At Silverstring, we’re seeing more and more customers looking to migrate their entire IT estate (or at least large parts of it) to the cloud. The two most popular cloud platforms among our clients are Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

A common question we get is: How do we migrate backup to the cloud, and which products should we use?

Cloud backup isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, and the right choice depends on a mix of technical compatibility, commercial viability, and usability. In this blog, we’ll compare three of the most popular backup solutions (Veeam, Rubrik, and Cohesity) focusing on their strengths and limitations when moving to Azure or AWS.

Azure vs AWS: Key Considerations for Cloud Backup

Before diving into the products, it’s important to understand that Azure and AWS handle workloads differently.

• Azure uses Hyper-V-based virtualisation, with its own quirks for managing snapshots, storage, and VM performance.
• AWS has its own native hypervisor, and while VMware Cloud on AWS is an option, it’s a different architecture from Azure’s approach.

These differences impact backup performance, recovery times, and cost efficiency when choosing a cloud backup solution. Now, let’s look at the top three contenders.

Veeam: The Flexible Choice

Pros:

✅ Strong cloud integration: Supports both Azure Blob and AWS S3 for scalable storage.
✅ Cost-effective: Licensing is similar to on-premise models, making it an easy switch.
✅ Virtual workload support: Works well with Azure VMs and AWS EC2 instances.
✅ Native snapshots: Integrates with both cloud platforms to optimise backup performance.

Cons:

❌ No built-in appliance: Unlike Rubrik and Cohesity, it doesn’t offer a physical or virtual appliance option.
❌ Storage cost considerations: While it supports both clouds, you need to manage your own storage tiers effectively.

Best for:

• Organisations that want flexibility and cost efficiency in managing their own storage.
• Customers familiar with Veeam in an on-premise environment who want an easy cloud transition.

Rubrik: The Security-Focused Backup Appliance

Pros:

✅ All-in-one solution: Combines backup, recovery, and ransomware protection in a single appliance.
✅ Immutable backups: Strong ransomware resilience, particularly in AWS with S3 Object Lock.
✅ Hybrid cloud capabilities: Supports on-prem, Azure, and AWS seamlessly.

Cons:

❌ Higher cost: Typically three times more expensive than Veeam for cloud storage.
❌ Limited flexibility: Requires a Rubrik appliance (physical or virtual), meaning it’s not as storage-agnostic as Veeam.
❌ Azure performance impact: While it integrates with Azure, it doesn’t fully optimise storage in the same way it does with AWS.

Best for:

• Organisations needing compliance-driven and ransomware-proof backups.
• Customers willing to invest in a premium solution with security as the top priority.

Cohesity: The Scalable Data Platform

Pros:

✅ Multi-cloud data management: Great for hybrid and multi-cloud setups.
✅ Deduplication & compression: Reduces storage costs significantly.
✅ Data reuse: Allows backup data to be used for analytics, testing, and dev environments.

Cons:

❌ High initial investment: Like Rubrik, costs are higher than Veeam, making it difficult for smaller budgets.
❌ Storage constraints in Azure: While AWS works well with Cohesity, Azure storage integration can be costly.
❌ Complexity: Offers advanced features, but requires skilled administrators to get the most out of the platform.

Best for:

• Enterprises with complex cloud environments wanting scalable backup beyond just protection.
• Organisations that want to extract value from backup data, rather than just storing it.

Which One is Right for You?

If you want flexibility, Veeam is the best bet. If security is critical, Rubrik is the strongest. If you need a scalable data management platform, Cohesity is a powerful option, but comes at a cost.

At Silverstring, we help clients choose the right cloud backup strategy based on their budget, compliance needs, and technical setup. If you’re looking to move your backup to Azure or AWS, get in touch, and we’ll help you build the right solution.