Leveraging Azure for Failover and Backups

SQL Server 2014 introduces new features that simplify deploying disaster recovery to the cloud and management of off-site backup and restore processes. AlwaysOn Availability Groups (AG) can include cloud-based replicas in Azure Virtual Machines (VMs), although using Azure will require extra planning and configuration. New SQL Server Management Studio features include options that simplify automatic backups to Azure storage, and a new downloadable tool can automate backups of previous SQL Server versions, which could enable organizations to use Azure as a single off-site backup solution for SQL Server databases.

AlwaysOn AG Fails Over to Azure

Most organizations with production databases have implemented disaster recovery processes to protect their data and allow users to continue working after a failure. These processes use either multiple company data centers or third-party hosting providers. Disaster recovery is typically implemented by creating and maintaining a secondary server at a different physical location, which is ready should the primary server become unavailable due to server load, hardware failure, or a scheduled outage. The secondary server can assume the role of the primary server for an extended period, but it ultimately returns control to the primary server when the event is resolved.