Migrating cloud backups

Cloud Backups provide a cyber-resilient backup solution with secure off-site storage that is both scalable and often more economical than local hardware. BackupAssist supports Microsoft Azure, Amazon S3, WebDAV and S3-compatible cloud storage solutions. As your costs and requirements change, you may want to move from one cloud storage solution to another solution that better meets your requirements. This is especially true as more S3-compatible cloud providers and private cloud devices become available.

For example, an SME using Azure may have seen the amount of data it stores and the cost of that storage grow and want to move to a cheaper cloud provider like Wasabi. Or maybe a small firm wants to move from Amazon S3 to its own private cloud on a NAS device hosting an S3-comptible storage server.

This guide explains how to perform these migrations and update your backup jobs for the new destinations.

Considerations

• Your current cloud provider may charge for downloading or transferring data from the cloud storage.
• Some cloud providers have a daily transfer limit.
• The cloud backup migration process does not support WebDAV.

How to migrate Cloud Backups

Migrating a BackupAssist Cloud Backup from one cloud storage location to another can be performed using third party migration tools. There are many tools available and the cloud storage provider you are migrating to will often have a list of tools they recommend or support. The migration tools can be cloud-based or run locally and some have free versions with data limits.

To migrate a Cloud Backup to another cloud storage solution:

1. Choose a migration tool that the cloud storage you are moving to supports.
2. Set up the migration tool using the tool developer's documentation.
3. Run the migration using the migration tool developer's documentation.

In some cases, a cloud storage provider may have their own documentation.

4. Update the BackupAssist cloud backup job to point to the new destination.
5. Run a test backup.
6. Run a test file restore using a migrated backup.

How to update the Cloud Backup job

Once the backups have been moved to the new cloud storage, you need to edit the backup job that creates the backups so that it backs up to the new location.

To update the Cloud Backup job:

1. Select the BackupAssist Manage menu.
2. Select the Cloud Backup job that is to be modified.
3. Click Edit from the top menu.
4. Click Destination.
5. Click the Select new destination link. This will open the Change Destination Wizard.



6. Choose the type of cloud provider you are moving to: Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure Blob Storage or S3 compatible cloud storage.
7. Click Next.
8. Confirm the backup schedule.
9. Click Next.
10. Enter the settings for the new cloud storage.



Refer to the Cloud Backup page for more information on filling in these fields.

Note: Do not change the encryption password.

11. Click Finish.
12. Click Apply changes.

You can now run a test backup. The job should run a successful incremental backup to the new destination.

You should also perform a test restore of data from a migrated backup.

Migration example

A typical reason for migrating backups to a new cloud storage provider is to save costs and get better value. This type of migration often means moving from a large cloud storage provider like Microsoft Azure or Amazon S3 to an S3-compatible provider like Wasabi.

In this scenario, you would first check what migration tools Wasabi supports by reviewing their supported migration tools page.

You can then select a tool that suits your budget and requirements. You should also check that the tool has good documentation by either the tool's developer or the cloud provider that you are moving to.

For example, Flexify is a supported migration tool with a free option, and the migration process is well documented by Wasabi. So you can run a migration using Flexify by following Wasabi's Flexify migration guide.

Restoring from a migrated backup

If you are restoring from a cloud backup that has been moved, you will be advised that the backup cannot be found and prompted to Abort, Retry or Ignore. Clicking Retry will open the Locate Moved Cloud Backup screen and allow you to enter the details for the cloud backup’s new location.