# Geo-Redundant Recovery Services Vault Storage for Non-Critical Backups Canonical: https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/geo-redundant-recovery-services-vault-storage-for-non-critical-backups New Recovery Services vaults default to geo-redundant storage (GRS) for backup data, and the storage replication type can only be changed before the... By: PointFive Updated: 2026-09-28 [Cloud Efficiency Hub](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) The short version New Recovery Services vaults default to geo-redundant storage (GRS) for backup data, and the storage replication type can only be changed before the first backup is configured. PointFive Research Cloud cost research at PointFive Azure service [Azure Recovery Services Vault](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/azure-recovery-services-vault) Category [Storage](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/service-category/storage) Reference CER-0447 Type Inefficient Configuration ## Explanation Why the waste happens and who it affects. Teams creating vaults for development, test, sandbox or other non-critical workloads, or for data that is also protected elsewhere, rarely change the default before protecting their first item. From then on every GB of retained backup data is billed at the GRS rate, and the setting is locked. Microsoft's own guidance is to keep GRS when Azure is the primary backup storage endpoint and to choose locally redundant storage (LRS) to reduce storage costs when it is not, or zone-redundant storage (ZRS) when in-region availability and data residency matter. Cross Region Restore, which is available only on GRS vaults, adds further charges by upgrading backup storage to read-access geo-redundant storage. The premium applies to every GB retained, so it grows with the vault's retention. ## Billing model The pricing dimensions that drive this cost. Azure Backup bills protected instances and backup storage separately. Backup storage Billed per GB of retained backup data at a rate set by the vault's redundancy (LRS, ZRS, GRS or RA-GRS), separate from the protected instance fee Default redundancy New Recovery Services vaults default to GRS; the storage replication type can be changed only before a backup is configured Cross Region Restore Available only for GRS vaults; enabling it upgrades backup storage from GRS to RA-GRS and incurs extra charges, and it can't be reverted after protection starts Retained recovery points After moving protection to a new vault, recovery points kept in the old GRS vault continue to bill until they expire or are deleted ## How to detect 4 checks to find it in your estate. - Run the Microsoft FinOps Azure Resource Graph query that lists microsoft.recoveryservices/vaults with properties.redundancySettings.standardTierStorageRedundancy, and flag GeoRedundant vaults in non-production subscriptions or resource groups - Review each GRS vault's Properties \> Backup Configuration for Cross Region Restore and confirm whether there is a documented cross-region recovery requirement - For each flagged vault, list the protected items and their workloads to see whether they are reproducible, non-production or already protected by another copy - In Cost Management, group Azure Backup storage cost by vault and meter to size the GRS and RA-GRS storage premium ## How to fix 5 ways to remove the waste. - For new vaults used by non-critical workloads, set Storage replication type to Locally-redundant (or Zone-redundant) under Properties \> Backup Configuration before configuring any backup, and set it explicitly in IaC templates - For existing GRS vaults where history is not needed, disable soft delete, stop protection and delete backup data, then protect the workloads in a new LRS vault; this is destructive and cannot be undone - Where history must be kept, stop protection with retained data in the GRS vault and protect the item in a new LRS vault (for Azure VMs this requires moving the VM to another resource group, since a VM can be in only one vault); the retained GRS recovery points keep billing until they expire, and the first backup in the new vault is a full initial replica - Enable Cross Region Restore only for workloads with a regional recovery requirement, since it cannot be reverted once protection starts - Audit vault redundancy regularly with the FinOps query or a custom Azure Policy audit rule so new non-production vaults do not keep the GRS default ## Documentation Vendor references for pricing and configuration. - [Create and Configure Recovery Services Vaults - Azure Backup learn.microsoft.com](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/backup-create-recovery-services-vault) - [FinOps best practices for Storage learn.microsoft.com](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cloud-computing/finops/best-practices/storage) - [Pricing - Azure Backup azure.microsoft.com](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/backup/) ## Related inefficiencies [Browse the library](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) - Azure Recovery Services Vault CER-0281 ### [Idle Recovery Services Vault Backups and Suboptimal Backup Storage Tiering](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/idle-recovery-services-vault-backups-and-suboptimal-backup-storage-tiering) Backup data remains in a Recovery Services Vault after the original protected resource has been deleted. These orphaned backups continue to consume storage and generate cost despite no longer supporting an active workload. In addition,... Storage - Azure Files CER-0173 ### [High Transaction Cost Due to Misaligned Tier in Azure Files](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/high-transaction-cost-due-to-misaligned-tier-in-azure-files) Azure Files Standard tier is cost-effective for low-traffic scenarios but imposes per-operation charges that grow rapidly with frequent access. In contrast, Premium tier provides consistent IOPS and throughput without additional... Storage - Azure Blob Storage CER-0172 ### [High Transaction Cost Due to Misaligned Tier in Azure Blob Storage](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/high-transaction-cost-due-to-misaligned-tier-in-azure-blob-storage) Azure Blob Storage tiers are designed to optimize cost based on access frequency. However, when frequently accessed data is stored in the Cool or Cold tiers - either due to misconfiguration, default settings, or cost-only optimization -... Storage --- Source: the public page above. Product screenshots and illustrative interfaces are examples, not live customer data.