We all have to reset our MFA from time to time. Phones get lost or stolen, or simply replaced. And sometimes we don't have a good way to transfer our MFA between devices. In my case, I enforce MFA on our Veeam Service Provider Console, but due to my phone being replaced, I was unable to transfer my MFA to my new device. In a lot of cases, there is a clear way to reset…
As the end of the year is quickly approaching, so also is the end of my first year as a Veeam Vanguard. I've posted before about my path to Vanguard and I've just submitted my renewal application for Vanguard status for 2026, but applications are now open for everyone that has an interest in becoming a Vanguard. If you want more information about the Vanguard program and what it takes to become a Vanguard, I…
I'm happy to report that Veeam has a new KB for any of those that are deploying the Veeam Hardened Repository v.2.0, Veeam Software Appliance or Veeam JeOS appliances from USB thumb-drive. I've notice this particular issue recently reported on Reddit and elsewhere where users are experiencing the error "An unknown error has occurred" when trying to deploy the appliance. I even experienced this exact issue when I was attempting to deploy the VHR v2.0…
Continued from Part 1 A New Role Over the course of the next few weeks, I had several interviews. I had a recruiter looking for me as well. Some really good leads, but some things just didn't pan out. Until I got a call from a recruiter from Kidwell. I had previously applied for a position at Kidwell, not really knowing much about them as I was located in Omaha and their main office was…
My Farming Roots and Education My father has said, many times, "Derek was a farmer. Until we got a computer." There's absolute truth to that. Growing up on the farm was a dream. Lots of open space. Peace and quiet. Animals. Farm Machinery. Working alongside my dad and grandpa. I loved being on the farm. Every Saturday and many days in the summer, I was over at my grandparents. Their farm was the family homestead,…
While Veeam may be getting a lot of publicity with VBR v13's release of the Veeam Software Appliance (VSA) and the upcoming VBR v13 Windows release, promised by end of year, let's not forget about Object First who builds some of the best immutable repositories specifically for Veeam. While there haven been varying sizes of Object First Ootbi appliances available, they really have been focused on larger businesses and enterprises. Object First's consumption model helped…
Welcome to September - one of my favorite months as my birthday is tomorrow. And as a present, Veeam has decided to roll out the highly anticipated Linux-based Virtual Software Appliance (VSA). This new "early release" v13.0 is now generally available to the public and its fully supported! There are of course several caveats with this initial release with several notes about future plans as it's not everything all at once. Because this is such…
Several months ago I came across an old Barracuda 290 backup appliance from a former client that was no longer in use. These old appliances don't generally have a lot of power, but I like to repurpose things for the lab or for experimentation when I can. For instance, I've previously repurposed a Datta ALTO 3 appliance as a Windows 11 workstation that works great as a jump-box to straddle my production and lab environments…
When you reference the Veeam Hardened Repository ISO, you'll note that the word "hardened" is in there. What makes the VHR "hardened"? I've touched on this before, but Veeam makes use of STIG's to harden the OS to the DISA recommendations. One of those functions used to harden the OS is USBGuard. And what is USBGuard? It's a service used to define a list of authorized USB devices that can connect to a machine. In…
I have this client - they're in the manufacturing vertical and utilize me for projects and maintenance of their SCADA environment. Because this is a secured environment, the network is segmented with no internet access for nearly all machines and very restricted access for those that require it. Running Veeam Backup & Replication segmented from the internet is generally no problem and in many ways is even recommended. And it has worked great for years…