Blogs and Podcasts

 Veeam University Pro is a training program developed by Veeam with focus at end users. The platform is part of Veeam’s educational program and offers in-depth technical courses designed to help professionals achieve official Veeam certifications. It is a paid professional training program offered through an annual subscription. CertificationsVeeam has recently changed its certification program. Through Veeam University Pro, you can now prepare for the following certifications:VMCE – Veeam Certified Engineer Validates that a professional can install, configure, and manage the Veeam Data Platform.VMCE+ (new)Focuses on more advanced knowledge of the platform and integration bet

In this article, we’ll explore why backup validation matters and how you can validate backup integrity using Veeam Backup & Replication.A question I always ask customers. Do you test your backups? The answer I get is I don’t have the time or the resources. So, how do you know if the backup is good? Well, it's successful. A successful backup isn't always effective and should be tested periodically. Veeam can help validate the backups.Backups are often considered the last line of defense in any data protection strategy. However, a backup that cannot be restored is effectively useless. Many organizations invest heavily in backup infrastructure but overlook one critical aspect: backup validation.With modern cyber threats, ransomware attacks, and increasing data volumes, verifying the integrity of backups is essential. Fortunately, Veeam provides built-in mechanisms to ensure that backups are not only created successfully but can also be restored when needed.

Backup copy jobs are supposed to be the easy part of the second copy in a 3-2-1 design. In practice, they are one of the places Veeam gets misconfigured most often. Start with the biggest decision: Immediate Copy or Periodic Copy Immediate Copy mode Immediate Copy is source-driven. A new restore point appears in the primary job, and the copy job wakes up and tries to move it right away. There is no separate schedule controlling when the copy runs. The result is a copy repository that stays very close to the primary, usually only lagging by however long the transfer itself takes.That is the real advantage. If the primary repository fails shortly after the backup completes, the copy side probably already has that restore point.The catch is GFS.If a weekly GFS full is supposed to be created on Friday, but the sour

 High availability for VBR in v13 is not a general clustering feature for every backup server. It is a very specific design: two Linux Software Appliance nodes, one active and one passive, sharing the same external repositories and presenting a single cluster endpoint.That distinction matters, because a lot of people hear ‘HA cluster’ and assume shared backup data, multi-node active/active processing, or some kind of three-node quorum design. This is not that.The active node runs backup and replication operations. The passive node sits in standby, continuously receiving a replicated copy of the primary node’s configuration database. If the primary node fails, the passive node is promoted and work continues against the same repository infrastructure. The backup data does not move. The active role does. What is actually replicating between the nodes The thing being replicated is the V

Testing new backup technologies in a lab is one of the best ways to understand how they will behave in a production environment. Recently, I deployed another use case for Ootbi (Out-of-the-Box-Immutability) from Object First and integrated it with Veeam Backup & Replication in a small lab environment. This environment will also be used as a use case for my customer demos. The goal was simple:Deploy immutable object storage Configure it as a Veeam backup repository Run backup and restore tests Understand the operational experience What stood out most was how quickly immutable object storage can be integrated into a Veeam data protection architecture. Lab Environment OverviewFor this deployment, the lab environment consisted of the following components: Component Purpose

In this series we will be going over setting up the full Veeam Data Platform suite ready for configuration of each of the services it offers, but what do you get with the different subscription levels of VDPVeeam have information on the feature comparison here, but here is a rough breakdownFoundationFull hypervisor/agent support Instant recovery Backup for Entra Inline ransomware detection Immutability Syslog event forwarding Security Analyzer for VBR SureBackup Cloud VM supportAdvancedEverything in Foundation Veeam Threat Center And Threat Hunter Integrated AV Veeam ONE reporting and monitoring Veeam Enterprise ManagerPremiumEverything in Adv

