Azure Backup Setup for Windows Workstations
This Microsoft Azure implementation protects your Windows workstations — desktops and laptops — with Azure Backup, replacing ad-hoc or on-premises client backup with a reliable, encrypted, cloud-based solution. IT Partner defines what to protect and the retention policy with you, prepares the Recovery Services vault, installs and configures the Azure Backup agent on each workstation, sets schedules, verifies that backup and recovery work, and performs a test data recovery. Server backup is offered separately as Back up your Physical or Virtual Servers using Azure Backup.
What this engagement is
Workstations hold more business data than anyone plans for: local project folders, finance exports, the one spreadsheet nobody moved to SharePoint. This service protects Windows desktops and laptops with Azure Backup, so a stolen laptop or failed drive is an inconvenience rather than a data loss. Each workstation in scope gets the Azure Backup agent, configured to back up the agreed files and folders to a Recovery Services vault on a schedule you approve. The vault stores the recovery points created over time, encrypted, with your choice of geo-redundant or locally redundant storage replication. IT Partner defines the backup goal and policy with you, installs and configures the agent on each workstation, confirms backups run to policy, fixes issues found during verification, and proves recovery with a test restore. The engagement is intentionally the workstation sibling of our server backup service — split so each is priced and scoped to the machines it actually covers.
Success criteria
What you receive
How the work unfolds
Confirm the workstations in scope, what needs protecting on them, and points of contact.
Define the protected folders, schedule, retention, and the storage replication choice.
Create and configure the Azure Recovery Services vault.
Install and configure the Azure Backup agent on each workstation.
Verify backups run to policy, perform a test recovery, and fix issues found during verification.
Prerequisites
Who does what
IT Partner
- Define protected folders and retention policy with the Client
- Configure the Recovery Services vault and Azure Backup service
- Install the Azure Backup agent on the target workstations
- Set up schedules and policies
- Verify the correct working of backup and recovery
- Perform test data recovery
Your team
- Coordinate Client resources and staff schedules
- Provide a dedicated point of contact responsible for working with IT Partner
- Ensure workstations are available, powered on, and reachable for agent installation and scheduled backups
- Configure all network equipment, such as routers, firewalls, and switches
- Review and approve engagement deliverables in a timely manner
What's not included
Limitations & technical notes
Frequently asked questions
What does this Azure Backup workstation implementation include?
IT Partner defines the protected folders and retention policy with you, prepares the Recovery Services vault with the agreed replication option, installs and configures the Azure Backup agent on the workstations in scope, sets schedules and policies, verifies backup and recovery, performs a test data recovery, and provides a project closeout report.
Which machines can this service protect?
Windows desktops and laptops on a currently supported Windows client version. The Azure Backup agent backs up the agreed files and folders to a Recovery Services vault. Servers — physical, virtual, or Azure VMs — are covered by the separate server backup service.
How is the service priced?
Pricing is per protected workstation plus a one-time tenant fee — see the price on this page. Azure's own backup storage consumption is billed by Microsoft under your subscription and depends on data volume and the replication option you choose.
Does creating a backup policy mean my data is already backed up?
No. A policy is only an instruction. The agent must be installed and healthy on each workstation, the first backup must complete, and recovery must be proven — which is why verification and a test restore are part of this service's acceptance criteria.
What about laptops that are often offline?
A workstation backs up only when it is powered on and connected during its scheduled window. During policy definition we set schedules that match how your people actually work, but no backup product can protect a machine while it is offline — that reality is built into the design conversation.
Is this a replacement for OneDrive?
They solve different problems and work well together. OneDrive syncs and shares working files; Azure Backup keeps versioned, centrally managed recovery points of the agreed folders, outside the user's control and safe from accidental or malicious deletion. If your goal is redirecting user folders to the cloud rather than backing them up, a OneDrive Known Folder Move rollout is the better tool and can be scoped separately.
Is a test recovery included?
Yes. The engagement is not complete until backups run to policy and a test data recovery has been performed successfully.
What happens after implementation?
You receive the closeout report with final status, acceptance criteria matching, and any outstanding issues. Ongoing backup monitoring, expanded documentation, and the sibling server backup service are available separately.