Why SpiderBak?

We are experts in designing, configuring, and implementing backup strategies for businesses. It's all we do - not a sideline, and we've been doing it successfully since 1996. We offer the latest in backup technology while emphasizing responsiveness to our clients and their concerns.

How is SpiderBak different from other backup services?

The combination of our on-site SpiderBox with offsite storage makes our service a perfect fit for businesses with large amounts of data to protect. The restore process with other online backup services can be lengthy because most businesses do not have the Internet capacity to restore large data volumes in an acceptable time frame.

What information does the on-site SpiderBox store?

The SpiderBox holds the most recent copy of your files. This allows for fast local restores in most situations. Previous versions of files are retrieved from the offsite vault in our data centers.

Can the SpiderBox protect multiple computers?

Yes, it is connected to your LAN and can backup all of your servers/workstations. In extremely large environments with numerous high-volume servers, multiple SpiderBoxes may be required.

Are there any per-server charges?

No, SpiderBox pricing is designed to protect all of the servers/workstations/laptops on your LAN. In rare cases with a high number of computers with very low data volumes, there may be a minimal per computer charge.

If a known threat is coming, can the SpiderBox be removed?

Absolutely. In cases such as an approaching hurricane or last-minute evacuation, simply unplug your SpiderBox and take it with you. This will provide you with a local backup of all of your files. Keep in mind that your backups at the office will not run until the SpiderBox is re-attached.

Why should I choose Spiderbak over other providers?

We are an employee owned, profitable, private company. We protect the data of thousands of businesses. We have the people, the tools, the know-how, and the desire to get your data back when you need it. We assign each client a technician and an account manager. If you have a problem, you'll know who to call - no waiting in queues! Our clients tell us our approach to service is what really makes us unique.

How much does it cost?

Our SpiderBak service starts at $249 to protect up to 25 GB of data. This price includes the on-site SpiderBox appliance. The service is priced so that business with large amounts of data or multiple computers can affordably use the service.

How do I protect multiple locations?

Each location will need its own SpiderBox. You can centrally manage and control all of your locations via your WAN / Internet connections.

What factors affect cost?

Cost is based on the native (uncompressed) volume of data you choose to protect.

Do I have to sign a contract?

Yes, because we will ship you an onsite appliance, we will require a service agreement. We'll be glad to go over the service agreement options with you.

Who maintains the SpiderBox?

We do. In the unlikely event that a problem develops with your SpiderBox, we will send out replacement equipment.

How does the reliability compare with that of tape backups?

No comparison. Our backup service is much more reliable than most tape backups. We have MANY clients who have run our service for years without ever changing their configuration and without ever missing a backup. We will put our track record up against any tape backup system. A major risk of tape systems is that even when all indicators point to successful backups, the restores fail. Secondly, most companies using tape systems don't employ a secondary fail-safe system. Our system has redundancy built in.

Can I still use my tape system?

Yes. Many of our clients continue to run their tape backups, but no longer transport their tapes off site. Redundancy is the key to data security, so you can never have too many backups.

Does it work if our company has a firewall?

Absolutely. Our specialists will provide you with the required proprietary firewall port information. In most situations, firewall changes are NOT required.

I have mirrored/RAID hard drives. Won't that protect me from viruses or data loss?

No. Mirrored hardware only protects you from a hardware failure. Since 90% of data loss is due to data corruption or user error, mirrored equipment offers no protection. This is because corrupt data gets instantly written to the mirror equipment. The only way to protect your data is by having a backlog of backups to restore from.

Is it possible to outgrow my onsite SpiderBox?

The SpiderBox will be sent with excess capacity. We monitor your usage and will send out a replacement machine (at no additional cost) if you outgrow the SpiderBox.

How do I get started?

Fill out our Sign up Now form and we'll contact you immediately to gather the information needed to custom configure your SpiderBox(es). We can generally have a SpiderBox to you by the next business day.

Explain how SpiderBak operates.

The on-site SpiderBox processes the backups and securely transmits the backup data to our primary data center. The data is then backed up to a secondary remote data center. The primary data center is located adjacent to our Administrative and Support centers and is monitored with on-site personnel 24/7. The Support center houses our support technicians, our Rapid Response Team, and our Testing Laboratory. If a client needs to restore or needs assistance, a technician is always available. In an emergency, our mode of operations becomes extremely important. Our technicians, because of the close proximity of the vaults in the primary data center, can literally access those vaults within seconds if the need arises. If you require a media restore, the process of downloading and verifying your data and preparing it for shipment can begin immediately.

