Backing up virtual servers was a serious challenge for a number of years. Even today, many shops use traditional, agent-based backup to protect virtual servers. But it’s a classic example of something working well until it doesn’t. Virtual server backup has a threshold of sorts. If you just need to protect a few, or even more than a few virtual servers, agent-based backup will probably work out fine. But if you can’t count your virtual machines (VMs) on the collective fingers of your IT team, things can get a little bit iffy.
Resource contention and licensing costs are major issues, as is the difficulty to track and protect new virtual machines as they are created. However, these challenges can be avoided by choosing a VM-specific backup product. There are a number of third-party options available, and most legacy backup software products now offer a VM backup option. If you are experiencing VM backup issues or just getting started with backing up virtual servers, our Drill Down on VM backup can help.