DataStax has released DSE 6.8.9 with the future of backup and restore functionality through the DSE Backup and Restore Service feature. This service allows operators and administrators to perform backups and restores using the CQL API, making it easier and more efficient. The new feature includes a built-in role for backup operations, support for different storage types, and configuration options for adding stores and authentication. With this release, DataStax aims to simplify and improve the process of backing up and restoring data in distributed cloud-native databases like DataStax Enterprise.