FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
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Why do I need regular backups?
Your valuable business data can be lost from many unexpected causes such as:
- Accidental file deletion or incorrect editing. We have all done it!
- Power failures. We find many servers running with old Uninterruptable Power Supplies that are next to useless in the event of a power failure or power surge.
- Hard drive failure. Hard drives are mechanical devices and they fail eventually. Often data corruption occurs before the hard drive completely fails.
- Software malfunction. Sometimes bugs in your software can result in destruction of valuable data.
- Natural disasters. Fire, Flood, Lightning, even a blocked roof gutter can result in destruction of your server.
- Viruses can sneak past out of date anti-virus software and destroy your data.
Why is Cloud Backup better than my existing backup strategy?
There are many advantages to Cloud Backup.
- The trend towards online cloud backup is especially evident in the Small Business market - Online backup is often the most cost effective approach because with a lack of dedicated IT staff, the last thing they want to worry about is data security or backup.
- Improved reliability and speed of recovery - Having a backup solution is meaningless without a rapid and reliable method of recovering and restoring data. A cloud backup and recovery system allows for instant data recovery regardless of your location.
- More secure method of file transfer - Files selected for backup are encrypted before transmission to the cloud vault and remain encrypted once they reach their destination. The only decryption key resides with the client, and these safeguards are superior to unencrypted on-premise data backup and recovery systems.
- Reduced operating and administrative costs - Once you select a backup schedule, company data is saved automatically, providing an unobtrusive and transparent solution. This “set it and forget it” model results in less operational and administrative management for data backup.
- Stronger compliance safeguards - Your company will continue to assume liability for data security when moving to cloud backup, but the use of multiple data centers that are geographically diverse can offer a backup solution with far more reliability and redundancy than tape backup.
- Eliminates the shortcomings of tape backup - Tape backups are often expensive, vulnerable to obsolescence and can be lost or stolen when being transported off-site. Also, recovering data from a tape system can be slow process, especially if a tape needs to be retrieved from an off-site vault.
What happens when I need my data back?
For smaller issues such as deleted or corrupted files, restoration is almost instant from the on-site backup.
We can train you to do this yourself or you can call us and we can do it for you using our remote support software.
Backup solutions get tested when a real catastrophe arises. One of the major problems with all cloud backup services is that it is not possible to transfer the amount of data required to do a full server rebuild over the Internet easily and quickly. We keep a complete image of your server at our off-site vault in Melbourne so that in the event of your server being destroyed (by a fire for example), we can courier you a restoration drive and then install it using our remote support software or come to your premises with a portable hard drive and reload your new server with a complete image of your existing server. We can also restore your system image to a different hardware platform if your server is destroyed.
What happens if I accidentally delete a file?
You can run our easy to use backup and restore software to instantly recover deleted files from the local backup storage. Of course you can always ring us and we will recover the file for you using our remote access software.
What do I have to do to ensure my backups are running?
Absolutely nothing! Our backup software will email you each night with a status report after on-site and off-site backup finishes.
What can you back up?
- We can backup PC's (Windows XP, Windows 7, Vista) and Servers (Server 2003, Server 2008 and SBS 2011).
- We can do live backup of SQL Server, Exchange Server and SharePoint Server.
- We can do live backup of MS Outlook PST files (ie all of your locally stored MS Outlook email).
- We can backup the Windows System State (including Active Directory) – this enables bare metal & disaster recovery restore if your Server is completely destroyed.
- We can backup network-mapped drives.
- We can backup files of any type or size (subject to local storage availability and internet connection bandwidth).
Is my backup secure?
Data is encrypted during transmission to our off-site vault and then (if you require it) encrypted again when actually stored at the off-site vault. With this level of security comes increased responsibility. If your data is encrypted when stored at our vault, you will be the only person with the secure encryption key. If the key is lost there is absolutely no way your data can be recovered from the encrypted storage so we urge all clients using encrypted vault storage to ensure their encryption key is securely stored.
OK, you seem to have the belts and the braces, but I have some really business critical data
We offer a fourth level of redundancy for absolutely critical data. This data can automatically be backed up to Amazon S3 storage located in the United States or Singapore (your choice). Data stored at Amazon S3 is encrypted at Amazon and can be recovered directly from Amazon using a dual key encryption release. This enables your mission critical data to be recovered even if dual catastrophes occur and all data at your sites and our vaults should be lost.