What is your uptime record?

Our business is designed for uninterrupted access and continuous operation. Since initiation of service in 1996, we have maintained over 99.9% uptime. Maintenance is scheduled during weekend off-peak periods and conducted using maximum technical staffing to increase efficiency and shorten duration. We stockpile replacement hardware on site and maintain access using super-fast redundant fiber optic connections from four separate providers. With 24/7 onsite monitoring, we're able to address issues immediately should an anomaly occur.

Do you guarantee that clients will always be able to access their data?

Yes. Our service is guaranteed to be available and capable of backing up and restoring client data. We make this guarantee based on over ten years of service with millions of successful backups and restores. Our system has never failed to restore data that was successfully backed up.

How do you back up this guarantee?

We back our guarantee with a strong Service Level Agreement (SLA) which specifies our performance standard and provides credit reimbursement if the guaranteed service level outlined in the agreement is not met.

How does the installation process work?

Your SpiderBox(es) will need to be connected to your LAN at your site, just like adding an additional workstation. Once connected, our technicians will talk you through configuring it. This generally involves verifying the security and login credentials of the machines that you want to protect.

What level of IT experience is required?

Our Graphical User Interface is very intuitive. In general, if you are familiar with the machine names and user administration on your network and know where your important data resides, installation should be very quick and straightforward.

Is software installed on any other machines?

SpiderBak's software is totally agentless, requiring no additional software to be installed on any machines to enable backup of Novell® NetWare, Windows, Microsoft® NT, SQL or Exchange.

If SpiderBak is agentless, how does it access our data?

From the administration console when a new backup set is created you must provide a username and password to connect to a server or workstation. SpiderBak fully integrates with NT domains, Trusts and Novell® NDS trees.

Do we need to create a user for SpiderBak on all our servers?

To ease the installation process and avoid backup failures due to authentication issues, we recommended a dedicated account set for no password expiry. In a domain, or NDS environment, a user on each machine isn't necessary, as one central user can be created with access to all the resources that require backing up.

What access permissions are required?

This user is responsible for backing up and restoring all the data on your network, it is essential that access permissions are of administrative equivalence. SpiderBak can only backup data that this user can access. A less privileged user may be restricted, causing data to be missed.

How do we control and monitor SpiderBak?

At installation the SpiderBak administrator console software is installed on as many or as few workstations as required and will require a valid logon, ensuring no unauthorized access. The Customer Administrator Console acts as your interface with SpiderBak and enables the configuration of all backups and restores.

How is the first backup done, given that there will be a lot of data?

Our service will "chip away" at the first backup according to the backup schedule and time window selected. This may take multiple sessions depending on the size of the data.

What frequency of backup can be set?

The backups can be configured as often as every hour or as infrequently as once a year. More advanced schedule options include the last working day of the month or even one off backups on a particular date.

What level of granularity is possible in setting up the backup, i.e. file level/individual database?

A backup set can include a whole server, share/volume, directory or even a single file. The backup set could even include just a registry.

Can one machine be prioritized over another?

There are literally hundreds of different priority levels that can be assigned, ensuring maximum flexibility when organizing your backup schedules.

Can the software be set to stop backing up after a certain time has elapsed?

Yes, the software is designed to fit specific backup windows. You can set the start time and the stop time.

Is data held on the SpiderBox or does it pass straight through?

The most recent backup is retained on the SpiderBox. The SpiderBox also performs compression and encryption functions and acts as the gateway to vault data off-site to the secure data vaults.

What happens if too much data is passed to the SpiderBox?

The SpiderBox pulls data as it can process it and will not pull more data across the network than can be processed.

What happens if a server stops or crashes during backup or if the backup is interrupted for some other reason?

If the backup is stopped, for whatever reason, it will simply continue onto the next backup in its schedule. It will not revisit the failed backup set until the next time it is set to run, at which point it will pick up where it left off. However, the backup can be restarted manually if whatever caused the backup to stop has been resolved.

How many versions of my backed up files are held offsite?

As many as you like. Unlike a tape backup, where the routine is to rotate tapes in a cycle, SpiderBak will only backup a new version of a file when it has changed, guaranteeing that the customer is not wasting space backing up exactly the same version more than once.

What platforms are supported?

SpiderBak has full agentless support for a range of network platforms: Windows, Netware, Linux, Solaris, AIX, HP-UX, SCO-Unix, FreeBSD, Open VMS, AS400/iSeries and MACs.

