NAKIVO Backup & Replication v8.1 BETA [Sponsored]

NAKIVO is working on v8.1 of their Backup & Replication solution. You can sign-up for the Beta and download a trial at https://www.nakivo.com/resources/releases/8.1-beta/. I installed this version in my homelab and gave the new features a spin. The full release notes are available at http://beta-helpcenter.nakivo.com/display/RN/v8.1+Beta+%282018-11-05%29+Release+Notes. The most important new features are:

Policy-Based Data Protection

NAKIVO Backup & Replication v8.1 revolutionizes the way companies manage their backup operations by introducing Policy-Based Data Protection. Set up policies for your data protection processes and have the corresponding VMs protected automatically. When you add VMs that match your specified criteria, NAKIVO Backup & Replication protects them automatically. Policy-Based Data Protection is a unique functionality offered by NAKIVO Backup & Replication that simplifies data protection management in virtualized environment. The feature allows you to set up policies that regularly scan your entire infrastructure and protect VMs matching policy rules, with little to no manual input on your part.

When you add a policy-based job, you can specify the condition and rules that make up the policy:

The following rule categories are available:

Policy-Based Data Protection relieves you from the need to chase new VMs or changes in your infrastructure. Once a policy is created, all the matching VMs are protected automatically. Whenever a VM’s status changes, the policy recognizes such change and excludes or adds the VM to jobs accordingly.

SSL Certificate Installation

The latest version of NAKIVO Backup & Replication lets you install an SSL certificate to allow for a secure “https” connection. I used the VMware VVD CertGen utility to generate a Windows internal PKI signed certificate:

The VVD CertGen utility generated certificate and private key can then be used to enable HTTPS traffic to the Nakivo server:

So, NAKIVO Backup & Replication v8.1 Beta allows users to import custom SSL certificates into NAKIVO Backup & Replication directly from the product’s UI. This allows for secure “https” connections, without putting sensitive data in danger of hacking attacks.

Universal Object Recovery

NAKIVO Backup & Replication v8.1 adds further versatility by introducing Universal Object Recovery. Whenever important application data gets deleted or modified, you can mount VM disks from a backup to your VM and use native application management tools to recover the data to your production database. Data loss is a common occurrence in ever-growing virtualized environments: application objects can be accidentally deleted, modified, or corrupted as a result of malicious attacks. With full VM recovery being a time-consuming process, the ability to recover individual application objects in the shortest time possible is critical.

Universal Object Recovery allows you to recover any object in your infrastructure – whatever the application or file system – in a matter of minutes. Simply mount the most recent backup to a VM and then recover the necessary data using the native application tools:

You can use NAKIVO Backup & Replication to recover application objects in a few simple steps: just open the Universal Object Recovery Wizard and select the appropriate recovery point. Once you choose the VM disks to be mounted, NAKIVO Backup & Replication attaches such disks to the specified VM or physical machine. All you need to do after the mount is log into the corresponding VM or physical machine and use native application tools to recover the data.

Universal Object Recovery is an efficient time- and resource-saving feature that provides you with multiple recovery options for flexibility. Recover anything you need near-instantly and make sure no important data is lost irrevocably because of disaster or simple human error.