Google recently unveiled three new enhancements to its Google Cloud Backup and Disaster recovery service aimed at helping customers manage backups more efficiently and securely. These enhancements are designed to improve agility and lessen the burden on IT teams.
One of the key enhancements is the ability for users to create backup vault storage systems that are resistant to modification or accidental deletion. The data stored in these backup vaults is housed in Google-managed projects and is “logically air-gapped” from Google Cloud projects. This feature provides added security for Compute Engine virtual machines (VMs), VMware Engine VMs, Oracle databases, and SQL Server databases.
The backup vault storage is not visible to users within the organization, which helps prevent direct attacks. Access to the vaults is managed by Google through its Google Cloud Backup and DR service APIs and user interface. Users also have the ability to set backup rules upon creating vaults, ensuring that backups are fully self-contained and accessible for recovery even if the source resource is no longer available.
In addition to the backup vault feature, Google is also introducing updates to its centralized backup management system. This fully managed service is a developer-centric, self-service model that enables app developers to back up their VMs while allowing storage and backup system teams to maintain governance and oversight. The system includes monitoring and reporting capabilities such as scheduled backup jobs, restore jobs, customizable reporting, and alerts and notifications.
Furthermore, the centralized backup management system is integrated with Google Cloud Identity and Access Management (IAM), enabling developers to establish backup protocols during the creation of Compute Engine VMs. This ensures that correct data protection policies are in place from the outset of project creation.
Both of these enhancements are currently available in preview, with the backup vault feature set to be generally available in the near future. During the preview phase, users can access these features through the user interface and Google Cloud CLI to protect Compute Engine VMs. Once the features are generally available, users will have access to APIs and Terraform for added convenience.
Overall, these enhancements to Google Cloud’s Backup and Disaster recovery service demonstrate Google’s commitment to providing robust and secure solutions to its customers. By offering more control and simplicity in managing backups, Google is helping organizations strengthen their defenses against potential threats like ransomware while also streamlining IT operations.