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Data Backup FAQ's
What Security is used?
- 128-bit point-to-point SSL communication between server and client
- Support HTTP/HTTPS Proxy and Socks v4/v5 firewall
- Data is 128-bit encrypted when stored on the backup server
- Choice of different encryption algorithms, e.g. Twofish, Triple DES, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)
- Choice of different encryption modes, e.g. Electronic Cook Book (ECB) and Cipher Block Chaining (CBC)
- A random initializing vector, salt and iteration count will be generated by the software automatically for each file when encrypting your data
- Each backup user can restrict online access to his files to his pre-defined list of IP addresses
What are the System Requirements?
- Operating System:
- Windows 95 / 98 / ME / NT / 2000 / XP / 2003
- Linux kernel 2.2 or above ** (e.g. RedHat Linux 6.x or above, though the use of Linux kernel 2.6.9-34 or above is recommended)
- Solaris 2.x or above
- Mac OS X 10.2 or above
- NetWare 5.1 or above (with Perl v5.8.4 or above)
- All other operating systems that supports Java2 Runtime Environment 1.3.1 or above
- Memory: 128MB (minimum), 256MB (recommended)
- Disk Space: 100MB
- Network Protocol: TCP/IP (http/https)
How do I Install SecureITnet?
Before you can start backing up data to the SecureITnet Server, you will need to complete the online sign up form. Once you have successfully completed the signup process we will contact you with all the information of how to proceed. This includes:
- Where to download the client software from.
- Your username, (supplied by email to your contact email address.
- Your password, (supplied by telephone for security reasons), to your contact telephone number
- How to install and configure SecureITnet.
Is my data Encrypted?
Before your files are sent to the Offsite Backup Server, all your files are compressed and encrypted using your choice of encryption algorithm, mode and key.
How do I calculate my data requirement?
If you want to calculate the size of your data in advance (using Windows), simply right click on the folders you will need to back up, select "properties", and write down the file size. Add these up in a List and the total is your requirement. Remember that there are 1024 Kilobytes (KB) in a Megabyte (MB), and 1024 MB in a Gigabyte (GB). To keep it simple you can use 1000 instead of 1024 for practical purposes.
If you are using Outlook for your emails and would like to back these up, on the Outlook Menu select File / Data File Management / Data Files / Personal Folders. There are normally 2 files, Outlook.pst and archive.pst. You can find these and check their size using Windows explorer. Their normal location is likely to be something like this:
C:\Documents and Settings\Your-Name\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.pst
How do I calculate the data compression?
When you have calculated the amount of data you want to backup, we will then compress it during the backup process by approximately 40%, so the space you use is less than the data you ahve to back up. So for every 1Gb of data you want to backup, calculate the volume as being closer to 600MB. The amount of compression varies upon the type of data you have to backup. Image and ZIP (already compressed) files may only compress by 10%, while common formats including word documents and spreadsheets may compress by as much as 80%. So if your data is mostly of one type calculate compression differently, otherwise just average at 40%.
As usual if you have a different system or having any trouble finding these files, call us on 01872 552875and we will be delighted to help.
How are files are backed up?
The diagram below describes how SecureITnet backs up your files.
Does my backup run automatically at a scheduled time?
Once you set your backup scheduled, a backup job will be started automatically to perform backup operation for you at your absence. You can have backup running at your scheduled time as often as you want (e.g. twice a day or hourly during office hour) without requiring doing any extra work.
What is Incremental Backup?
Unchanged files are already backed up to the server and need not to be backed up again. SecureITnet will pick the new or updated files from your backup set files and upload only these files to the server. It significantly reduces the time required to perform the backup operation since most users update less than 5% of their total data each day.
How is data sent over the internet?
Data is compressed and encrypted before they are uploaded to the server. Not only does it reduce the storage space to keep your backup files, it also ensures the privacy of your data.
What if I accidentally delete a file?
The built-in file retention policy allows you to access multiple versions of the same file or even deleted files from your backup set. Backup files are put into a retention area before they are removed from the server. If you want to get back a deleted file (or you want to get back the previous versions of an updated file) within the retention period, these files will always be available in the retention area. This feature is particularly useful when you have accidentally deleted a file or incorrectly updated a file within the file retention period (the file retention period is user customizable).
