Blogs and Podcasts

 Microsoft protects its cloud services like any other cloud and service provider worldwide. One of its Quality of Service protection mechanisms is API throttling, which helps prevent overload and ensures service quality for all customers. These limits affect all backup solutions based on the Microsoft Graph API, which naturally aim to achieve maximum backup throughput. Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365 and Veeam Data Cloud (VDC) must also operate within Microsoft’s technological constraints for backup. Since Microsoft recently actively removed the former workaround (multiple app registrations to bypass the limits) as of March 1, 2026, backup vendors are facing new challenges. See:

With this post I want to highlight the community again as we held our 1st in-person Veeam User Group event in Cologne yesterday. This was a curious one for us, because it was the first time we rotated and went way north in Germany and leave our sweet South and Southwest spot. However, it turned out we almost had 60 in-person attendees and only 4 no show attendees which is a huge success and the biggest success in our eyes. This means the Veeam community is really working, people love to attend the VUGs and get together. We couldn’t be more proud !A HUGE THANK YOU to our sponsor Scality who made sure we can have such an amazing venue, food, catering, a barista (!) and drinks throughout the day. A simple amazing effort which we highly appreciate ! Furthermore a huge thank you to Veeam, especially to everyone who supports the Veeam Usergroup behind the scenes. We also had a massive representation from the german Veeam100 people which is always a blessing to

Greetings friends! Today I want to share something that has been on my mind for a while, and I finally decided to tackle it head-on. If you're running Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365 with object storage (Wasabi, AWS S3, Azure Blob, or any S3-compatible provider), you've probably asked yourself:"How much space is each user actually consuming in my VB365 backup repository?"And if you're like me, exploring the Object Storage, you've also asked:"Wait... who is that GUID? And why is there data from an organization I deleted months ago still sitting there?"Spoiler alert: I found several GB of orphaned backup data that I could safely delete. But more on that little adventure later. Let's go!The Challenge: Understanding What's Really in Your Object StorageHere's the thing. Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365 stores backup data in object storage using

Hi all,I attach the step by step procedure to perform a PostgreSQL Database upgrade. PostgreSQL: CVE-2025-1094: PostgreSQL quoting APIs miss neutralizing quoting syntax in text that fails encoding validation KB4386: Upgrading the SQL Database Engine Software (Microsoft SQL Server or PostgreSQL) Used by Veeam Backup & Replication Ensure that there are no jobs or restore tasks occurring. Manually Create a Configuration Backup. (Optional) 

When running self-hosted applications in a homelab or on-premises environment, HTTPS is often the first thing to fall through the cracks. Self-signed certificates trigger browser warnings, and public certificate authorities like Let's Encrypt require your services to be internet-accessible. The solution? Run your own internal Certificate Authority.However, this is not a difficult problem to solve. Just setup an internal PKI using Step CA running as a rootless Podman container, then extend it to issue certificates for services on your network. In this first part, we'll focus entirely on getting Step CA up and running — initializing the CA, configuring automated certificate issuance, and setting up a systemd timer to handle renewals without any manual intervention.Create a new podman network for step-capodman network create ca-servicespodman network lsCreate a CA volume and Quadlet (quadlets are the preferred m

With the High Availability feature in Veeam Software Appliance 13.0.1, Veeam provides a neat way to make the backup server highly available. In this blog post I’ll briefly show how to configure HA, which prerequisites must be met, and what alternatives exist if HA cannot be used. Intro - The Basics The feature itself reduces downtime of the backup server in the Veeam Software Appliance. In general, two nodes are required; they can synchronize even across relatively high latencies. A manual switchover is possible, and a major advantage is automatic updates for both nodes. The goal is to offer fast disaster recovery without the need to keep a dedicated standby backup server, and then finally to restore the configuration backup. 

In the final article of this three-part series, we’ll explore how proactive operations with Veeam can help organizations reduce downtime and enhance data protection.By the time you reach this point, things feel different.You’re no longer chasing failures.You’re no longer guessing recovery times.You’re not constantly reacting to alerts.Instead, your Veeam environment starts to feel… predictable.That’s the goal.But scaling proactive operations isn’t just doing the same things on a bigger environment.It’s about operating with intention, consistency, and confidence—no matter how large things get.This is what that actually looks like in practice. 1. Health Is Measured, Not AssumedAt scale, you don’t rely on “it looks fine.”You rely on metrics and trends.What you know at any given time:Job success and warning rates Backup

Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM) and Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM), both part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), have officially reached end of support as of 14 April 2026 (today). From this point forward, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates, bug fixes, or compatibility assurances for these tools, similar to the lifecycle outcome observed with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT).Organizations that continue to rely on MBAM and AGPM must now assess risk exposure, validate operational dependencies, and define a transition strategy toward supported alternatives to maintain security, compliance, and long-term manageability.To help you transition away from MBAM and AGPM, I have outlined practical and supported alternatives in the following guides

