DataSafe FAQ

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What is DataSafe?

DataSafe is a service which allows you to easily and automatically backup files on one or more computers to a remote backup server located in a secure Internet Data Center. Backups are fully automated and are completed in real-time in the background while your computer is idle.

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How does DataSafe work?

Once installed, DataSafe runs continuously on your computer, waiting for you to make changes to your selected files. Every time you save a new version of each file, DataSafe automatically uploads the new version to the backup server. This eliminates the need for scheduled backups and ensures a backup copy of your critical files is always available. DataSafe does not slow down your computer.

Your files are compressed and encrypted before they are sent to the remote backup server. This ensures efficient use of your Internet connection and ensures your files cannot be accessed by anyone but yourself.

DataSafe will store multiple versions of each file which is backed-up. This allows you to restore previous versions of the file(s) at anytime.

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What operating systems are supported?

The backup client will run on any version of Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 onward. Mackintoshes can run the client using Windows emulation software, such as Virtual PC.

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Will DataSafe slow down my PC?

No. The client has a feature that suspends the when the PC is in use. When you use the keyboard or mouse, DataSafe pauses. When you stop accessing your computer for a period of time, DataSafe continues. And since only the files which are changing are backed up, the amount of data being sent through your Internet connection is kept to a minimum. Most people can't tell a is in progress

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Will DataSafe use up a lot of my bandwidth?

The initial DataSafe upload will only be as large as the files you have chosen to backup. From that point onwards, only new files or incremental changes in the existing files are backed up. Thus, on a continual basis, only small amounts of data are actually being sent over the Internet.

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How much data can I backup?

You can backup an unlimited amount of data. You are charged based on how much storage space you use.

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How many computers can I backup?

You can backup as many computers as you want to. There are no fees for extra computers. You only pay for the aggregate amount of storage space which all of your computers use. Online data is stored in separate volumes that are sorted by PC name and drive letter. If you have a similar file with the same name on more than one PC, there is no danger of the files overwriting each other.

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Can I select which files get backed up?

Yes, simply use the DataSafe application to customize the selected folders for backup.

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Is there anything that cannot be backed up?

In addition to temporary and system files, files that are in use by an application will not be backed up until the application releases them. Once the files are closed, they will be backed up.

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How do I know if everything I have created or modified today has been successfully backed up?

You can check the report on the backup client status screen.

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Are backups scheduled?

No. Backups are continuous rather than scheduled. The backup client continuously monitors your hard drive while you work. When it notices a file that has changed (within set parameters), it backs it up immediately.

The software runs continuously in the background, and only backs up files when your system is idle (this setting can be changed).

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Do backups have versioning?

Yes. You can configure the number of versions you wish to keep, up to a maximum of 28 versions, as well as the minimum amount of time between new versions. Through the web interface, you can restore any available version of the file. Those versions may cover a month or two year's worth of changes, depending on how often the file is changing. It all depends on how you configure the backup.

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If I have a large file to backup, will the multiple versions consume a lot of storage space?

Backups are incremental. After the first version of the file is stored on the backup server, subsequent versions are created by only uploading the incremental changes which have been made to the file. In other words, if you only make a 1 kilobyte change to a 1 megabyte file, the new version should only consume about 1 kilobyte on the backup server (plus some small amount of extra space used by the system to track the version).

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What if the backup gets interrupted?

Backups stop and resume automatically. If you unplug your laptop halfway through backup of a large file, the backup continues where it left off when you plug it back in. This is especially useful during the initial backup, which may take some time to complete.

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If I am backing up multiple computers, can each user access another user's files?

It depends on how you setup the software on each computer.

If you want each computer to have access to the other computers, you should use the same username and password when configuring the DataSafe software.

If you want each computer to only have access to its own files, you should configure each system with a unique DataSafe userid and password.

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Can I backup computers located in remote locations and/or computers which are using different ISP's access services?

Yes. You can run the backup software on any computer(s) you wish. These computers can be located anywhere. The computers you are backing up do not need to be using the same ISP access service.

For example, if you have a family member who lives elsewhere, you can easily setup their computer to backup files into your DataSafe storage space. Also, you can assign them their own userid/password combination, or you can setup their system to connect using your DataSafe userid/password combination.

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Where are the backups stored?

Your encrypted files are stored in a highly secure, carrier-class Internet Data Center.

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What folders should I backup?

When you install the software, it will automatically locate popular folders like 'My Documents', 'Desktop', 'Favorites', 'Outlook', etc. You have the ability to choose your own selections and change them at any time.

We recommend you only backup data files. The system will automatically exclude Program and Operating System files. These generally don't need to be backed up as you can easily reinstall them from the original media.

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Will the backup work through my firewall?

The backup client was designed to be firewall friendly. If the firewall is configured to allow outgoing web traffic on ports 80 and 443 (which are required for browsers to function), the backup client will function correctly.

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Can I use DataSafe to backup my Windows server?

