One example includes performing a VM restore instance type discovery process, creating a test VM with a VM restore instance type matching a VM restore instance type identified during discovery, using the test VM to create a test restore VM at a cloud storage site, restoring the test VM at the cloud storage site using the test restore VM, generating a 4-D baseline vector based on the restoration of the test VM, the 4-D baseline vector identifying a particular VM restore instance type, generating a 5-D vector based on the 4-D baseline vector, ranking the 5-D vector relative to other 5-D vectors, the 5-D vectors identifying the same production site VM, and restoring, at the cloud storage site, the production site VM identified in the 5-D vectors, the production site VM restored at the cloud storage site has a VM restore instance type identified in the highest ranked 5-D vector.