Backup and Restore

Overview

The ESC backup service separates active VM data from backup data in multiple datacenters. For example, the data (or VMs) that need to be secured are stored/running in datacenter1, therefore the backup data are stored in datacenter2. Additionally, the option exists to secure backup data on both datacenter locations via replication. The backup service consists of multi-tenant infrastructure environments. No third party has access to the data of other tenants.

The backup infrastructure is built completely redundant and is considered to be fail-safe. Each datacenter has one dedicated backup infrastructure, operated in cluster mode. Without exception, all backup data on the infrastructure is Data@Rest encrypted, meaning that the data is automatically encrypted by the system before it is saved to the storage medium. Additionally, the data in transfer – i.e., the transfer of the backup data from the VM that is to be encoded to the backup medium - is encrypted as well.

Backup Services

Swisscom differentiates between two types of backup:

• Image-based backup (IBB): All data of the VM are secured by the VMware SnapShot technology and subsequently written onto the effective backup mediums (backup appliance). The latter is done through Swisscom's Data Protection solution (backup software). From the perspective of the consumer, it is always a complete backup that is done. From a technological point of view, however, it is a so-called incremental forever, meaning that only the data that has changed since the preceding backup copy was made, are backed up.

• Agent-based backup (ABB): A backup agent is installed on the VM that needs to be secured. Swisscom then configures the agent respectively to secure the data of the VM; both full and incremental backups come into play in this scenario. This method is particularly seen in database areas where a data-consistent restore is necessary.