Minimal infrastructure overhead

The service employs a compact item of client software loaded onto any machine that is to be backed up, which monitors that machine and sends your data over the Internet to our secure data centres  - no further human intervention is required once the service has been configured (see Simple Service Configuration below), and multiple destinations may be specified as required (see Multiple Locations, below).

Secure handling and storage

By default, all data is encrypted on your machines before transmission to ours, using highly secure techniques (Blowfish with 448-bit keys). Not only can your data not be decrypted in transit, but Datacenta’s staff are similarly unable to view your data in clear when at rest on our servers. However, encryption may be turned off if you wish.

Continuous data protection

Unlike some other services, which may schedule backups to start at certain times of the day or week, Datacenta’s backup service may be always-on (although you may choose to prevent or throttle activity at undesirable times). Whenever a file has been updated, it is immediately made available for backup, captured with a new version number on our servers. (By virtue of Continuous Data Protection, it is undesirable to attempt directly to back up an open database. Therefore you are recommended periodically to dump open databases to a chosen location in your setup, using the database product’s native tools, and we back up from there.)

Data compression

You choose whether to have data compressed or not. Data being transmitted to remote locations is automatically compressed.

Differential data transmission

A key aspect of our service is that only the bytes in a file that have changed are transmitted (in encrypted form). This aspect makes for both speedy and efficient transmission while keeping your storage requirements on our servers to a minimum, alongside de-duplication capabilities.

De-duplication

In the event that you have multiple copies of the same file on your machine(s), we store only one copy, with pointers to it from the duplicated files (a copy is detected in advance by our client software, based on recognising the identical nature of content rather than any considerations of file name or directory residence). This capability further minimises disk storage requirements.

Multiple platforms

Our service can back up data stored on any of Windows, MacOs, Linux, Solaris or VMWare platforms. We can handle any mix of these in the event that you wish to disaster-assure multiple machines and/or multiple sites. 

Multiple locations

You may wish to employ our service to back your data up to both our remote data centre and also to a location in your local area, providing a facility for either rapid local restoration where circumstances permit (e.g. one disk has crashed but others are fine), or from our remote location when such local versions of files cannot be utilised or trusted. Datacenta’s service may be configured to operate this way as a standard feature of all Service Plans (see the section of that name, below) at no additional cost. However, where an existing local backup capability is already in operation or is already otherwise planned, the remote backup service may be all that is required.

Finally, as an optional add-on, we can replicate your backed-up data to our secondary, remote data centre, providing the ultimate in redundant backup.

Restoration of files

Files backed up are available online as soon as the backup has taken place, 24x 7, and are eligible for restoration either from the local backup or across the network via any normal web browser, depending upon the circumstances leading to the need for restoration (our engineers are available for consultation as to the best approach, where a managed service has been contracted for). You may restore a single file or a group of files in this manner, entirely at your discretion. However, where this is not possible (e.g. Internet access is impaired or out of commission), we are happy to copy selected files to appropriate media (specified by you) and despatch them to you, at a small additional cost per event. Our engineers are located in the very building that houses our primary data centre, to ensure the speediest response to restoration needs.

Built-in integrity

You are not buying a solution to provide backup – you are buying a solution to provide a capability of restoration. Automatic integrity checks built into our solution ensure backup data is always correct and ready when you need it, and in the unlikely event that data integrity issues are discovered they are automatically corrected via archive self-healing techniques. This process is completely transparent.  It is however monitored by our engineers in the data centre, where you have contracted for a managed service (see next panel) and reported upon.

Simple service configuration

To set up the service from scratch is simplicity itself. Following order acceptance, the process is as follows:

• We send you an email containing
• a URL from which to download the client to be installed on the machine(s) for which backup is contracted,
• a licence key,
• the URL of the server which will host your backups,
• Instructions regarding choice and deployment of username and password
• You log into the download server, and follow the simple instructions therein to download and install the client, thereby creating an account (you will need to specify an email address and password)
• You enter the license key provided, along with the name of the backup host server we supplied you at 1c above
• Using the facilities of the User Interface that opens up, you can specify which files you wish to back up (there are a range of options: by folder, by file type, by wild-card file names et al), or you can simply elect to adopt the default, which backs up whole user accounts.
• You specify any constraints you wish to apply regarding the amount of CPU used by the backup process (as a variable %), the extent of the available bandwidth you wish to allow (again as a %), times when backup is/is not to be running, how soon after saving it a file is to be backed up, how frequently data is to be integrity-checked, and for how long backups of deleted files are to be retained.

Thereafter, the backup process simply runs according to these parameters without further human intervention, until you decide to change a parameter or wish to restore a file from backup.

Self-Managed Service

The functional aspects of the are firmly state of the art, and for some, engaging with us to provide a remote, disaster-assured facility purely to host backups with automated weekly emailed reports, and event alerting of failures, fulfils a need. For such customers, we offer our Self-Managed Service.  However, for many organizations, the overhead of managing backup and restore processes, managing media, handling alerts etc. is just not a realistic, affordable option in terms of manpower and cost. For such organizations, we offer range of Managed Backup services, at two levels:

Assisted Backup

In this variant, we provide assistance with your initial setup (e.g. how to configure local backup alongside remote, how to configure times when backup is not to run, etc.) and a monthly management report  about when backups occurred, how much data was backed up, total storage currently in use and how many versions there are of each file on the server i.e. we relieve you of the burden of interpreting the weekly automated reporting and event alerting that is a feature of the Self-Managed service. In addition, if a scheduled backup fails to take place for whatever reason, we will take the appropriate action to rectify the situation in concert with your nominated representative.

Entrusted Backup

This service includes all the functions of the Assisted service, but additionally we work with you to develop a comprehensive plan for enterprise backup and restoration that reflects the particular imperatives of your business and IT environment, above and beyond just the restoration of data. This is reviewed with you annually. Thereafter, our engineers are actively and constantly monitoring your implementation. We telephone a named contact as soon as any irregularity is detected, and working with your own staff we participate in the processes of investigation and detection (remotely), for the  providing advice and guidance on actions to be taken. Using our skills, and applying the potentially complex regime identified in your customised plan, restoration and recovery becomes a swifter and more certain process. 

In both variants of the Managed Backup service, and at periods as defined below under Service Plans, we conduct with you a formal Service Review covering the period in question and examining all Incidents, Problems, Service Requests, Change Requests and any other related topics as are mutually agreed upon.

Datacenta’s support is based on the principle that your communication will be dealt with by an Engineer, not a Call Centre Agent (we don’t have them). Whether your chosen plan is based on email or telephone, contact with our Customer Support will require you to provide a summary of the Incident or Request as appropriate. The Engineer then captures the request in a return e-mail outlining the agreed scope, which is registered in our Incident Management system. Meeting the requirements specified in the email then forms the basis for later agreement that the case is closed. Of course, if you have contracted for Extended Managed Backup, it is Datacenta that will have detected the Incident, logged it and will already be working on the resolution as we contact you.

Resolution time for cases will vary depending on a number of factors, including but not limited to, complexity of the case, availability of customer data for analysis, availability of customer contacts etc.  Service requests will be delivered during business hours 5 business days per week.