A method for backing up virtual machines, comprising: selecting, from an already distributed buffer, "ADB", , an already distributed entry, "ADE", comprising a virtual machine snapshot that has already been stored in a replica disk in a remote storage system, "RSS", at a remote site, wherein the ADB is located in a journal volume stored on the RSS; identifying, using the ADE the replica disk to which the virtual machine snapshot has been distributed, wherein the replica disk is one selected from a group consisting of a raw device mapping, "RDM", formatted disk and a virtual machine disk, "VMDK", formatted disk; identifying a consistency group, "CG", comprising at least the replica disk; setting an access mode for the CG to a logged-access mode, wherein when in the logged-access mode, access is granted to the virtual machine snapshot on the replica disk and writing of additional virtual machine snapshots to the CG is paused; after setting the access mode for the CG to the logged-access mode: deactivating a replica virtual machine, "RVM", operatively connected to the replica disk; restoring, after the deactivating, the virtual machine snapshot to obtain a logical volume, wherein the logical volume is hosted by the replica disk; and backing up the logical volume using a proxy virtual machine, "PVM", at the remote site, wherein backing up the logical volume using the PVM comprises: attaching the logical volume to the PVM; instructing the PVM to replicate the logical volume to obtain a replicated logical volume, wherein upon completing replication of the logical volume, the PVM transmits the replicated logical volume to a third-party storage system; and detaching the logical volume from the PVM. selecting, from an already distributed buffer, "ADB", , an already distributed entry, "ADE", comprising a virtual machine snapshot that has already been stored in a replica disk in a remote storage system, "RSS", at a remote site, wherein the ADB is located in a journal volume stored on the RSS; identifying, using the ADE the replica disk to which the virtual machine snapshot has been distributed, wherein the replica disk is one selected from a group consisting of a raw device mapping, "RDM", formatted disk and a virtual machine disk, "VMDK", formatted disk; identifying a consistency group, "CG", comprising at least the replica disk; setting an access mode for the CG to a logged-access mode, wherein when in the logged-access mode, access is granted to the virtual machine snapshot on the replica disk and writing of additional virtual machine snapshots to the CG is paused; after setting the access mode for the CG to the logged-access mode: deactivating a replica virtual machine, "RVM", operatively connected to the replica disk; restoring, after the deactivating, the virtual machine snapshot to obtain a logical volume, wherein the logical volume is hosted by the replica disk; and backing up the logical volume using a proxy virtual machine, "PVM", at the remote site, wherein backing up the logical volume using the PVM comprises: attaching the logical volume to the PVM; instructing the PVM to replicate the logical volume to obtain a replicated logical volume, wherein upon completing replication of the logical volume, the PVM transmits the replicated logical volume to a third-party storage system; and attaching the logical volume to the PVM; instructing the PVM to replicate the logical volume to obtain a replicated logical volume, wherein upon completing replication of the logical volume, the PVM transmits the replicated logical volume to a third-party storage system; and detaching the logical volume from the PVM. <EOS>