Idle Recovery Services Vault Backups and Suboptimal Backup Storage Tiering

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Deepak Sreedhar

CER:

Azure-Storage-8704

Service Category

Storage

Cloud Provider

Azure

Service Name

Azure Recovery Services Vault

Inefficiency Type

Orphaned backup data and inefficient storage tiering

Explanation

This inefficiency occurs when backup data remains in a Recovery Services Vault after the original protected resource has been deleted. These orphaned backups continue to consume storage and generate cost despite no longer supporting an active workload. In addition, long-retained backups that are rarely accessed are often kept in higher-cost tiers, increasing storage spend without providing additional value.

Relevant Billing Model

Recovery Services Vault backup costs are driven by the amount of backup data stored and the storage tier used. Backup data continues to incur storage charges even after the protected resource is deleted, and higher-cost tiers are billed continuously regardless of access frequency.

Detection

Review whether backup items exist for resources that are no longer deployed
Identify backups that have not had recent successful backup activity
Assess whether long-term retained backups are infrequently accessed
Evaluate whether backup storage tiers align with access and retention requirements

Remediation

Remove backup items associated with deleted or decommissioned resources
Transition infrequently accessed, long-retained backup data to lower-cost archival tiers where appropriate
Reassess vault configuration decisions, such as redundancy and secondary-region backups, to ensure they match business and recovery needs

Relevant Documentation

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