Service Overview CloudCare Online Backup CloudCare s Online Backup service is a secure, fully automated set and forget solution, powered by Attix5, and is ideal for organisations with limited in-house IT resources. Introduction CloudCare s Business Cloud Backup, utilises the Attix5 technology. This is a secure, automated disk-to-disk backup and recovery solution uniquely designed for network efficiency, centralised management, policybased control and simplicity of use. Fully customisable and seamlessly scalable; it accommodates multiple users running various operating systems on desktops, notebooks and servers alike. By enabling automated and secure backup and recovery of critical data both inside and outside the confines of corporate IT networks, Attix5 Pro removes the factor most commonly responsible for data loss; human error. This service is ideal for small to medium sized businesses that have outgrown the capabilities of tape based systems. It provides a faster, more efficient incremental backup process and also enables faster data restore times than traditional tape based procedures. Due to its underlying Client-Server architecture it is ideal for protecting systems that operate both inside and outside the confines of corporate IT networks. As a fully managed service through Techgate, it provides an effective and efficient platform for the secure backup and recovery of critical
information. This is typically stored on various platforms (servers, databases, desktop or laptop devices) and therefore a set and forget process leaves the often under resourced corporate IT departments to focus more time on supporting and developing other mission critical systems. This set and forget process eliminates the risk of human error in the backup process, a factor which is generally underestimated, but which has historically been responsible for the majority of data loss. The Data Protection Problem Anytime recovery of data is only possible if reliable and well-managed backups are performed regularly. Popular backup procedures either rely on data owners to back up data themselves or companies assign data management to IT personnel who use a one size fits all approach. Neither method proves satisfactory. Research shows that the highest risk to the backup process is human error. With a system as vulnerable as this, the high rate of unsuccessful recoveries experienced in industry is unsurprising. Within CloudCare s Online Backup Service, the Clients connect to an Attix5 Pro enabled storage platform located at our highly secure data centre in Chelmsford (see above). The accounts created on this storage platform can be managed remotely via a single management interface called the Storage Platform Console. In addition, CloudCare mirrors the Attix5 data held on the Primary Storage Platform to a second, highly secure data centre located in Hoddesdon though a fully resilient network thus providing total data security (also shown above).
Benefits of CloudCare s Online Backup Automatic Up-To-The-Minute Backup Scheduling The risk of human error can be eliminated by automating backups. Attix5 Pro enables you to create backup schedules that ensure regular backups automatically. You can create simple once-a-day schedules or advanced schedules to run on specific days at particular times. Fully Scalable and Flexible Attix5 Pro scales seamlessly to accommodate anything from one to thousands of workstations and servers; protecting data across physical platforms, virtual environments and geographic locations. Intelligent Data Selection Include or exclude files and folders individually or use profiling and filters to automate file inclusions and exclusions based on filename or file type. High level of security SSL protocol-encrypted network communications, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) Storage Platform data encryption, Backup Client user authentication, Web Access user authentication and adjustable Backup Client user permissions, all ensure the highest level of backup environment security. Extensive Go-Back Facility By storing the ongoing incremental backups separately, it is possible to retrieve earlier versions of documents and databases quickly and easily. Key platforms Anywhere, Anytime Recovery Specific files containing critical data can be recovered in seconds over a Local Area Network connection or the Internet at the push of a button. Central User Management The CloudCare Storage Platform Console supports those managing multiple users by providing a single interface for monitoring and administering all Backup Accounts. Remote Management gives the administrator full control of all activities and filters, making it easy to enforce backup procedure compliance. Off-Site Data Storage Data protection is ensured, even in the event of disaster, using off-site storage at CloudCare s highly secure, fully resilient data centres. Lower Bandwidth Usage and Fast Transfers The Attix5 patching process will isolate only the changes made to a particular file since the previous backup. Only these changes are sent to the Storage Platform providing a true Incremental backup ensuring that bandwidth and transfer time is kept to a minimum. Key Components There are two key components to the CloudCare Backup Service. CloudCare s Primary Storage Platform This is the back-end management software and data storage servers located in secure data centres. Attix5 Backup Professional Client Software This is the application installed on the customer s server, desktop or laptop that performs the automated incremental backup process and transfers the data in an encrypted state to the CloudCare Storage Platform.
The Backup Process After the Client software has been installed the user creates an account on the storage platform by choosing a name, a password and an encryption key. This provides an additional level of individual security. The user then uses the various data selection techniques available (data type filtering and folder and file inclusion and exclusion) and backup scheduling to ensure all the critical data is automatically backed up. be backed up securely and efficiently over the Internet. All backed up data is stored using AES-256 encryption methods on highly redundant Storage Platforms, using RAID5 file servers, in CloudCare s own secure Data Centres. The Primary Storage Platforms, are used for processing backups and act as the primary data store; thereafter the data replication takes place every 15 minutes and is transferred (via a Private Network) to a second remote site, otherwise known as the Mirror Storage Platform, providing the highest level of redundancy for customer data. Determining the Size of a Backup The Backup Client compares the backup selection size with the Backup Account limit (specified by the Backup Administrator) at the beginning of the backup process. If the selection size exceeds the Account limit, the backup process will stop and an Over Limit error message will be displayed. The backup selection size can be easily calculated from within the client. The initial backup process is the only time a full backup of the data is performed. The data is initially compressed, and then transmitted to the Storage Platform. The initial backup can be sent over the Internet or it can be transferred to a portable disk device (USB2 drive), using Snapshot Technology, for large initial data backups which are then sent to the Storage Platform for upload. A local compressed copy of the backed up data is stored in a cache file so that when the next scheduled backup starts the Attix5 Client software compares the differences between the two data sets and only transmits the bytes of data that have changed since the last backup. This unique process ensures that the resulting daily backup data set is a fraction of the size of a full backup therefore enabling large file systems to Supported Operating Systems The two software clients (Desktop & Laptop Edition and Server Edition) along with a number of Plugins provide protection of data from a variety of operating systems.