In this article I'm going to walk you through deploying a SOBR from scratch in my lab environment — not just the wizard clicks, but the design decisions, the gotchas, and the things I wish I'd known the first time I built one at scale.In recent years, before Veeam introduced direct-to-cloud capabilities, SOBR was used for tiering backups to the cloud. It can still be used today and play into the 3-2-1 backup strategy. Another use case for SOBR is when you have multiple nodes for Object First or Exagrid and want Veeam to view them as a single backup repository. For this article, we’ll focus on Object First.The SOBR is one of Veeam's most powerful (and frankly, most underutilized) architectural features. It lets you pool multiple repositories into a single logical target, adds tiered storage with automatic offload to object storage, and makes managing the lifecycle of your backup data dramatically simpler. What is a Scale-Out Backup Repository?

 Have you ever wondered where we Veeam 100 members are distributed around the world?Based on Veeam 100 Directory | Veeam Community Resource Hub and the public location information I have from our LinkedIn profiles, I sat down and provided a world map that answers exactly the above question, or shows it on the map. In the backend, I use MapGeo and Google Sheets for this. As soon as you press directly on a member or their point on the map, the photo stored from the Veeam 100 Directory (in the Community Hub) opens.For short information such as names, titles and, if applicable, Blog URL just “hover” over the po

The updated NetApp lab-on-demand with Veeam protecting VMware workloads is live. It is based on the Windows VBR 13 version since the USAPI plugin is still in development TBD. The storage snapshot orchestration is still based on the ZAPI API. It provides a fast and easy way to demonstrate Veeam's goodness with NetApp. Immutability is provided by NetApp StorageGRID bucket with S3 object lock. Demonstrate a SQL backup and restore via app aware processing. What's a lab without a migration activity. This lab also includes an instant VM recovery to Hyper-V. The last section of the lab allows you to scan a backup with SureBackup. Since this is a lab, feel free to play around. To access the lab make sure you have a NetApp Support account with “partner” access link below. Once your NetApp account has been created click on the link for the lab link below. There is also a step by step lab guide that is easy to follow. Please use lab wisely so you do not get caught launching a lab and not using

Building a Veeam DR Runbook You Can Actually Use During an Incident Most Veeam environments are fine right up until someone asks the question that matters:“If the backup server is gone at 2 AM, what exactly do we do next?”That is where a lot of teams realize they have working jobs, hardened repositories, immutability, maybe even SureBackup, but not a real disaster recovery procedure. They have platform settings. They do not have a document another engineer can pick up and run under pressure.That is what a DR runbook is for.A runbook is not architecture documentation, and it is not a generic best-practices guide. It is an operational procedure for a specific failure. It should tell the person holding it what to do, in what order, how to verify each step, when to escalate, and what success looks like before they move on.If it cannot do that, it is not finished.

Dear all, this is just a quick guide, but maybe helpful for some of you!I had this behaviour with the latest release from yesterdays ISO, to patch to the latest release… After mounting the ISO and click on Setup.exe I received the following error:Unable to run the installer because files from this ISO are blocked for security reasons. Use the “Unblock” option in the file properties to proceed.  It’s an easy step, but keep in mind, this you have to do on the ISO file itself, not on the Setup.exe file 😉So right-click on the ISO, and choose Unblock under Security. Hit OK/Apply and have fun, while applying your urgent updates! 

Why Updates Matter & Why Order Matters Even MoreEvery software product loves a good update – fresh features, performance boosts, and a healthy dose of bug fixes. But in the world of a Software, updates aren’t just a routine chore; they’re a carefully orchestrated symphony. Many customers forget that the sequence of these updates isn’t random. If you ignore dependencies, you risk breaking the finely tuned harmony of your backup and monitoring infrastructure.So, before you hit „update all,“ remember: the right order keeps your environment running smoothly and avoids compatibility headaches. Here’s the recommended update order for Veeam products:Service Provider Tools (if u

Over the last few days I have been working through the Veeam Recovery Orchestrator Essentials training on Veeam University, which is part of the Veeam Data Platform Security Expert learning track.Are you coming from a background mainly focused on Veeam Backup & Replication and Veeam ONE, and want to learn how the Ochestrator fits into the bigger picture. This course is esentially for you. You will love it 😁. Veem Recovery Ochestrator (VRO) essentially closes the loop: backups are created with VBR, monitored with Veeam ONE, and then recovery itself can be automated and documented through the orchestrator.This self-paced course promises to automate runbooks, recovery plans, and compliance reporting, turning backups into testable DR workflows. Currently at 56 after the exam and now at 64% with the next chapter after powering through the marathon Chapter 4, with the exam score below. 

