Data Storage (Cloud DB)

1. Redundancy and Availability

Geo-Replication: SQL Azure uses geo-replication to ensure data availability. This includes active georeplication, which replicates databases across regions to guarantee business continuity in the event of regional failures.
Availability Zones: Databases are distributed across availability zones within the EU region to provide redundancy and high availability.

2. Data Security

Data Encryption: Data is encrypted both at rest (using Transparent Data Encryption – TDE) and in transit (using SSL/TLS). This ensures protection against unauthorized access.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Access management is centralized through Azure Active Directory (AAD), which allows fine-grained control over data access.

3. Backup and Restore

Automatic Backups: SQL Azure automatically performs full, differential, and transaction log backups. Full backups are taken weekly, differential backups every 12 hours, and transaction logs every 5–10 minutes.
Point in Time Restore: SQL Azure supports point-in-time restore, allowing you to restore a database to any point within the backup retention period (up to 35 days).

4. Resilience and Emergency Recovery

Disaster Recovery Plans: Azure SQL Database includes disaster recovery capabilities that ensure data availability even in the event of catastrophic failures.
Failover : In the event of a failure, the system performs automatically failover to a replica instance without manual intervention, minimizing downtime.

5. Monitoring and Management

Continuous Monitoring: SQL Azure provides continuous monitoring through Azure Monitor, which allows you to track performance and detect anomalies.
Alerts and Automation: Administrators can configure alerts for specific events using Azure Automation and Azure Logic Apps.

6. Compliance and Certifications

Security Certifications: SQL Azure complies with various security standards. safety and regulations, including ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27018, SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3, HIPAA and the General Data Protection Regulation Data (GDPR).