What about servers running special software like Exchange or SQL?

SpiderBak backs up Exchange, SQL, Oracle, DB2, Domino, Groupwise, and MySQL without employing special plug-ins, and SpiderBak performs the backups in these advanced environments without the need to stop the service.

If the software is agentless, how is MS SQL and Exchange backed up?

Microsoft® developed SQL and Exchange with the backup requirement in mind. Both products can respond to API calls requesting the services to dump their data, while online, to an external destination. In SpiderBak's case the product simply asks the specified MS SQL or Exchange server to stream the data to the SpiderBox where it is delta blocked and transmitted offsite. This process is a totally supported Microsoft function and guarantees compatibility with your existing MS systems.

What about Netware bindery or NDS?

Yes, the SpiderBak backs these up. NetWare 3 facilities include the ability to backup the bindery, where NetWare 4 and 5 include support for NDS.

Does the SpiderBak service backup up Windows system state and registry?

Yes.

Can the software backup Permissions on files?

Yes, for Windows SpiderBak can backup both Permissions and Streams. The Permissions and Extended NetWare Attributes can be backed up for NetWare. This is a configurable option in both NetWare and Windows environments.

Can SpiderBak run pre and post commands on servers?

Yes, even though SpiderBak is an agentless solution, it is still capable of running commands on remote servers such as shutting down a database or application running on a server, then restarting it to perform the backup or batch processing.

How does SpiderBak handle open files?

Open files are an issue in most backup environments, and SpiderBak has a range of options to employ. These options, combined with use of the Pre and Post commands, should enable the backup of almost any file. In complex environments such as Oracle or Sybase, configurations can usually be employed to dump data into a normal file which will be delta blocked and backed up as normal. In certain circumstances, an open file management utility is necessary.

Does all of our data get transferred every day?

Only new and unique data will get transmitted. Duplicate or unchanged files will not be transmitted.

At what point is the data deemed to be backed up and offsite?

The data is backed up in real time, so when the administration console indicates that the backup is complete - it is also an indication that the backup data offsite is securely stored in the data vaults.

What format is the data held in, i.e. on disk or tape?

The data is held on disk for rapid access times and instant availability.

Is it secure and separate from other customers' data?

Authentication is performed between the relevant SpiderBox and SpiderBak service unit each time they connect to re-verify the authenticity of the SpiderBox. Additionally, the backup data is held encrypted, using the customers' unique keys.

Can a restore be done without an Internet connection?

Yes, the last version of the backed up files resides on the local SpiderBox and can be restored without an Internet connection.

At what point is the data available for restore?

The data is available for restore immediately following the completion of the backup job.

Can SpiderBak perform bare-metal restores?

If the machine in question has had a full backup of all files and registry and the data is being restored to a machine of similar hardware, then a full disaster recovery of that machine is very simple. After installing the operating system, there is no need to apply service packs, configure domain security or install additional software to the new machine, as all this information will be included in the restore.

Can you restore a whole backup set to a point in time, e.g. last Monday?

Yes, if a backup was performed on that date and your retention scheme had been set to retain that backup.

What happens if the data to be restored is huge and will take too long to transfer back to the office using my Internet connection?

If you need to restore a historical backup with a large amount of data, you can request a media restore (i.e, DVD or removable hard disk) be shipped to you. Your most recent backup, however, since it is retained in the on-site SpiderBox, does not require an Internet transfer, so even huge amounts of data are restored extremely fast.

Does it cost extra for a media restore?

Yes, the basic cost $125/set plus shipping for DVD media. We have other options to restore data via removable hard drives, or mobile vaults.

Can data be restored to a different machine on our network?

Yes, the restore data can be redirected as desired. You are able to browse the network and provide connection credentials for the redirected restore, just as you do for creating the initial backup set.

Can we prioritize which data is restored in the event of a disaster?

Yes, you can select easily which files/directories/servers you wish to restore.

What happens if the entire site is lost? Do I need a replacement SpiderBox to begin restoring?

A new SpiderBox can be built and loaded with your most recent backup and shipped to you. Alternatively, you can configure one of your workstations/servers to synchronize and begin restoring data via the internet immediately.

What type of connection do I need?

You need a reliable, dedicated Internet connection. A reliable connection at DSL speeds or better is sufficient for most clients. The faster your connection, the more efficiently your backups will run.

