Why do you need to backup AWS workloads?
Cloud computing became so popular that it’s just a matter of time until all organizations in the world will incorporate cloud services in their IT infrastructure.
But why? What makes the cloud so popular? Businesses that are migrating to the cloud are looking after very clear benefits: eliminate the burden of maintaining an on-premises infrastructure, lower the costs and enable business scalability and flexibility. You can read more about benefits of the cloud in this nice blog post.
So long story short, implementing cloud technology is about simplifying logistic efforts. In this article I will talk about Amazon Web Services (AWS) as it’s the most popular provider, but no matter it’s private cloud, public cloud or hybrid cloud, there are clear benefits and the cloud became the new normal for every piece of technology we interact with.
But do I need to backup data if it’s in the cloud?
To answer this question, let’s recap what the cloud is with this definition from AWS:
Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of compute power, database storage, applications, and other IT resources through a cloud services platform via the internet with pay-as-you-go pricing.
I couldn't have said it better. You use compute infrastructure and you pay as much as you use. It’s like using an on-premises infrastructure and run VMs on it, except the part that you don’t have to build it, maintain it and secure it, you get all these in one package. But you would backup your on-premises infrastructure, wouldn't you?
The same applies to cloud computing. Let’s take a look at AWS Shared Responsibility model:
First, the Public Cloud provider. AWS is responsible to ensure the Availability of their services, to provide the selected resources (compute, storage, database, networking) and the physical security of the facilities in which the service operates. This is great, you don’t need to worry about the operational side of the services your run.
BUT
You do need to make sure your data is safe. There are many things that could go wrong with it: accidental deletion, ransomware attacks, compromised AWS account or AWS outages (unlikely, but it happens). AWS doesn't have access to your data and it’s not their job to manage it. If you run EC2 instances, it’s you who must perform security configuration and management tasks, including backup of your data. The same applies to updates and security patches for the OS and applications you are running.
Ok, I need to backup my AWS workloads. How do I do it?
Everything around us is powered by data — needless to say, it must be safe. The default way to backup EC2 instances is by taking point-in-time snapshots of your Amazon EBS volumes. Recently, Amazon introduced Data Lifecycle Manager for EBS Snapshots to enhance their backup capabilities. This cool feature allows to automate the creation, retention, and deletion of snapshots taken to backup your Amazon EBS volumes.
However, these backup tools provided by AWS are limited and not strong enough for a complete backup and DR strategy. For example, EBS snapshots are not application-consistent, meaning that you can’t backup applications while they are running. Moreover, it doesn't provide any options for monitoring and reporting and it lacks disaster recovery (DR) capacity, which can cause troubles for big enterprises or organizations running their production workloads in the cloud.
Luckily, Amazon Web Services is very popular and there are third-party solutions for comprehensive backup & DR on the AWS Marketplace, such as Veeam Backup for AWS. With such solutions, organizations are able to complement the native capabilities of AWS and achieve a high-level of data protection in the cloud: disaster recovery (cross-account and cross-region), file-level recovery and compliance. Businesses can also significantly lower their AWS bill with the ability of moving EBS snapshots to Amazon S3 buckets for long-term retention, turning their cloud investment into an even better deal.
Conclusion
It’s essential for organizations to understand that while they get many benefits from migrating to the public cloud, they are still responsible for their data. The ROI for a solid AWS backup & DR solution is very high — just imagine what would happen to your business in case of downtime and loss of essential data.
