Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

What is Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes?

Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes is the #1 backup and disaster recovery platform for Kubernetes - application-centric data protection for cloud-native applications, KubeVirt virtual machines and AI workloads. Kubernetes-native, policy-driven, multi-cloud.

Main functions:

• Application-centric - backup entire application (pods, PVCs, configs, secrets)
• Kubernetes-native - Helm deployment, API-driven
• KubeVirt VM Protection - protect virtual machines running on Kubernetes
• AI Workload Protection - backup AI infrastructure (Kubeflow, KubeRay)
• Cross-cluster mobility - DR and migrations between clusters
• Multi-cloud - AWS, Azure, GCP, on-prem

What Problem Does It Solve?

flowchart LR
    subgraph Traditional backup
        A[VM/Server backup] --> B[Storage snapshots]
        B --> C[Doesn't understand K8s]
        C --> D[Partial restore = broken app]
    end

    subgraph Kasten K10
        E[Application-aware] --> F[Backup entire application]
        F --> G[Understands K8s constructs]
        G --> H[Full restore = working app]
    end

    style A fill:#dc2626,stroke:#b91c1c,color:#fff
    style B fill:#dc2626,stroke:#b91c1c,color:#fff
    style C fill:#dc2626,stroke:#b91c1c,color:#fff
    style D fill:#dc2626,stroke:#b91c1c,color:#fff
    style E fill:#22c55e,stroke:#16a34a,color:#fff
    style F fill:#22c55e,stroke:#16a34a,color:#fff
    style G fill:#22c55e,stroke:#16a34a,color:#fff
    style H fill:#22c55e,stroke:#16a34a,color:#fff

Why traditional backup doesn’t work for K8s:

• Storage snapshot ≠ application backup
• K8s app = pods + PVCs + ConfigMaps + Secrets + Services
• Partial restore = corrupted application state
• Namespace dependencies, StatefulSets ordering
• etcd backup isn’t enough for per-app recovery

What’s New in Version 8.5

How Does Kasten Work?

flowchart TD
    A[Kasten] --> B[Application Discovery]

    B --> C[Namespace scan]
    B --> D[Label-based selection]
    B --> E[Helm releases]

    A --> F[Backup Components]
    F --> G[Kubernetes resources - YAML]
    F --> H[Persistent Volumes]
    F --> I[ConfigMaps/Secrets]

    A --> J[Export Targets]
    J --> K[S3/Object Storage]
    J --> L[NFS]
    J --> M[Secondary cluster]

    style A fill:#f59e0b,stroke:#d97706,color:#fff
    style B fill:#6366f1,stroke:#4f46e5,color:#fff
    style F fill:#8b5cf6,stroke:#7c3aed,color:#fff
    style J fill:#22c55e,stroke:#16a34a,color:#fff

Key Features

What Does Kasten Backup?

Component	What is backed up
Deployments/StatefulSets	Pod specs, replicas, strategy
Persistent Volumes	CSI snapshots or Kanister
ConfigMaps	Configuration data
Secrets	Credentials (encrypted)
Services	Network configuration
Ingress	External access rules
Custom Resources	Operator-managed resources
KubeVirt VMs	VM definitions, disks, snapshots
AI/ML Workloads	Kubeflow pipelines, KubeRay clusters

Who Is It For?

Kasten vs Competition

Aspect	Kasten	Velero	Portworx PX-Backup
Application-aware	Yes (blueprints)	Limited	Yes
KubeVirt VM Support	Yes (v8.5)	No	Limited
AI Workload Protection	Yes (v8.5)	No	No
UI/Dashboard	Full featured	CLI only	Yes
Multi-cluster	Native	Manual	Yes
Immutability	Native	Depends on target	Yes
Enterprise support	Veeam	Community	Paid

Kasten advantages:

• #1 Kubernetes Data Protection (GigaOm)
• Only platform with full KubeVirt VM support
• AI/ML workload protection (Kubeflow, KubeRay)
• Best integration with Veeam ecosystem
• Application-aware with blueprints (custom hooks)
• Enterprise-grade UI and monitoring

Specifications

Parameter	Value
Current version	8.5
Deployment	Helm chart (runs in K8s)
K8s versions	1.24+
KubeVirt	Full support (v8.5+)
AI/ML	Kubeflow, KubeRay
Storage	CSI drivers, Kanister, SMB, Azure Files
Export targets	S3, Azure Blob, GCS, NFS, SMB
Secrets Management	Azure KeyVault, HashiCorp Vault
Platforms	EKS, AKS, GKE, OpenShift, Rancher, vanilla
Licensing	Per-node or per-application

FAQ

How does it differ from Velero? Velero is an open-source CLI tool. Kasten is an enterprise platform with UI, multi-cluster management, application blueprints, KubeVirt VM support, AI workload protection, and full Veeam support.

Does it backup databases (PostgreSQL, MongoDB)? Yes. Kasten uses blueprints (Kanister) for application-consistent backups. Pre/post hooks ensure consistent state.

Does it support KubeVirt (VMs on K8s)? Yes, since version 8.5. Full support for VM-centric policies, VM restores, partial restores, and native file-level recovery.

Does it protect AI/ML workloads? Yes, since version 8.5. Native support for Kubeflow and KubeRay – backup and restore ML pipelines, models, and training data.

How does it integrate with Veeam Data Platform? Kasten is a separate product, but works with the Veeam ecosystem. Can export to the same object storage as Veeam backups.

What about licensing? License per-node or per-application. Free tier up to 5 nodes. Enterprise requires contact with Veeam/nFlo.

Does nFlo deploy Kasten? Yes. Deployments on EKS, AKS, GKE, OpenShift. Configuration of policies, blueprints for databases, KubeVirt VM protection, AI workload backup, DR between clusters.