We have two Windows Server 2022 machines and one Server 2016 file server. They run five VMs between them. We currently use Windows Server Backup with three rotating USB drives per server, but it has been unreliable.
What would be a reasonably simple way to back up both the physical servers and the VMs?
Veeam is worth a look. It can back up VMs and also has an agent for physical machines, so you don't have to treat the hosts as an afterthought. Check the current licensing and supported versions against your exact setup before picking an edition.
First decide what needs a full system image and what could be rebuilt from configuration. The 2016 machine is doing file server work as well as hosting a VM, so its data and recovery needs deserve particular attention. Then test restoring a VM, individual files, and a physical server image.
A Synology NAS with Active Backup for Business is another option to check for this size of setup. Verify that it supports your server versions and hypervisor, and size the storage for your data and desired retention, not just the current used space.
You still need a separate offsite copy. That could be cloud storage or a rotated external drive, provided the copy can actually be restored independently of the NAS.
Where do the USB drives go when they're disconnected? Offline is useful, but it isn't necessarily offsite. A fire or theft could take out the servers and all the drives if they're kept together.
I'd aim for three copies of the data, including production, with one backup offsite. Keep an offline or immutable copy too, and make sure you have enough history to recover from a problem that isn't noticed immediately. Three drives alone don't tell you how much retention you have.
8p~bracket_302:
Rotated drives can work, but someone has to actually swap and transport them. Put checks around that task so a missed rotation gets noticed.
Do you need to back up every host as a complete image? If a host only runs the hypervisor, rebuilding it and restoring its VMs might be simpler. That's a different situation from a host that also provides files or other services directly.
Map out what runs on each machine before buying anything. If that distinction isn't clear, getting an IT professional or managed service provider to review the design could save a lot of trouble during a recovery.
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f31!brasskey_702:
Also check how long you can afford each server to be down. A backup that works may still take longer to restore than the business can tolerate.