VSPC (v7) Feature Request: Map backup jobs to customers


Userlevel 3

We run several Veeam B&R servers with multiple tenants jobs on each.

Currently we manually breakdown license instanace use for each tenant.

It occured to me, if we could map backup jobs to customers in Veeam Service Provider Console ( VSPC ) we could get that information quickly. In fact, we could have VSPC generate invoices for each tenant even though they are using a B&R server with other tenants.


13 comments

Userlevel 7
Badge +6

Feature requests should go in the R&D Forums.  If you’re not registered as a Service Provider, make sure you do so so that you can access the Cloud and Service Provider forum. As I recall, you can request access in your R&D Profile (hope that link works for you).

As for your request, I’m not sure that I follow completely.  When you say you have several VBR instances with multiple tenants on each, are you talking about VCC servers in your deployment?  If you have the same VBR server, not a VCC that you’re hosting, that is handling multiple tenants, then yes, I could see some value there as the company assignment tends to be per backup server or agent.  I’d be curious more about your setup as it seems a bit more non-standard.

 

Userlevel 7
Badge +20

Are you referring to management of the client VBR servers through VSPC?  If so, they need to turn that option on for management and then you can push licenses and control backup jobs, etc.

Check out Derek’s suggestion too in the forums if you have suggestions or enhancement requests. ☝🏼

Userlevel 3

We have multiple VBR servers which have backup jobs for different customers.

For example:
CustomerA, backup job: 17 VMs x 9 = 153 license instances
CustomerB, backup job: 14 VMs x 9 = 126 license instances
etc…

When we collect monthly license instance usage, we count the number of VMs each customer backup job protected. Then we invoice that customer for backup instance usage.

All VBR servers are reporting to VSPC. However, the servers with multiple customer jobs report all customers as a single instance count. We then manually break down that number for each customer.

If VSPC would map backup jobs to customers, it would do that break down for us.

Alternatively, we could install a VBR servers in each customer’s infrastructure. But that would not really be Backup-as-a-service ( BaaS ).

Userlevel 3

I have requested membership in the Cloud and Service Provider forum.

Userlevel 7
Badge +7

I have requested membership in the Cloud and Service Provider forum.

@Mildur 

Userlevel 7
Badge +20

We have multiple VBR servers which have backup jobs for different customers.

For example:
CustomerA, backup job: 17 VMs x 9 = 153 license instances
CustomerB, backup job: 14 VMs x 9 = 126 license instances
etc…

When we collect monthly license instance usage, we count the number of VMs each customer backup job protected. Then we invoice that customer for backup instance usage.

All VBR servers are reporting to VSPC. However, the servers with multiple customer jobs report all customers as a single instance count. We then manually break down that number for each customer.

If VSPC would map backup jobs to customers, it would do that break down for us.

Alternatively, we could install a VBR servers in each customer’s infrastructure. But that would not really be Backup-as-a-service ( BaaS ).

Yes, VSPC will do this for you as long as you connect the Customer VBR instances to your VSPC server.  You can then see the jobs and do license reporting.

Do note that if you don’t have the customer in the ProPartner Portal (VSPC Pulse) then it will create one for the license management piece.

Userlevel 7
Badge +6

I’m curious if you don’t mind my asking about the multi-tenant VBR servers?  Are they cloud hosted or hosted in your datacenter or something like that?  Or are the workloads you’re protecting cloud-based perhaps? 

Just trying to wrap my head around your particular configuration.  As a MSP, my clients are pretty much all hosted on-premise in their own datacenters, most of them owning their own licenses that we are monitoring/managing through the Service Provider Console, so each VBR deployment is specific to each client.  But I do have a couple that we provide the rental licensing as a VCSP, but we still have a VBR server on-premises to handle things and keep a local copy of the backup data. 

I am trying to research more of how folks are doing BaaS and such as a VCSP and what their architecture looks like, so just trying to better understand your configuration.  If you’re backing up to yourself as a VCC provider and just selling BaaS to the end customer, something I’m not currently doing, then I see that being different because you’re providing your own licenses vs the space I mostly live in currently.

Userlevel 7
Badge +6

We have 3 separate VBR deployments with one for our Cloud Connect clients that provides BaaS & DRaaS services.

We use VSPC as our main management tool as it integrates with Pulse allowing use to manage rental licenses for our rental clients. We also manage client’s own licensed VBR servers in VSPC as that allows us to view job status etc.

 

@JRofATI if your not using cloud connect then you could look at using the description field of a job to put the client details in and run a PowerShell report as an alternative? That's what we do for our managed IaaS platform.

Userlevel 3

I’m curious if you don’t mind my asking about the multi-tenant VBR servers?  Are they cloud hosted or hosted in your datacenter or something like that?  Or are the workloads you’re protecting cloud-based perhaps? 

Just trying to wrap my head around your particular configuration.  As a MSP, my clients are pretty much all hosted on-premise in their own datacenters, most of them owning their own licenses that we are monitoring/managing through the Service Provider Console, so each VBR deployment is specific to each client.  But I do have a couple that we provide the rental licensing as a VCSP, but we still have a VBR server on-premises to handle things and keep a local copy of the backup data. 

I am trying to research more of how folks are doing BaaS and such as a VCSP and what their architecture looks like, so just trying to better understand your configuration.  If you’re backing up to yourself as a VCC provider and just selling BaaS to the end customer, something I’m not currently doing, then I see that being different because you’re providing your own licenses vs the space I mostly live in currently.

Most of our clients are IT as a service. That is, we host their servers on our VMware hosts. We provide Citrix access to their applications, we backup their servers on VBR servers running in our data centers under our rental licenses. Some customers have VBR servers in their location which replicate and/or store backup copies using our Veeam Cloud Connect via the Internet. Again, they are licenesed under our umbrella and we manage the VBR servers.

I am using Veeam Service Provider Console to collect and monitor Veeam information from the on-prem VBR and remote ( customers premisis ) VBR servers.

The VSPC console shows every VM job, protected VM, agents, replications, etc.. from every VBR server.

We run our own backup storage SANs where the on-prem and VCC servers store backups and copies.

Userlevel 7
Badge +6

@JRofATI  you may want to subscribe to this forum thread as well as it seems to be a pretty similar request

https://forums.veeam.com/veeam-service-provider-console-f42/several-vbrs-to-use-with-vspc-t84652.html

 

*should say once you have access to the service providers forum

Userlevel 3

We have 3 separate VBR deployments with one for our Cloud Connect clients that provides BaaS & DRaaS services.

We use VSPC as our main management tool as it integrates with Pulse allowing use to manage rental licenses for our rental clients. We also manage client’s own licensed VBR servers in VSPC as that allows us to view job status etc.

 

@JRofATI if your not using cloud connect then you could look at using the description field of a job to put the client details in and run a PowerShell report as an alternative? That's what we do for our managed IaaS platform.

Mark,

I have considered writing a script to do the mapping I want. I might even finish it before the next world ending event. 😉

Userlevel 3

@JRofATI  you may want to subscribe to this forum thread as well as it seems to be a pretty similar request

https://forums.veeam.com/veeam-service-provider-console-f42/several-vbrs-to-use-with-vspc-t84652.html

 

*should say once you have access to the service providers forum

I was finally added to the Cloud and Service Provider forum. I referenced the link you posted above and plead my case there. Thank you.

Userlevel 7
Badge +7

I didn’t understand well your architecture @JRofATI , anyway I know for sure you can configure multiple SP account in a single VBR tenant..

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