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

Commvault Cloud BYOL - Access Node VM

di Commvault