IntroductionTo enable monitoring of your Veeam Software Appliance (VSA) with VeeamONE, the Veeam Analytics Service needs to be deployed on the VSA.The Veeam Analytics service not only enables communication with Veeam Backup & Replication servers to collect data but also allows to send remediation commands.Since the VSA is secure by design (hardened Linux-based OS, DISA STIG compliance, automated patching…) and that it enforces Zero Trust principles with role-based access control

Veeam Community Hackathon banner. Alfred is sitting in the middle of a desk. He is about to press the run button with his paw. Binary code and a slider are shown on the left of Alfred. In the middle, the word Hackathon is shown with arrowed lines pointing to icons and text describing several aspects of the Hackathon: Development, Brainstorm, Time, Presenting, Goal, Teamwork, and Community.🚀 Join the 4th Annual Veeam Community Hackathon (2026)!We’re excited to announce that the Veeam Community Hackathon 2026 kicks off on October 7, 2026 at 15:00 CEST / 9:00 AM EST — and registrations are now open! 👉 Sign up here: https://my.veeamhackathon.

Choosing the right object storage for backup and ransomware protection is not just about capacity — it’s about immutability, compliance, operational simplicity, and cost predictability.Here’s a clear comparison of three common approaches when using Veeam Backup & Replication: ✅ Veeam Vault (AWS/Azure)Designed as a managed STaaS offering, Veeam Vault delivers always‑on immutability, built‑in encryption, and a logical air‑gap by design. It integrates natively with SOBR and Capacity Tier, offers predictable per‑TB pricing, and removes infrastructure management overhead from the customer. ✅ Native AWS S3 / Azure BlobProvides strong integration and scalability, including Object Lock / immutable containers and support for compliance mode. However, immutability and air‑gap depend heavily on correct

Backups without notifications are like monitoring without alerting: you can live with it—until the day you can’t.Veeam Backup & Replication (VBR) and Veeam Backup Enterprise Manager (VEM) can send automated emails, for example when an event is triggered, like:Job success/warning/failure  Infrastructure warnings Licensing/support notificationsThe goal: you find out about problems as soon as they happen.(And yes: “no news” are also news—but only if you’re sure your email delivery is actually working.) Veeam Doku: E-Mail-Settings & Notifications (VBR v13)https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbr/userguide/pve_email_settings.html?ver=13

In Part 1, we talked about the difference between reactive and proactive Veeam operations.But knowing the difference is the easy part. The real question is:How do you actually make the transition—without overhauling everything at once?Because most environments can’t just stop and rebuild.They have to evolve.This is how you do it—step by step, without creating more chaos in the process. Step 1: Get Visibility (You Can’t Fix What You Can’t See)Before you change anything, you need a clear picture of where you are.Start with:Job success vs warning vs failure rates Backup job durations (are they increasing?) Repository capacity and growth rate Restore success history (if any exists)The goal:Understand your baseline.Not what you think is happening—what’s actually happening.Proactive

 Introduction: A Journey That Started with 3-2-1-1-0Five years ago, I published my first Veeam community post about the 3-2-1-1-0 golden backup rule. That post marked the beginning of my journey as a Veeam Legend.Back then, the rule was already considered best practice. Today, it is still relevant — but no longer sufficient on its own.The threat landscape has evolved. So our backup strategies need to follow.The Foundation Still MattersThe 3-2-1-1-0 rule remains the baseline:3 copies of your data 2 different media types 1 offsite copy 1 immutable or air-gapped copy

 When working with tape environments, tape backup troubleshooting in Veeam is often more complex than it initially appears. Many professionals associate errors directly with faulty media. However, in real-world scenarios, issues often originate from hardware behavior, environmental conditions, or subtle physical problems.In this article, I will share real troubleshooting cases and, more importantly, explain the reasoning behind each analysis. The goal is to demonstrate how to identify the root cause instead of relying only on error messages. Case 1 – Mechanical obstruction during tape movementScenarioBackup jobs started failing during tape movement operations between slots and drives.Observed symptomsFailures during load and unload operations Errors affecting a specific range of slots Intermittent behavior that initially appeared randomExample error:Unexpected slide

 In a recent customer project, I was allowed to perform a new installation of the Veeam Recovery Orchestrator (VRO). The installation itself was initially completely inconspicuous – but on a German-language Windows Server operating system, which later turned out to be a decisive factor.Immediately after the installation, we authorized the local administrator group within the Onboarding-Wizard to access the VRO system. So far, so good. Or so we thought! The result: No user who was a member of the local administrators group was able to log on to the VRO system.  Error: Access denied for the user 'User-within-local-Administrators-Group': the provided credentials are invalid or the use

Hello, veeamazing community,I am back with another Veeam Vanguard Newsletter packed with tons of great content! Go and check yourself what articles published our veeamazing Vanguards during the month of March!  Across these articles and videos, the authors cover a broad set of Veeam platform operations, security, and community themes: from urgent Veeam Backup & Replication (VBR) patching and remediation of critical CVEs (including guidance to update promptly) to platform upgrade and maintenance tasks such as upgrading embedded PostgreSQL and step-by-step Veeam v13 suite upgrades (Veeam ONE, Enterprise Manager, Recovery Orchestrator, and VBR). Several posts dive into v13 architecture and hardening, including Veeam Software Appliance / VSA customization via config files (instead of Windows registry), 

