FAQ
What is the Cloudvault Online Backup Manager?
How do I backup my data online?
Why do I want to backup online?
Why use Cloudvault and not any other online services?
What type of internet connection will I need?
I’m worried about data security – is backing up files over the internet safe?
Can you access our backed up data?
Do I need the Cloudvault OBM to recover my data?
How much will my data be compressed?
Where are your data centres?
I have 5TB of data to backup; will Cloudvault be efficient enough for me?
How long does it take to run a full backup?
I am legally obliged to keep certain data with full access of historical data for 5 years, is that possible?
How much does it cost to use your service?
Are there any start-up costs for using Cloudvault?
What is the Cloudvault Online Backup Manager?
The Cloudvault Online Backup Manager (OBM) is installed on your server and is the main user interface with which you configure and monitor your backup process. All backup and restore operations are performed using this tool.
How do I backup my data online?
It’s a simple process, just install the software and configure your backup sets. Once the schedules are set up, your data will be automatically backed up and you will be kept informed via comprehensive reports which are sent to you via email.
Why do I want to backup online?
For data to be truly protected it needs to be stored in an offsite location. Cloudvault uses sophisticated compression and encryption algorithms to send data through the internet to secured servers in Grade 1 datacentre facilities. The data can be accessed by you at any time through a secure web interface even if the original server is unavailable due to catastrophic failure. In a disaster scenario you can be assured that your business can continue without significant disruption.
Why use Cloudvault and not any other online services?
Cloudvault is dedicated to providing an absolute solution to data protection for businesses. Our main focus is to keep our clients data safely protected and to provide immediate and comprehensive service if clients need to recover files. Other providers may not be able to provide as much attention as we do because they need to concentrate on other parts of their business services.
What type of internet connection will I need?
The speed of your internet connection will affect the performance of the backups, which is why we recommend a minimum of 2Mbps symmetric connection. However, we have clients currently using a standard 6Mbps/620Kbps Netvigator line who are happy with the service. We are pleased to offer a 30-day trial if you would like to test the system for yourself.
I’m worried about data security – is backing up files over the internet safe?
We totally understand these concerns. The Cloudvault solution uses four distinct layers of security which combine to form military-grade protection. The first layer of security is the login ID and password which we assign to you (you can change this password). Secondly, an ‘encrypting key’ is chosen by you for each of your backup sets. Without this key your data cannot be restored, not even by our staff. The third layer of security is the data compression and 256-bit encryption which takes place before any information leaves the Cloudvault system. Finally, all internet traffic is protected by Secure Socket Layer (SSL) connections.
Can you access our backed up data?
Each set of data that is backed up requires an encrypting key. By default this is the same as the account password, but it can be set differently if required. This key is used to encrypt or decrypt the backup data. Cloudvault can only see the filenames and directory hierarchy, but cannot access the data. This means if the encrypting key is lost there is no way to restore data, so it’s important to keep it safe.
Do I need Cloudvault OBM to recover my data?
We recommend using Cloudvault OBM if possible due to the in-built flexibility of the interface, but you can also log on to our web-based client through any internet browser that supports JAVA. You will need to have your user ID, password and encrypting key before this can be used. If you have chosen to implement IP restrictions and you are trying to access your data from elsewhere, you will need to contact us to relax these restrictions before you can perform restores.
How much will my data be compressed?
The compression rate differs according to the type of data being backed up. Basic text-based documents compress very well, but pictures such as JPEG’s do not compress so well because the format of these files usually includes basic compression. To get a good indication of how well your data will compress you can create a zip file and compare the size of that file against the original size of the data. Our compression ratios are usually better than the zip format but your mileage may vary.
All of the datacentres we use are in Hong Kong. We’re not tied to using any single provider, giving us the flexibility to move to wherever the best service is available.
I have 5TB of data to backup; will Cloudvault be efficient enough for me?
For large amounts of data we will perform a ‘seed’ backup first. This process backs up locally to an external hard drive which we then physically transfer and copy up to one of our servers in the data centre. After the initial backup, our in-file delta technology allows you to backup data incrementally so that only the changes will be backed up. We recommend you talk to us first if you are considering online backup for data sets larger than 2TB because your own infrastructure may need to be reviewed as well.
How long does it take to run a full backup?
It depends on how much data you need to backup and how fast your internet connection is. However, our in-file delta technology allows you to run a full backup every night because it tracks all the changes made from the previous backup and only backs up the changes that have been made. An average of only 1% of the total data is changed daily.
I am legally obliged to keep certain data with full access of historical data for 5 years, is that possible?
Yes, this is possible. You can set up your retention periods to whatever that suits your needs, you can set it up to hold data every day/month/year for as long as you like or you can choose to have a more advanced retention setting. It’s entirely up to you.
How much does it cost to use your service?
For using our service, we charge according to how much data you need to backup in increments of 10GB per month. However, we cannot give you an accurate estimate since we charge by the total amount of data used in our servers.
Are there any start-up costs for using Cloudvault?
There are no start-up costs for using our service. So you will never need to worry about paying for our software or buying new hardware to backup your data.