Why does a major upgrade of Veeam Backup for AWS require installing the on-prem Veeam Backup & Replication console?

Hi everyone,

I wanted to raise a question regarding the upgrade process for Veeam Backup for AWS.
From my understanding, performing major version upgrades currently requires installing the on-prem Veeam Backup & Replication  — even if only the trial version — just to run the upgrade wizard.

This feels counter-intuitive and unnecessary for several reasons:

1. Veeam Backup for AWS is a cloud-native solution, often used in environments that don’t run any on-prem VBR infrastructure.

2. Requiring an on-prem installation introduces extra operational overhead:

   • Deploying a Windows VM

   • Installing and updating VBR

   • Managing firewall rules and connectivity

3. For customers who deliberately chose a fully cloud-based architecture, installing an on-prem VBR instance only for upgrade purposes breaks the expected simplicity of a SaaS-like product.

4. The appliance already updates minor versions internally — so having major upgrades depend on VBR seems inconsistent.

Is there a technical limitation behind this requirement?
Are there plans for a self-contained upgrade mechanism directly in the AWS appliance?

It would be great to hear if others feel the same or if Veeam has commented on improving this process in future releases.

Thanks!