. In this article, I’ll take a closer look at the two offerings that cover the Microsoft ecosystem—Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365 (Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and Entra ID) and Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft Azure (IaaS and PaaS)—to see what they actually deliver and where their limitations lie. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Licencing for VDC

To protect Azure and M365, a subscription must be purchased. Veeam Data Cloud must be licencied by user or terabytes.

• User based licensing :One licence per user account. This licence is apply to M365, Entra ID and Salesforce.
• Capacity based licensing :One licence by terabyte of compressed backup data. Apply to Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services.

Configure VDC

In a web browser, go to the URL cloud.veeam.com. You can sign in using a Microsoft (M365) account or a Veeam account. Select the appropriate account. I use my M365 account to sign in.

From the Overview window, you can see the workloads that can be supported in Veeam Data Cloud

Configure M365 tenant

Click on Actions menu then click on Activate Invitation.

Two types of connections are available

• Auto Connection. Configuration is performed automatically. The application in Entra ID is automatically created and configured. In Veeam Data Cloud, the information related to Entra ID is automatically configured.
• Manual Connection. Using this mode, you can use an existing Entra ID application or perform the creation and/or configuration steps manually. In Veeam Data Cloud, the information must be configured automatically.

There are two types of connections available. Auto Connection is the automatic mode, in which the application is created in Entra ID and configured automatically. The Veeam Data Cloud configuration (application ID, etc.) is also handled automatically. However, you must log in with an account that has Global Admin permissions. In Manual Connection mode, the application must be configured manually in Entra ID. You can use an existing Entra ID application. Veeam Data Cloud must also be configured manually.

Check the option and click on Accept. Check the option to give consent for the organization then click on Accept.

Enter the name of the Tenant in Tenant Name then select the region for the storage.

Enter the service that must be backup ed and configure the Backup Policy type. It’s possible to configure retention by specifying the number of days or years, or by selecting unlimited retention. Click on Activate Tenant.

The Microsoft365 Tenant os now provisionned.

Configure Entra ID Tenant

On the Overwiew Windows, click on Entra ID. Click on Activate Invitation on Actions menu. A new Windows appear, click on Authorize buttons to configure the permissions needed by Veeam Data Cloud.

The list of the permissions needed is given. Click on Accept to configure permissions for Veeam Data Cloud on Entra ID application.

The Wizard appear, enter the Tenant Name and the Region. Configure the desired retention then select the Additional Ressources to Protect.

Click on Finish to configure the Entra ID tenant on Veeam Data Cloud.

Configure Azure Tenant

On the Overwiew Windows, click on Azure. Click on Activate Invitation on Actions menu. A new Windows appear, click on Authorize buttons to configure the permissions needed by Veeam Data Cloud.

The list of the permissions needed is given. Click on Accept to configure permissions for Veeam Data Cloud on Entra ID application.

The authorization has been successful configured. Click on Next.

Select the Azure Tenant. Click on the link to select the Azure Subscription. All subscription appear, select the desired and enter the Contact email. Select the default management region and the region name.

Click on Finish to add Azure Tenant. Azure Tenant is now provisionned.