Security Features CloudCare s Online Backup service ensures your data is protected every step of the way, incorporating the latest security technology available. The transfer and storage of critical information creates several problems for organisations, especially if a majority of this data resides on laptops or remote sites, and data privacy is high on the list. The Server Edition offers seamless integration with databases and applications through the use of plugins. These stop the files from being locked during the backup process. CloudCare s Online Backup service makes use of the SSL protocol standard (1024 bit RSA key exchange, 128 bit RC4 stream cipher and SHA-1 integrity checking) for secure data transmission and communication between the components. Data is stored on the platform using 256-bit Advanced Encryption System (AES) which is considerably greater than the encryption used for Internet banking and online credit card transactions. Encryption Key During each backup data is encrypted as it is transferred from the local computer to the Storage Platform using the encryption key specified during the account creation process. This encryption key is seen as a passphrase by the Storage Platform. A random encryption key is automatically generated when an account is created and this random key (and not the passphrase specified) is used to encrypt the files. The encryption key is protected by the passphrase (your encryption key) and without this passphrase you cannot decode the actual encryption key. When you change the encryption key in the Backup Client, the actual key is decrypted and re-encrypted with the new passphrase. The data is never touched. All data since the initial backup is encrypted with the same random encryption key, even when the passphrase is
changed. If the encryption key is changed, previous encryption keys do not need to be remembered for future restores the Backup Client will be able to retrieve the data from the Storage Platform. The encryption key is not stored anywhere on the Storage Platform, and is only known to the user. If this is forgotten it will render the data unrecoverable. These authentication permissions set by the software and the data owner, ensure the highest level of backup environment security. file. The footprint file requires very little free disk space 0.0006% of the original file. However, Delta Blocking patches are much larger than Binary patches. Scheduling Automatic Backups CloudCare s Online Backup service provides the flexibility necessary to automate backups, thereby reducing the factor of failed backups due to human error. In addition to an automatic daily backup, further backups can be scheduled for any particular time. The software also supports manual/ad-hoc backups at the push of a button. Flexibility in Transferring the Data There are a number of options within the software that provides the flexibility needed to ensure that the backup process is compatible with the individual workings of the organisation. Incremental Patching To ensure that data transfer time and bandwidth are kept to a minimum, Attix5 Pro applies a process of Incremental Patching. This isolates changes made to a particular file since the previous backup. Only these changes are sent to the Storage Platform providing a true Incremental backup ensuring that bandwidth and transfer time is kept to a minimum. Backup Throttle One option allows the user to specify the bandwidth usage speed limits utilising the Backup Throttle. The backups are then transferred at the specified speed limits during each interval. Binary Patching Binary Patching is the most effective form of patching. It is CPU-intensive but will deliver the smallest patches. The process is only possible if a complete copy of an older version of the file is available in the Cache. Delta Blocking Delta Blocking is an alternative to Binary Patching and compares changes on a block level. It is significantly faster than Binary Patching and does not require a complete copy of a file in the Cache to calculate the patch, only a footprint The Backup Cycle As a standard, incremental backups from a minimum of 30 days to a maximum of 60 days with a 1 month-end roll-up are stored on the Storage Platform. The month-end roll-up contains the last version of each individual file that is selected
For backup. Extended visibility of this data can be changed to suit the company s requirement. 1. Files are selected and the initial backup started. 7. Month 1 consolidated files are removed. 2. Subsequent daily backups are then made. 8. The cycle is then repeated. 3. Daily backups continue until the beginning of the third month. 4. At the beginning of the third month, the daily versions at each individual files in month 1 are consolidated into the last version of that file. This is also known as the month end roll-up and is entirely dependent on the account backing up at the beginning of the month. The first roll-up will appear on the third calendar month after the account has been created. Extending Rollup Retention The number of month end roll-ups present online can be extended by changing the default setting from 1 to any number to suit the company s requirements. The extra storage required to keep these extra roll-ups is chargeable and is dependent on the size of the roll-ups. This cannot be determined until the roll-up has taken place. Rollups can be retained for any period of time, allowing data to be retained for the necessary time period to comply with legislative requirements within a particular industry. 5. Further daily backup files continue until the beginning of month 4. 6. At the beginning of the fourth month, the daily versions of each individual files in month 2 are consolidated into the last version of that file. HSM Lite Archiving The Month 1 consolidated files can be moved to the HSM folder and can then be manually transferred to tape or disk. The Restore Process Restoring files within Attix5 Pro is simplicity itself. The user selects the Restore Option and is presented with a list of previous backups by date and time. The system presents this information in two nodes: Last Backup and Previous Backups.
The Last Backup option contains the file/folder structure of the last successful backup. Restores from the Last Backup are typically faster than those done from Previous Backups as the software may be able to retrieve the data from the local cache rather than the storage platform. CloudCare Online Backup Features When the previous backups node is expanded, the backup client retrieves the list of previous backups and displays them in a tree format. Once the data has been selected, the restore functionality allows the user to select individual files, folders or complete drives to restore. Central Administration Total cost of ownership is largely influenced by administration and management overheads. The storage platform console allows a single resource to configure, deploy, monitor and administer a large, dispersed, installation. Combining remote deployment and configuration with centralised monitoring, management, enterprise reporting, troubleshooting, and user access management, removes the need for on-site support. This setup enables full control of backup implementation enterprise wide.