Microsoft workloads and enterprise client backup

DPM provides workload-aware backup for top Microsoft workloads, namely Exchange Server, SharePoint Server, and SQL Server. This includes working closely with the workload team to jointly validate backup methodology in all configurations and ensuring they are fully supported both from the backup as well as workload perspective. Following is a list of the key workload protection features, some of which are recent additions in DPM 2012 R2:

 Added support for workloads running on the VMware platform. This is the first step towards providing a heterogeneous backup solution.

 Automated discovery of backup artefacts that need to be protected. Exchange and SharePoint have very complex deployments with multiple servers and SQL instances to be protected, all of which is automated.

 Backup for highly available deployments for Exchange Database Availability Group and SQL AlwaysOn, which typically require higher levels of data protection.

 Integration with Volume Shadow Service (VSS) to ensure full-fidelity backups with recovery point objective (data loss tolerance) as low as 15 minutes.

 Granular restore capability, such as mailbox recovery for Exchange Server, database-level recovery for SQL Server, and item-level recovery for SharePoint Server.

On the Client Backup front, support was added in Azure Backup to directly protect Windows Clients (desktops and clients) in Azure. There has been wide acceptance of this feature since customers like the fact that they can reduce their on-premises storage infrastructure and leverage Azure for it, but still take advantage of the enterprise scale management for client machines, such as central management, enforcement of compliance policies, auto-provisioning for new machines, and so on.

Source of Information : Microsoft System Center