Which Azure service must be configured prior to using Azure Site Recovery for a backup solution?

Using Azure Site Recovery for backup solutions requires the configuration of the Azure Recovery Services vault because it serves as a storage entity for backup data. The Recovery Services vault is specifically designed to manage backup and disaster recovery operations. It is responsible for storing backup data from on-premises servers, Azure virtual machines, and various workloads.

When you set up Azure Site Recovery, the vault holds the replication information and backup configurations and integrates with the management and monitoring of these services. The vault also provides options for applying retention policies, enabling encryption, and managing recovery points. Without the Recovery Services vault in place, Azure Site Recovery cannot function effectively, as there would be no storage location for the backed-up data or infrastructure to manage the replication process.