Public cloud provides comprehensive disaster recovery options.
You can select Azure as a destination directly from the solution.
On August 10, Acronis announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft, enabling complete protection and management of Microsoft Azure cloud-based data using Acronis' data protection product line.

Acronis supports data protection for all Microsoft-based workloads, including workstations, servers, applications, and mobile devices, enabling end users, resellers, and service providers to leverage the benefits of Microsoft technologies. Acronis also supports complete backup of Microsoft Azure-based data through its enterprise backup solutions and services, Acronis Backup and Acronis Backup Cloud.

The new partnership between the two companies will enable customers and service providers to more easily store and leverage data in the Microsoft Azure cloud. Currently, Azure can be selected as a storage path (destination) option directly from the 'Acronis Cloud' user screen, and in the future, Acronis plans to continuously add data protection support services through collaboration with public cloud providers.

Previously, Acronis partners and customers who wanted to store data using Azure storage had to manually install and configure Acronis Backup Gateway. Now, upon request from customers and partners, Acronis and Acronis offer Azure services built into Acronis solutions.

Service providers can choose to purchase Azure storage directly from Microsoft or use data protection services from Acronis, including Azure storage costs in a single bill.

Integrating Acronis data protection solutions with Azure services will enhance the convenience of Azure-based services, enabling Microsoft partners to achieve higher revenues. Specifically, service providers can leverage Acronis Active Protection, an AI-based ransomware blocking technology, to complement their Azure-based offerings. Furthermore, collaboration with Acronis will broaden the reach of Azure for customers, offer new data protection service models to existing customers, and develop new revenue streams, thereby strengthening their market competitiveness.

Acronis' collaboration with Microsoft is part of a comprehensive strategy to support all types of workloads by ensuring the safety, security, accessibility, privacy, and authentication of all data, whether on-premises (local) or in cloud or hybrid environments. Acronis plans to provide diverse support to service providers by supporting over 20 platforms, including iOS and Android, integrating with the most widely used hosting automation platforms, Professional Services Automation (PSA) systems and Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) tools, and expanding cooperation with public cloud providers.

“A significant number of customers running Microsoft technologies rely on Acronis products to protect their data,” said John Zanni, Acronis President. “With simple, reliable, and efficient backups, as well as built-in security features to protect against ransomware, we’re enabling more customers to achieve comprehensive data protection. The option to specify Azure as the native storage destination further enhances the value of Acronis solutions, making them even more attractive to service providers with strategic relationships with Microsoft.”

Judy Meyer, General Manager, ISV Partners, Microsoft, said, “We are excited to see Acronis’ service innovations usher in a new era of ransomware response and data protection. Microsoft and Acronis have been working closely for several years on integrating public cloud services into the Acronis portfolio, and this partnership is a significant step forward.”

Acronis plans to continue expanding its Azure services partnership with Microsoft. The two companies will work closely to expand the AI capabilities of Acronis Active Protection, which has blocked over 200,000 ransomware attacks on over 180,000 customer devices over the past 12 months. The two companies have formed a joint research team in relation to this and are discussing specific tasks such as developing a sequence classification application using a hierarchical neural network to detect malware without executing malware code.

“Microsoft has been investing in AI for decades, including cognitive services, conversational AI, and machine learning tools,” said Steve Guggenheimer, corporate vice president and general manager of Microsoft’s AI business. “And now, we’re helping customers broadly leverage these AI technologies through our global cloud platform. By leveraging AI tools in the Microsoft Azure cloud platform and Acronis Backup Service, we can create valuable analytics services that help customers understand and manage their data more effectively.”