Latest Veeam Backup & Replication v13 introduces the Veeam Deployment Kit, a package used to enable certificate-based authentication.Once installed on a target server, Veeam leverages the certificate for authentication instead of the traditional username and password. You can find the complete procedure in this link:👉 https://nolabnoparty.com/en/using-the-veeam-deployment-kit/

Migrating VBR from SQL Server to PostgreSQL on Windows This migration is not a live database conversion.Veeam handles it through a configuration backup and restore cycle. You back up the existing VBR configuration, then restore it in Migrate mode to a PostgreSQL instance. The server stays in place. Jobs, infrastructure, schedules, credentials, and settings come across. The change is under the hood: VBR stops using SQL Server and starts using PostgreSQL instead.That matters now for two reasons. PostgreSQL became the default database for new VBR installs, and it is the only supported database option for the Linux Software Appliance. If the end goal is the appliance, or if the only reason SQL Server still exists in the environment is to satisfy VBR, this is the path that gets you off that dependency. When you need to do it, and when you can wait

Port conflicts in your Veeam environment? There’s a registry key for that.In this month’s Regkey of the Month, we look at how you can customize the network ports used by Veeam Backup & Replication through registry settings.Why would you do this?✔ Avoid port conflicts with other applications✔ Align with strict firewall or security policies✔ Gain more control over agent deployments and infrastructure communicationUnderstanding these lesser-known registry options can save hours of troubleshooting in complex environments.If you manage or architect Veeam environments, this one is worth a read.https://integriservices.blogspot.com/2026/03/regkey-of-month-march.html

Microsoft 365 (M365) has become indispensable in everyday office life: emails, documents, Teams chats, SharePoint – everything in one place, all in the cloud. But many admins rely too much on the idea that “everything is somehow secure.” That’s a mistake!  Why should you back up Microsoft 365 services at all?The well-known Shared Responsibility Model states: Microsoft provides the infrastructure, but you are responsible for backing up and restoring your own data.In short: Microsoft protects against infrastructure, network, and hardware failures and takes care of maintaining the Microsoft architecture and software. However, Microsoft is not respo

System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) centralizes and simplifies datacenter management by providing a single platform to configure, monitor, and control virtualization hosts, networking, storage, and deployment resources. Thereby, enabling administrators to efficiently provision and manage virtual machines and services across private clouds. Before integrating SCVMM with VRO, you must install the VMM Console on the VRO server. Else, the integration will fail. Note that, this article is a continuation of the following:Note: A Hyper-V cluster can be added to the Veeam infrastructure and is ready to serve as a source and target for backups, replication, and other operations.

My recent blog post was about installing the plug-in on a Windows server; this blog will go through the installation on a Veeam v13 software appliance.I recently deployed the Veeam Plug-in for HPE Morpheus VM Essentials version 13 (RTM) on my lab Veeam software appliance, which is running v13.0.1. Once tested, I'll have it available to demonstrate to my customers.Veeam has introduced a dedicated plug‑in that enables image‑level backup and restore for virtual machines running on HPE VM Essentials. This integration brings VM Essentials into the same unified protection workflow as VMware, Hyper‑V, and other supported hypervisors. The plug‑in is not bundled with the main Veeam Backup & Replication installer, so it must be added separately. What the Veeam Plug‑in for HPE VM Essentials DoesThe plug‑in extends Veeam Backup & Replication to understand and interact with HPE VM Essentials resources. Without it, Veeam cannot discover