You might have missed it but this week Mr. Cloud Connect published a blog about setting up a test KMS server! Exactly a Month ago I was thinking the same thing and found it to be a world of pain. At the time I tried PyKMIP and Cosmian but had major issues. Then I tried vibe coding a KMS DIY server with my buddy Claude (well at times buddy at others arch enemy!!). I got to the point where Veeam accepted the KMS server but then the job would fail. ​@LDelloca did what folks at his level simply do, forked the old PyKMIP and added the bits and pieces needed! He is not known as Mr. Cloud Connect for nothing, see his blog here: https://www.virtualtothecore.com/fixing-pykmip-for-veeam-integration/My home lab is not big so I try to do everything in containers and for this I looked at his forked git

 1. Two Backup Methods, One Recovery Console Veeam provides two distinct methods for backing up Oracle databases. The first is image-level backup with application-aware processing, where VBR takes a VM-level or agent-level backup and handles Oracle archived redo logs as a guest processing subtask. The second is the Veeam Plug-in for Oracle RMAN, which integrates directly with Oracle's native Recovery Manager and sends backup data to a Veeam repository through the RMAN SBT (System Backup to Tape) interface.Both methods feed into the same recovery tool: Veeam Explorer for Oracle. Explorer can restore databases from either backup type through a single interface. The key difference is what each method captures and what recovery options each enables.  Capability

It was Christmas Eve. Most people were wrapping gifts, winding down, and logging off early. But for one of our clients  a construction company with decades of project data, intellectual property, and live customer records, that night would become one of the most terrifying in the company's history. A double-encryption ransomware attack had just taken down every system. Completely dark. Several other construction companies across the region were affected by the same attack that night. What made this attack different wasn't just its timing. The attackers were sophisticated. They didn't just encrypt the production environment they deleted the on-site Veeam Backup & Replication server, wiped the local backup copies, and went after the cloud backup repository too. I was a deliberate, calculated attempt to leave no recovery path. They almost succeeded. When the Call Came InAs a managed service provider, we know that dat

   Recently a customer asked me: “Is it actually a problem if I add a branch office with ESXi hosts that are managed by a vCenter to Veeam as standalone hosts instead of adding the vCenter? What impact does that have?” The short answer: Yes, it can have noticeable impact — functionally, operationally, and also in terms of backup consistency when VMs are moving (with vMotion). Best practice in general is to add the vCenter as the management instance in Veeam, not the individual ESXi hosts.  Okay, but why?  What is vCenter — and why is it more than “just” a GUI?  vCenter Server is the central management instance for VMware vSphere environments. It centrally manages

1. This Is Not Troubleshooting Troubleshooting is what you do when a job fails and you want to fix it. Forensics is what you do when a job has been failing for three weeks and nobody noticed, a VM dropped out of protection and nobody caught it, or a ransomware event hit and you need to prove your last clean restore point. The question is not "how do I fix this job." The question is "what exactly happened, when did it start, what was affected, and can I prove it."Forensics requires a different mindset than break-fix. You are not looking for the current error. You are reconstructing a timeline. You need session history, task-level detail, bottleneck data, and alarm records across a window of days or weeks. VBR stores all of this. The trick is knowing where to look and how to correlate it. 2. Where the Logs Live VBR keeps two categories of evidence: the configuration

 When a full restore is the wrong move When SQL breaks, the first request is usually narrower than “restore the VM.” More often it is “get this database back to before the bad change” or “show me what was in last night’s backup.” That is the sort of job Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server handles well.It opens a SQL-aware view into a Veeam Backup & Replication restore point and lets you pick the recovery method that fits the problem in front of you: restore a database, recover to a specific time, roll back to just before a bad transaction, publish a database from backup, run instant recovery, or export schema and data without rebuilding an entire machine.If the backup captured SQL correctly, the workflow is familiar whether the source came from a VM backup, Veeam Agent for Windows, or the Veeam Plug-in for Microsoft SQL Server. You can launch the Explorer from the VBR console, from the W

This is the first article in a multi-part series on From Reactive to Proactive: Running Veeam Like a Platform. In the next article, we'll look at the step-by-step process for completing this. Most Veeam environments don’t start out broken.They start out reactive.Something fails → you fix it.A job warns → you investigate it.Storage fills up → you scramble to add more.And for a while, that works.Until it doesn’t.Because as your environment grows, reactive operations turn into:Constant firefighting Unpredictable performance Unclear recovery expectationsAt some point, you realize:You’re not running a backup tool anymore.You’re running a data protection platform.And platforms need to be operated differently. What “Reactive” Actually Looks LikeMost teams don’t realize they’re reactive—it just feels normal.You check