Commvault Cloud BYOL - Access Node VM

The Commvault Cloud Access Node (or Backup Gateway) is a customer-managed Azure virtual machine that acts as a proxy to read data from cloud and application workloads to copy into Commvault Cloud – enabling discovery, backup, and recovery. It is used when Commvault Cloud cannot directly access protected resources or when additional scale is required to meet backup performance requirements.

Key Features

• Smooth integration. Copies data from Azure workloads into Commvault Cloud for backup and recovery
• Supports protection of: Azure VMs, Azure Blob Storage, AKS, Cosmos DB, and more
• Agentless backup for Azure VMs and storage, and agent-based protection for supported applications
• Scale by deploying multiple Access Nodes in parallel to increase throughput and help meet backup window requirements
• Writes directly into Azure Blob Storage and other storage libraries
• New in V11.42 and higher: OS images are now pre-hardened with Center for Internet Security (CIS) Level 1 benchmark controls

When An Access Node is Required

Access Nodes are required in scenarios where Commvault Cloud cannot directly access workloads, including:

• Commvault Cloud BYOL or self-managed deployments
• Workloads in customer-owned VNETs/VPCs or regions with limited Commvault-managed infrastructure support
• Environments requiring customer-controlled infrastructure due to organizations or regulatory policy
• Deployments needing additional scale to meet backup performance objectives – especially customers with a lot of VMs or a large amount of cloud storage outside of Commvault Cloud architecture

NOTE: Commvault Cloud SaaS customer do not deploy or manage Access Nodes when using Commvault-managed infrastructure. SaaS customers may still deploy Access Nodes when protecting workloads in environments Commvault cannot directly access.

How it Works

• Access Nodes act as proxies that read and copy data from protected workloads into Commvault Cloud.
• Access Nodes are typically deployed per Azure region where data is protected
• Customers deploy multiple Access Nodes to increase throughput and meet backup window requirements
• During workload configuration in the Commvault platform, users are prompted to select an Access Node when a proxy is required
• In newer versions, Access Nodes can be deployed directly from the platform when users choose not to use Commvault-managed infrastructure

Licensing

• Access Node software is included with the BYOL Commvault Cloud software license
• Customers pay standard Azure infrastructure costs for VMs
• Costs vary by VM size, deployment region, and Azure pricing agreements or other discounts