Enterprise-Scale Cloud Protection with Commvault and Azure Elastic SAN

Organizations are accelerating their move to the cloud. Microsoft Azure Elastic SAN offers a powerful solution for scalable, high-performance storage, purpose-built for mission-critical workloads such as large databases and analytics applications. Elastic SAN helps enable centralized volume management, cross-subscription support, and cloud-native agility.

Enterprises are empowered to confidently deploy and protect performance-intensive workloads in Azure now that Commvault integrates backup and recovery support for Azure Elastic SAN volumes.

Made possible through close collaboration between Commvault and Microsoft, we help ensure Elastic SAN volumes are protected within Commvault’s platform. We extend our thanks to the Microsoft team for their partnership and commitment to building robust, enterprise-ready cloud solutions.

Designed for Scalable, Resilient Cloud Environments

With Commvault’s integration, organizations can protect Azure Elastic SAN volumes attached to Azure virtual machines (VMs) using the same trusted platform they rely on for comprehensive data protection.

Key capabilities include:

• Snapshot-based protection: IntelliSnap support enables rapid, low-impact backups that minimize performance impact on production systems.
• Flexible recovery options: Full-VM and attach-disk restores are supported, including cross-region scenarios. In cross-region restores, Elastic SAN volumes are automatically restored as managed disks.
• Broad platform compatibility: Both Windows- and Linux-based VMs are supported. Elastic SAN volume discovery requires PowerShell on Windows or Python 3 on Linux.

Deployment and Configuration Considerations

For optimal performance and streamlined protection workflows, enterprises should consider the following implementation guidance:

• VM group strategy: For improved detection and operational control, group Elastic SAN-attached VMs into dedicated VM groups. During the initial release of this feature, the following key must be enabled at the VM group level: bAzureEnableElasticSanSnapBackupSupport
• Runtime requirements: The Azure VM Agent must be installed, and VMs must remain powered on for successful volume discovery. Volume detection takes approximately 30 seconds per VM, regardless of volume attachment status.
• Restore behavior: Snap restores create new volumes using the naming format <originalVolumeName_timestring>. These are not automatically reattached to the VM and require a follow-up script or manual operation. In some cases, VMs may retain their connection to the original Elastic SAN volume unless explicitly detached.
• Considerations: Restore points for Elastic SAN volumes are not currently supported. Attach-disk restores will result in managed disks regardless of source (primary or secondary copy).

Governance and Access Control

To support successful protection and recovery operations, appropriate Azure role-based access control permissions must be in place. These include permissions for Elastic SANs, volume groups, volumes, and snapshots. A full list of required permissions is documented in Commvault’s Azure documentation.

Be sure to review and integrate these permissions into your infrastructure-as-code templates or deployment scripts for smooth operation at scale.

Accelerate Cloud Confidence with Commvault

Azure Elastic SAN represents a significant advancement in cloud storage architecture. With Commvault’s integrated protection, enterprises can deploy this powerful capability to help make sure their data remains secure, recoverable, and compliant.

To learn more about protecting Azure workloads – including Elastic SAN – contact your Commvault account team or visit our Azure protection documentation.