protectiongroup

A protection group is a logical construct used in data protection software to group a set of data sources and systems for protective operations. The term is used across several backup and disaster recovery platforms and serves to define the scope of protection for a defined collection of assets.

The primary purpose of a protection group is to simplify administration by applying a single protection policy to multiple assets, ensuring consistent backup and recovery behavior across all included items. It typically governs what is protected, how often backups occur, how long data is retained, when recovery operations can run, and where replicas may be stored.

A protection group generally contains several components. Members can include servers, databases, file shares, virtual machines, and cloud resources. Each protection group is associated with a protection policy that specifies backup frequency, retention rules, scheduling windows, and restoration options. In some environments, the group may also define replication targets and disaster recovery settings, including recovery point objectives (RPO) and recovery time objectives (RTO).

Operations and lifecycle workflows for protection groups cover creation, modification, reassignment to different policies, and deletion. Operators monitor backup status, run restores, and manage permissions for access to the protected assets. Properly configured protection groups enable coordinated protection, consistent recovery planning, and streamlined governance across the protected environment.

See also: data protection, backup, disaster recovery, RPO, RTO, recovery plan, backup policy, replication.