What if I have a transmission or connection failure during the backup?

If a transmission is interrupted in the middle of a backup, the SpiderBak software will continue to retry until a connection can be re-established, then continue the backup where it was interrupted.

What type of structure is my data stored in?

Our primary vaults are housed in a windowless Tier 1 data center on the 10th floor of a modern 28-floor Class A building. Positioned in the core of the building, the data center has foot-thick steel-reinforced cement walls. Power is via a direct feed from the regional energy supplier by means of the municipal "hospital grid" and is routed through redundant transformers into a "conditioned" massive battery array to ensure a seamless switch from primary to auxiliary power in the event of an interruption. Auxiliary power is supplied by a diesel generator with ten (10) days' supply of fuel before requiring refueling. Contracts for fuel resupply have been negotiated with multiple suppliers to ensure supply if an extended outage was to occur.

Our secondary data center, with similar specifications, is located in a different state.

The data centers are designed and constructed to withstand all weather-related events and are climate controlled with advanced fire suppression systems.

How secure are your data centers?

Extremely secure. The SpiderBak facilities are guarded 24 hours a day, seven days a week with on-site personnel and video surveillance. Vault access is further restricted to only designated personnel and protected with an additional security layer.

What measures have been taken to secure the data at the vault level?

Vaults in all of our data centers are designed with redundancy and are fault tolerant with standby "Hot Spare" hardware. We also stockpile replacement hardware.

What type of hardware do you use?

We procure our hardware from a variety of industry-leading manufacturers and vendors. Performance and reliability are the foremost criteria used in purchasing decisions. Hardware is regularly maintained and continuously upgraded.

How much will I pay for technical support?

Nothing. Technical support is free - and is the best in the industry!

When is technical support available?

Emergency technical support is always available. Routine support calls are handled during regular operating hours (8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Central time).

What is your average queue time?

Our support does not work like most companies. The technician assigned to a client is responsible for making sure that client issues are addressed promptly, and all of our technicians take this responsibility very seriously. We think you'll find our Support one of the most responsive of any company you have dealt with.

What is the level of expertise of the support technicians?

Extremely high. While our technicians are experts in backing up and restoring data, their training never ends. This is because upgrades to operating systems and application software are released frequently and present new problems requiring new solutions. It's not easy for us to keep up with, and it's all we do. For someone who is not an expert in data backup and restore, it's nearly impossible.

Do you back up Exchange?

Yes. Microsoft® developed Exchange with the backup requirement in mind. It responds to API calls requesting the services to dump their data, while online, to an external destination. In SpiderBak's case the product simply asks the specified MS SQL or Exchange server to stream the data to the SpiderBox where it is delta blocked and transmitted offsite, as well as stored locally.. This process is a totally supported Microsoft function and guarantees compatibility with your existing MS systems.

Will I need a special agent to back up Exchange?

No. Support for MS Exchange server is built in and requires no agent or software loaded on the exchange server.

Is there a additional fee for backing up Exchange?

No.

Do you back up MS SQL Server?

Yes. Microsoft® developed SQL with the backup requirement in mind. It responds to API calls requesting the services to dump their data, while, to an external destination. In SpiderBak's case the product simply asks the specified MS SQL server to stream the data to the SpiderBox where it is delta blocked and transmitted offsite. This process is a totally supported Microsoft® function and guarantees compatibility with your existing Microsoft® systems.

Will I need a special agent to back up MS SQL Server?

No. Support for MS SQL is built in and requires no agent or software loaded on SQL server.

Is there an additional fee for protecting SQL servers?

No.

How and to what standard is the data encrypted?

The small files and delta blocks of data are first compressed and then encrypted with AES-256 encryption using a key which is set by the customer during initial configuration. This key is unknown to our staff or data center vaults and the data remains encrypted at all times, even when stored offsite. The backup data is only unencrypted by the SpiderBox at your site when it has retrieved the encrypted data from SpiderBak Data Center for a restore.

How do we restore if our encryption password is lost?

If the encryption password is lost, there is no way to restore data. This makes it extremely important to protect the password. This is a necessary feature of the system to ensure data security. We recommend

Does the SpiderBak service adhere to regulatory compliance guidelines?

Many regulations require that data is stored offsite in a secure location. All data is encrypted prior to leaving your location and stored in an encrypted state on our vaults.

If you have additional questions about regulatory compliance issues, call and speak to one of our account managers at 800-613-4418. They deal with these issues every day.