Sometime last year, ​@ertelle1 created the below blogpost where she stated Veeam Recovery Ochestrator now supports Microsoft Hyper-V “Veeam Recovery Orchestrator 7.2 - Available Now!”With the current opportunity available to some of us as documented below, I have decided to create various articles to reinforce my knowledge.Since the Orchestrator server must be connected to the SCVMM servers or Hyper-V Cluster (which I no longer have in my lab) enviionrment. I will be showing you guys the steps to

A question I ask in all of my customer demos is, " Do you have a 3-2-1 backup strategy and most of the time, I get the answer yes. Other times, the answer is what is that? I’ll take that opportunity to educate them on what it is and how to protect themselves. In this article, I’ll go through what the 3-2-1 backup strategy is and how to implement the 3-2-1-1-0 strategy. IntroductionYou've probably heard the 3-2-1 rule a hundred times. Keep 3 copies of your data, on 2 different media types, with 1 copy offsite. It's been the gold standard of backup strategy for years — and for good reason.But the threat landscape has changed. Ransomware doesn't just encrypt your production data anymore; it hunts for your backups too. That's why the industry evolved the rule to 3-2-1-1-0, and if you're running Veeam in your environment, you're actually in a great position to implement every digit of it.In this post, I

 I am sharing with the community the procedure I followed to resolve the failure of the Application Aware backup  post-installation of Sentinel One. Exception procedure S1 VSS SafeBOOt Tamper ProtectionOpen Administrative CMD cd "C:\Program Files\SentinelOne\Sentinel Agent your-version"sentinelctl unprotect -k "<passphrase>"sentinelctl config -p agent.vssConfig.enableResearchDataCollectorVssWriter -v false -k""PASSPHRASE"sentinelctl config -p agent.vssConfig.vssProtection -v falsesentinelctl config -p agent.vssSnapshots -v false

Veeam Data Cloud (VDC) is Veeam’s cloud-delivered backup platform designed to simplify how partners deliver backup services. It removes the need to manage the underlying infrastructure while providing protection for Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Microsoft Azure workloads, Salesforce, and secure storage through Veeam Data Cloud Vault.If you’re a VCSP partner looking to explore VDC, getting started is fairly straightforward.The primary license administrator of the VCSP partner account (with an active rental agreement) can register the business for Veeam Data Cloud through VCSP Pulse.Steps to access Veeam Data Cloud in VCSP Pulse Log in to the ProPartner Portal and navigate to VCSP Pulse. In the top menu, go to Licenses and Subscriptions. Click Veeam Data Cloud Subscriptions.

Modern businesses today generate an extraordinary volume of operational data ranging from performance and capacity trends to risks and anomalies. When it comes to data protection, the data is there, and organizations need to use it to reduce risk and improve recovery readiness. This is where Veeam ONE, a component of Veeam Data Platform, comes into play. If you are already familiar, it’s no secret that Veeam ONE collects and stores data about virtual and backup environments. What’s important is Veeam ONE’s ability to transform this data into clear and actionable insights. Through its vast number of reports, you gain structured documentation of what is happening in your backup environment and why.  This helps bring to light any risks, issues and trends so you can plan and make decisions accordingly.  Veeam One’s HTML-5 based reporting engine provides maximum flexibility, allowing you to reorder columns and filter data sets based on your organization’s requirements. Different t

As a celebration after getting renewed as a Veeam Vanguard, I decided to invite myself to my own podcast 😂! (perhaps I can punch in two timesheets?)Joking aside, someone asked me the other day after listening to my long boasting session “so Geoff what are these communities anyways?”.. I thought good gracious you don’t know? Time for action! Why IT Communities matter? Here is my take!Listen: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2545760/episodes/18799148-why-it-communities-matterDownload: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2545760/episodes/18799148-why-it-communities-matter.mp3?download=true