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Protecting Azure Data Lake Gen2 Data with Metallic

By Michael Tschirret - Senior Manager, Product Marketing
February 13, 2023

Metallic® SaaS data protection for Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 enables smart modernization for Azure Cloud

Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 (ADLS Gen2) offers big data analytics capabilities for today’s businesses, extending the capabilities of Azure Data Lake Storage Gen1 by adding Azure Blob Storage. And while your data continues to grow as you drive digital transformation, the strength of the cloud also brings with it challenges, such as managing data sprawl, and mitigating risk of attack. Let’s look at how the strength of the Microsoft and Metallic partnership can help you manage that growth – and challenges – to modernize your cloud strategy.

Critical Workloads like ADLS Gen2 Require Advanced Data Protection

ADLS Gen2 is perfect for massive object stores containing archive, compliance, and analytics data. It provides file system semantics, file-level security, scale, and further adds value via low-cost, tiered storage.[1]

And while it provides high availability and disaster recovery using replication, it’s always important to be aware of what backup services are available to complement those. And there is no single solution that protects against user errors, data corruption, malware, ransomware attacks, and other threats – so it’s critically important to protect it against accidental deletion, ransomware, and malicious insiders.

That’s why companies need purpose-built protection to address the shifting nature of threats that go along with cloud modernization. Simply put, ensuring data integrity requires a different approach in the cloud. It is critical that production data workloads are isolated from the production domain and backup fills that role. And further, if you are using an on-premises option, you’ll also need to consider hardware failure as well as fire, flood and other force majeure scenarios.

Malware and malicious insider threats have never been higher, and unknown threats continue to proliferate – who can predict where the next one will come from? Enter Metallic, which delivers modern environment data protection and security for SaaS, on-prem, and cloud-native workloads – to now include ADLS Gen2.

Business Benefits of Metallic Backup for ADLS Gen2

To effectively manage your ADLS Gen2 protection strategy, Metallic offers a single solution for all data types. Whether you are on-prem, in the cloud, or in virtualized environments, the Metallic portfolio provides seamless backup and rapid recovery of servers, files, or objects – across your entire data estate.

Protection for ADLS Gen 2 is facilitated by Metallic File and Object Backup, which provides the simplicity of SaaS, plus unique storage flexibility for safeguarding file and object storage for Azure.  And Metallic meets stringent security standards and privacy protocols for advanced protection; data is protected by encryption in-flight and at-rest, while remaining GDPR-compliant.

When combined with Metallic® Recovery Reserve™, you can simplify your cloud data management with pre-configured networking and storage, reduce costs via efficient deduplication and no egress fees, and mitigate ransomware with secure air-gapped cloud data protection. Metallic Recovery Reserve complements Microsoft capabilities with resilient storage which can help protect against threats on production systems by isolating databases from the data protection domain.

It’s easy to shape your holistic backup strategy with Metallic, which also includes these features:

  • User-defined backup frequency
  • Cross-region recovery capability
  • Reduced TCO
  • Managed backup and recovery of services from a single pane of glass

Metallic Protection of ADLS Gen 2

Metallic File and Object Backup protects content groups, files and folders. Additionally, specific content groups can be backed up with full or incremental runs at the object level, to include metadata and ACLs (Access Control Lists). After a full backup, if the ACL of an object is modified, but the data has not changed, then the next incremental backup does not include that object. Incremental backups include only objects whose data has changed.

Of course, world-class protection means nothing without easy management for IT professionals. That’s why our ADLS Gen2 protection also includes:

  • Granular recovery and point-in-time restore
  • Fast setup within minutes and preconfigured plans
  • Storage of backup copies on local targets for faster recoveries

Continuous Leadership:  the Microsoft / Commvault Alliance

A trailblazer in protection of Microsoft workloads, Metallic is unique as a SaaS-delivered solution in its coverage across the Microsoft cloud – including Azure, Office 365 and Dynamics 365. And today, Metallic supports the broadest selection of Azure databases of any DMaaS solution, in addition to protecting Microsoft SQL Server. For more details, download the datasheet.

Together, we offer unmatched breadth of coverage and flexibility to protect across on premises, cloud and virtualized environments, including robust multi-cloud support. ADLS Gen2 is just one more way Microsoft and Commvault continue to evolve our partnership focused on digital transformation. 

Learn More About Metallic Backup for ADLS Gen2

ADLS Gen2 is currently in limited preview. Customers wishing to protect those workloads may request configuration to back up directly to Metallic Recovery Reserve or opt to bring their own storage (BYOS). Want to join the preview? Please contact us for more information on next steps – we’re happy to help.

Smart modernization, smart security, and smart savings for your Azure data estate starts with Metallic.

[1] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/blobs/data-lake-storage-introduction

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