There are two issues here:

a) By default, the DataSafe client only runs when you are logged into the system. With most servers, you do not stay logged in. It is possible to run the DataSafe client as a service.

b) DataSafe will only backup files which are not in use (locked) by another application. If your server applications (such as MS-SQL) always have certain files "open", DataSafe will never be able to back them up.

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Can the product backup files on Unix and Linux computers?

Files on remote Unix and Linux computers can be backed by mapping drives to them from your Windows PC. Then configure the DataSafe backup client to backup the files on those mapped drives.

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What happens if I delete a file/folder that is backed up?

You may restore the file using either the DataSafe client on your PC or by using the web interface.

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If I delete a file in storage through the web interface, will it also delete the previous revisions?

Yes, all files will be removed.

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Can I delete previous revisions only?

If you want to reduce your storage use, then reduce the number of versions kept in the backup client. The system will then collapse the number of versions stored, freeing up space.

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If I delete a file on my PC, when will it get deleted from the DataSafe server?

The backup copies of your deleted file(s) are never deleted from the server. This is to guard against accidental deletion. You may not discover the accidental deletion for a long period of time. If you want to remove those archived versions from the server, you can do so manually using the web interface.

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If a problem occurs with my computer and I need to restore a large number of files (many GB), how do I do this?

First, get your computer back to a working state (reinstall the OS, etc). Then reinstall the DataSafe backup client by downloading it from the website and then perform your restore.

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My file is corrupted. Can I restore an older version of it?

Yes. Historical versions of a file can be restored through the web client. The PC client will only restore the most recently saved version.

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How easy is it to restore a file?

Very easy. You just a right click the DataSafe icon at the bottom of the screen, select 'Restore', find the file in the tree and right click 'Restore'. That's it.

To retrieve a previous version of a file, login to the website; select 'Online Storage', find the file in the tree; click on the file link, then click the "Download" button. That's it.

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How secure is my data?

All data being backed up is compressed and encrypted before leaving your PC. Data is stored at the data center in this encrypted form. Authentication traffic between your PC and the data center is also encrypted. Restores via the web interface are protected using encryption. DataSafe uses only the best encryption technology available.

At no time will usernames, passwords or data be sent out over the internet in unencrypted form.

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Can anyone else access my data?

Only if you give someone your password. Passwords are encrypted so you are the only one with access to your password.

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How do I know that nobody is looking at my information, including Magma?

Your data is stored remotely in an encrypted format. Even the personnel who administer the DataSafe servers cannot see the data. We have very strict security policies regarding the secure storage of our clients' data.

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Can I monitor the usage of my account / all the accounts I have? If so, how?

You can use the web interface to see your activity for the day. If you have a corporate account with multiple PC's, your DataSafe administrator can view usage/activity for all PC's. Note your DataSafe administrator cannot access your specific files - only you can access your files.

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What happens if I lose my password?

If you lose your password, you can securely reset your password online or by calling a support representative. As part of our security process, we have certain measures in place to ensure your password reset is performed securely, so even the support personnel have no ability to view your files.

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My business is using DataSafe. How do I prevent employees from using our corporate DataSafe account from backing up their home computers?

By viewing the user account in the administrative section you can monitor the number of computers each user is backing up. You can also restrict usage of DataSafe by IP address (through the web portal). This can be configured on a user-by-user basis.

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What if I terminate an employee, can I restrict access to our corporate data?

Yes, simply change the status of the user's DataSafe account to suspend status.

Putting a user into 'suspend' status prevents the user from accessing the backed up data from both the client application and the website. The user is still able to sign onto the system, but they will be denied access to download or view the data.

The user's data will remain on the DataSafe server and will continue to be billed to your account until you actually CANCEL the account. This will allow you some time to restore this person's data to another employee's computer or allow you access the information on this person's computer.

Even if the employee decides to delete files and folders from their machine, the backup will remain intact. Putting it into suspend status will protect you from the employee deleting files and folders from the backup itself.

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How do I add/remove storage space?

Additional storage space is allocated to your account automatically. If you exceed the storage space allocated to your current billing package, additional billing charges would apply as you will be upgraded to the next billing tier automatically.

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What if I have a virus and it gets uploaded to your servers?

The files on our server are compressed and encrypted so even if a virus gets uploaded, it can not be triggered. If you discover a virus, take great caution after cleaning off your machines when you restore stored files that may have the virus. We strongly recommend running up-to-date virus software on all PCs.

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Can I upload a file to DataSafe through the website?

No. Data must be backed up by the backup client.

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Do open files get saved?

If another application is already using the file, it cannot be backed up at that time. Simply close the file and it will be backed up.

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Is the software web based?

The service includes both a Windows backup client and a web client. The Windows client provides the backup and simple restore functions. The web client provides more powerful restore options and allows you to manage your online data store.

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What if I have Dial-up Internet?

Because backups are compressed, incremental and interruptible - they work quite well on a Dial-up connection. If you have a lot of data, you may find that your initial backup takes quite some time. Rest assured that it'll get done. Once the initial backup is done, only individual file changes have to go up. So the amount of data going out through your modem is small.

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To activate the DataSafe Backup Service please contact IT-Expert on Call via » e-mail «