In one example, a method for protecting data includes receiving input specifying a data backup process, consulting a resource map to identify backup resources that are available, and then checking a rules engine to identify a backup rule that matches the specified data backup process and that can be executed to perform a backup using the available backup resource. When a backup rule is identified that matches the specified data backup process and that can be executed to perform a backup using the available backup resources, the specified backup process is automatically performed using the identified backup rule.