Centralized backup and disaster recovery for Google Cloud and hybrid environments.
What is the Backup and DR Service?
The Backup and DR Service is Google’s central solution for data protection and recovery in the cloud. The service provides a unified platform for backing up Compute Engine VMs, Cloud SQL databases, GKE Persistent Volumes, and other workloads. Backup policies automate protection according to defined schedules and retention rules.
For disaster recovery, the service replicates backup data to another region. In an emergency, VMs, databases, and applications can be restored in the DR region. The central management console provides an overview of all backup jobs, compliance status, and storage usage.
The service supports application-consistent backups for databases such as SAP HANA, Oracle, and SQL Server. This ensures restored databases are in a consistent state with no data loss. Integration with Cloud Monitoring enables alerting for failed backup jobs. Backups are stored in a backup vault, which provides additional protection against deletion and ransomware.
Core Features
- Central Management: Unified console for all backup jobs, policies, and restorations
- Policy-Based Backup: Automated protection on schedule with flexible retention rules
- Cross-Region DR: Replication of backup data to another region for disaster recovery
- Application Consistency: Consistent backups for databases such as SAP HANA, Oracle, and SQL Server
- Backup Vault: Immutable, isolated storage as additional protection against deletion and ransomware
Typical Use Cases
Automated VM Backups with Retention Policies
Organizations define backup policies that back up Compute Engine VMs regularly and retain backups according to defined rules, e.g., daily, weekly, and monthly with different retention periods. The service executes backups automatically and monitors success.
Disaster Recovery for Business-Critical Databases
Cloud SQL and AlloyDB databases are replicated to a DR region. During a regional outage, databases can be restored within defined RTOs in the DR region. This meets business continuity requirements without own DR infrastructure.
Benefits
- Central management of all backups through a single console
- Automated backup execution with compliance monitoring
- Cross-region disaster recovery without own DR infrastructure
- Support for cloud-native and enterprise workloads
Integration with innFactory
As a certified Google Cloud partner, innFactory supports you with the Backup and DR Service: backup strategy design, disaster recovery planning, compliance requirements analysis, and migration from existing backup solutions.
Typical Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Backup and DR Service?
The Backup and DR Service is Google's central solution for backup and disaster recovery in the cloud. It backs up Compute Engine VMs, databases, file systems, and application data and enables restoration in the same or a different region.
Which workloads are supported?
The service supports Compute Engine VMs, Cloud SQL, AlloyDB, GKE Persistent Volumes, SAP HANA, Oracle databases, and other workloads. Backup agents also enable backing up on-premises systems and VMware workloads.
What does the Backup and DR Service cost?
Billing is usage-based on the size of the protected workload (frontend capacity), plus storage costs for the backup vault. Exact prices and SKUs are listed on the official pricing page.
How does disaster recovery work?
Backup data can be replicated to another region. In a disaster event, VMs and databases are restored automatically or manually in the DR region. Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) vary by workload type and configuration.
Note: All product information on this page has been compiled with care, but is provided without guarantee and may be outdated or incomplete. Cloud services evolve rapidly — features, pricing, SLAs, and availability change frequently. Authoritative and up-to-date information can only be found on the official product page of Google Cloud (official documentation). This page does not represent an offer by Google Cloud.
