News

Veeam v13.1 Adds Azure Security, AD Recovery and Archive Tier

• By David Ramel
• 07/30/2026

Veeam Software has released Veeam Data Platform v13.1 and introduced Veeam Data Cloud Vault Archive, combining new cyber-recovery, Microsoft identity, cloud-security and workload-protection features with an archival storage tier for older backup data.

The Veeam Data Platform v13.1 announcement focuses on recovery from clean restore points, broader hypervisor support and additional application protection. The accompanying Vault Archive announcement introduces a lower-cost cloud tier for backups and unstructured data that must be retained but are rarely accessed.

Both offerings were generally available through its network of authorized partners, resellers and distributors, as well as cloud marketplaces. Vault Archive works with Data Platform v13.1 to apply policy-based tiering, archive large network-attached storage data sets directly and scan data before it enters long-term retention. Veeam describes the products as parts of the same backup lifecycle rather than separate storage and recovery systems.

Microsoft Identity and Azure Security Additions
The Microsoft-facing changes in Data Platform v13.1 include expanded cloud threat detection for Azure and an Active Directory Forest Recovery capability intended to accelerate identity restoration after a cyberattack. Veeam's technical overview of v13.1 says the release automates forest recovery by collecting and preserving required forest metadata during the backup process. Recovery information is therefore captured before an incident rather than assembled while identity services are unavailable.

The same overview documents additional Microsoft Entra ID coverage for organization contacts, device objects and BitLocker recovery keys. Protected objects can be exported to JSON with their properties and relationships, according to Veeam. The export process preserves original object IDs so that relationships among users, groups and applications remain intact.

Veeam also lists malware-detection coverage for Azure, NAS, Unix and Proxmox among the v13.1 security changes. The Data Platform release page identifies guided Active Directory forest recovery, restore-point validation, hybrid Federal Information Processing Standards support and post-quantum cryptography as release features. The cryptography work is alignment with National Institute of Standards and Technology standards.

Veeam Intelligence has moved beyond answering administrator questions and can investigate and act, said the company, which also lists an Experienced Backup Admin Agent intended to provide operational assistance.

Broader Hypervisor and Application Coverage
Data Platform v13.1 adds out-of-the-box support for six hypervisor platforms: Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization, Sangfor aSV, XCP-ng, Citrix XenServer, VergeIO and Platform9. The additions bring the total number of supported hypervisors to 14.

Enterprise application additions include purpose-built support for EPIC EHR, Db2 on Windows and Oracle with incremental merge. Veeam also introduced an Application Backup Repository for custom applications. The company said these capabilities allow organizations to place additional workloads under common security controls, reporting and recovery orchestration rather than relying on separate point products.

Storage-related changes in v13.1 include NAS Direct to Archive and support for long-term retention through AWS S3 Glacier, Azure Archive and other archive storage services. Veeam said the release also extends malware scanning to NAS and expands threat detection for cloud workloads, allowing recovery points to be checked before they are selected for restoration or long-term storage.

Vault Archive Targets Cold and ROT Data
Veeam Data Cloud Vault Archive is intended for aged backups, large unstructured data sets and data classified as redundant, obsolete or trivial, commonly shortened to ROT. Recovery-critical backups can remain on performance-oriented Veeam Vault tiers, while older data moves to the Archive tier according to policy. The Veeam Vault product page says aged backups can be tiered from Veeam Backup & Replication and that large NAS backups can be written directly to Archive.

The Archive tier uses immutable, encrypted and logically air-gapped storage. Customers control the encryption keys and can select where archived data is placed to address residency requirements. The product also supports recovery to alternate locations. Veeam describes the tier as supporting its 3-2-1-1-0 backup rule by providing an immutable and logically isolated archive copy.

The broader Veeam Vault service uses Microsoft Azure Blob storage, according to Veeam's product documentation. The company lists Archive availability across multiple Azure regions in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. Backups in Vault are encrypted in flight and at rest with AES 256-bit encryption and that immutability cannot be disabled.

Archive Tier Completes the Backup Lifecycle
Veeam positions Archive as an extension of its existing Vault service rather than a replacement for performance-oriented storage. Aged backups can move automatically into the lower-cost tier while recent backups remain available for faster recovery. The company's Vault Archive product blog describes a single lifecycle covering performance, capacity and deep-archive storage with policy-based movement between tiers.

Vault Archive also is presented as an alternative to physical tape. Veeam cites media handling, transportation, off-site logistics and delayed recovery as management considerations associated with tape. Archived data remains accessible on demand without physical-media handling, although the product is designed for infrequently accessed data rather than rapid operational recovery.

Veeam President of Products and Technology Rehan Jalil said, "Data powers organizations, and trusted AI requires trusted data," while describing the company's long-term retention strategy. In its v13.1 announcement, Veeam also stated that "Cyber threats aren't slowing down and resilience must be proven." The two releases connect that recovery focus with storage policies intended to preserve validated backup copies after they are no longer part of an organization's primary recovery window.

General Availability
Veeam Data Platform v13.1 and Veeam Data Cloud Vault Archive became generally available July 29. Data Platform customers can use the release's NAS archiving, threat-detection and restore-validation capabilities with Vault Archive, while Archive also can be obtained through Veeam's partner and marketplace channels.