Stored in an application database is information about a set of applications. The information includes a name, version, and backup policy for the application. The backup policy specifies a backup frequency. A storage array is accessed in which a virtual volume of a virtual machine has been provisioned. There is an attempt to gather from the storage array details about an application on the virtual volume. Upon gathering the details, the application database is consulted to select a backup policy corresponding to the gathered name and version of the application. The virtual volume is backed up according to a particular backup frequency as specified in the selected backup policy.