Cloud Backup: Getting Started

This article will explain you the first steps required to use Cloud Backup. In addition, you will learn what backups you can create with Cloud Backup.

Are you using MyDefender? You can find all of the most important information about getting started with MyDefender in the following article:

MyDefender: First Steps

Cloud Backup includes features that cover most cyber security threats by default. You can use these at no additional cost. An overview of the features included by default is listed below:

An overview of the additional paid add-ons available and the functions they contain can be found in the following article:

Cloud Backup: Standard Features and Paid Add-ons

With Cloud Backup, you can backup and restore your Virtual Private Server/VPS, Cloud Server, Dedicated Server, and even your mobile devices. You have the option to create the following backups:

Virtual Private Server, VPS, Cloud Server, Dedicated Server:

• Full backups

• Drives

• Volumes

• Folders

• Files

• Databases

With the paid add-on Advanced Backup, you can also perform the following backups:

• Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Exchange clusters

• Oracle Database

• SAP HANA

Mobile devices:

• Contacts

• Photos

• Videos

• Calendar

• Text messages (Android devices only)

• Reminders (iOS devices only)

Supported mobile devices:

• Smartphones or tablets with Android 7.0 operating system or higher.

• iPhones, iPads and iPods with operating system iOS 12 or higher.

Additionally, Cloud Backup offers a number of other protection features with which you can significantly increase the level of security, such as:

Application Backup: With Application Backup, you can back up the following applications:

• Microsoft SQL Server

• MySQL/MariaDB Server

• Microsoft Exchange Server

• Microsoft Active Directory

• Oracle Database

Antivirus & Antimalware Protection: Antivirus & Antimalware Protection module allows you to secure computers running Microsoft Windows and macOS operating systems against malware threats and cryptomining malware.

This module can perform the following actions, among others:

• Detect malware in files. The on-demand anti-malware scan is run manually when needed. If the module detects one or more malicious files on computers and virtual machines running Microsoft Windows and macOS operating systems, they can be quarantined.

• Protect computers and virtual machines from ransomware and cryptomining malware. Active Protection monitors the processes running on the protected computer or virtual machine in real time to detect malicious behavior. If a foreign process attempts to encrypt files on the protected computer or virtual machine or to compute a digital crypto-currency, Active Protection generates an alert and, if necessary, performs further actions, provided they have been previously specified in the assigned protection plan.
  
  In addition, the Self-Protection feature prevents the processes, registry entries, executables and configuration files of the backup software itself, as well as existing backups stored in local folders, from being modified.

• Detect and prevent access to and transfer of data through local computer data channels with the Device Control module. In doing so, this module allows you to granularly control the types of devices and ports that users are allowed to access. You can also use Device Control to control what actions users can perform on these devices. This module cannot be used for Virtual Private Servers, VPS, Cloud Servers, Dedicated Servers.

• Scan computers and virtual machines for vulnerabilities using the Vulnerability Assessment module. This way you can ensure that all installed applications and the operating systems used are up-to-date and working correctly.

You can download Cloud Backup in the Backup > Backup Package section of the Cloud Panel.

In this section you can perform the following actions:

• Adjust the storage space of your backup package: If you need more storage space, you can select a different backup package.

• Configure notification settings: Specify to which email address the email notifications about the status of your backups should be sent. You can also specify whether you want to be notified about successful backups, failed backups, or backups that complete with warnings.

• Open Backup Console: In the Backup Console, you can add Virtual Private Servers, VPS, Cloud Servers, Dedicated Servers, mobile devices, and virtualization hosts and applications that you want to protect. You can also create protection plans, manage your backups, and restore backups in this area.

  Cloud Backup gives you the option to store the backups of your devices in data centers in Europe or in the USA. For each backup destination, there is a separate backup console where you can manage the devices you want to back up, your protection plans and the backups you have already created. You can open these backup consoles from the Cloud Panel interface.

• Download Cyber Protection Agent: The Cyber Protection Agent is software that is required to create backups of your servers. This software must be installed on the servers to be backed up. The Cyber Protection Agent can be downloaded from the Backup Console.

If necessary, you can customize your backup package at any time. You can choose from the following packages:

Packages with a discounted storage quota: These packages have a storage quota that is offered at a discounted price. When the storage is used up and your backup plan is configured accordingly, additional backups are automatically created and stored. In this case, the pay-per-use price will be charged.

Pay-per-use: If you select this backup package, you pay only for the storage space used.

You can manage your backups using the Backup Console. It offers you the possibility to perform the following actions:

• Add or delete workstations, servers, mobile devices, virtualization hosts or applications.

• Create, edit, or delete protection plans. With a protection plan, you specify, for example, whether to create full backups or backups of individual drives or individual files, and when and how often to create a backup. In addition, protection plans let you define other settings, such as the desired retention period and compression level, and secure the computers you want to protect against malware threats, cryptomining malware, and unauthorized access to and transfer of data.

• Create scripting plans: You can use the scripting plan to automate regular actions on Windows and macOS machines in your environment. For example, you can automatically install software, automatically change configurations, or automatically start or stop services.

• Perform anti-malware scans of backups.

• Replicate backups. This functionality is available in the paid Advanced Backup Package extension.

• Validate backups. Backup validation allows you to check whether a saved backup can be restored. If this option is enabled, any backup created by a corresponding protection plan will be validated immediately after its creation.

• Search and delete backups

• Restore backups

• Convert disk backups to a virtual machine

To open the Backup Console in the Cloud Panel, click Access Backup Console in the Backup Management area next to the location where your server is located (for example, Europe).

For more information about the Backup Console, see https://dl.managed-protection.com/u/baas/help/22.10/user/en-US/index.html.

To create backups from your existing servers, you need to install Acronis Cyber Protection Agent on these devices. You can download it from the Backup Console. When you order a Cloud Server or a Dedicated Server  managed in the Cloud Panel, you can have the Cyber Protection Agent preinstalled for most server operating systems.

Instructions on how to install the Acronis Cyber Protection Agent can be found here:

Installing the Backup Agent

If you want to back up smartphones or tablets running the Android operating system, or back up iPhones or iPads, you need to install the Acronis Cyber Protect app on those devices.

Instructions on how to install the Acronis Cyber Protect app can be found here:

Installing and Setting Up the Acronis Cyber Protect App (Android)
Installing and Setting Up the Acronis Cyber Protect App (iOS)

To restore your data quickly, efficiently and completely, you should develop a backup strategy. When developing the appropriate backup strategy, you should consider various factors. These can have a very different weighting depending on the application scenario. In the case of servers in particular, for example, you should check the legal requirements. How to develop an individual backup strategy is explained in the following article:

Protecting data and end devices with a suitable backup strategy

To create backups on computers running Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems, you must configure a protection plan in the Backup Console after installing the Cyber Protection Agent. The protection plan is required to create regular backups.

Instructions on how to create a protection plan can be found here:

Creating a Protection Plan

A guide on how to modify an existing protection plan

Modifying an Existing Protection Plan

After creating your backups, check if any errors are listed and fix them. To do this, create a backup. Afterwards, to check if the configured backup service is working, do the following:

• Open the Backup Console.

• Click Devices > All Devices.

• Click on the desired device.

• Click Activities.

Instructions on how to restore backups can be found in the following articles:

Restoring Backups on an iPhone or iPad
Restoring Backups on an Android Device
Recovery