► Is there a minimum contract period?

All of our services have a minimum contract period of 12 months. After the first 12 months the service can be cancelled with 1 months notice. During the initial 12 months you can change to a different package of the same product should you choose to.

► What billing period options are available?

All services are billed quarterly. If you prefer we can also bill yearly, for some services a discount is available for yearly payments.

► When will I be invoiced?

You will be invoiced for the first full quarter before the service is activated. The service will not commence until the payment is received. From then on you will be invoiced at the beginning of each quarter.

► Is there a Demo or trial available?

If you would like to see any of our services in action please contact our support staff who will gladly arrange for a demonstration for you.
We do not offer a trial, however If you're unhappy with the service for any reason in the first 30 days you can cancel without penalty.

► How long will it take for the service to be activated after we sign up?

Typically the service will be available in under 48 hours, you will receive an email with a step-by-step setup guide and details of your username etc once the service is active. In some cases it may take up to 5 working days to process your order.

► If we change to a lower package will we receive a refund?

Because you are billed quarterly it is possible you will be entitled to a refund if you reduce your package. Refunds will only be applied to whole months, so for example if you change down during the second month of a quarter you will receive a refund for 1 month. The refund will be applied in the form of a discount off your next invoice. Refunds are entirely at our discretion and may not be applied in certain cases, for example if you cancel a service entirely.

► What Operating Systems are supported?

The BackupAssist client supports all Windows Server Operating Systems from Windows 2000 onwards and Desktop Operating Systems from Windows XP onwards are supported. It should be possible to back up any operating system that can use Rsync over SSH, however we can not provide support for this.

► Can I use a backup client other than BackupAssist?

Our service uses the standards defined by Rsync over SSH. Any client that can back up data using this method should work so yes you can use a different client if you choose to. Whilst we will always do our best to help, we can not guarantee support with any client other than BackupAssist.

► We already own BackupAssist software, do we need to purchase it again from you?

No. If you already use BackupAssist you will just need to purchase the Rsync plugin if you don't have it already, you can continue to use your existing license for the main application. If you already have the Rsync plugin or Rsync standalone client no further purchase is necessary.

► Are you affiliated with BackupAssist or Rsync in any way?

No, we are an independent solutions provider. We choose the products we use and recommend based on performance and reliability testing, we are in no way associated with any other company or product.

► What happens if I reach my quote limit?

If you reach your quota limit you will receive an email warning you the limit has been reached. It is not possible to exceed the limit so you will not get hit with any unexpected costs, it is entirely up to you whether you choose to reduce the amount of data you are backing up or increase your quota limit.

► Why do you say I can store more data than my quota allows?

We use advanced deduplication and compression techniques to store your data, so the amount of storage space it actually takes up is usually significantly less than the amount of data you back up. Typically you can back up 35% more data than your quota, however we have seen some cases where the amount of data backed up exceeds 175% of the quota! The actual amount of data you can store varies depending on the type of data.

► What is deduplication?

Deduplication is a data compression technique for eliminating duplicate copies of repeating data. Related terms are intelligent compression and single-instance storage. The technique is used to improve storage utilization. In the deduplication process, unique chunks of data, or byte patterns, are identified and stored during a process of analysis. As the analysis continues, other chunks are compared to the stored copy and whenever a match occurs, the redundant chunk is replaced with a small reference that points to the stored chunk. Given that the same byte pattern may occur dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of times, the amount of data that must be stored can be greatly reduced.

For more information please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_deduplication

► Is deduplication and compression the same thing?

No. Compression refers to a method of taking a single file and reducing the size required to store it. Deduplication takes a large number of files (in our system your complete data set) and removes duplicated "chunks" of data. To cut a long story short, deduplication can reduce storage requirements significantly compared to traditional compression methods.

Since we introduced deduplication with our Evolution 3 system our clients have seen an average reduction in storage requirements of 35%, compared to the best compression methods we were previously using.

For more information on the advantages and possible storage savings please visit http://blogs.technet.com/b/filecab/archive/2012/05/21/introduction-to-data-deduplication-in-windows-server-2012.aspx

► I read somewhere deduplication isn't suitable for cloud backup, is that true?

Many companies that can't do deduplication talk about how it isn't suitable for online backup, of course they would wouldn't they? In actual fact they are correct to some extent. What they're talking about is file level deduplication, where duplicated files are removed and a pointer left behind to save storage space. This isn't possible with online backup because all the files are encrypted so the server can not tell if they're the same or not.
We use binary level deduplication, which involves comparing blocks of data at its lowest level (the 1's and 0's). The server doesn't need to know what the file is, the files don't even need to be the same, if part of the file has exactly the same data footprint then it can be deduplicated. 10101 is the same as 10101 however you look at it and no matter what the whole file contains, it doesn't need to be stored multiple times!

► Can I change between your Web Filter and Cloud Filter services?

Yes. If you choose one service and decide another would be more suitable you can change at any time. The change will commence from the next billing cycle.

► Can I change the base package and add or remove users?

You can change base package, either up or down, or add and remove users at any time. If the change results in an increased cost you will be invoiced pro-rata for the difference, the change will take effect once payment has been received.

► Do I have to block or allow every website?

No. Our service is capable of categorising websites, so you only need to decide how each category is handled. To fine tune the filter each category also has subcategories which can be handled differently. For example you may want to block Social Networking sites such as Facebook, but allow more "professional" networking sites such as LinkedIn. To do this you could simply block the Social Networking category, but allow the subcategory Professional Networking.

Of course you can also set custom block or allow rules for specific websites if they have special requirements, or if they don't fit in with a predefined category. You can also create your own custom categories for complete control over how your filtering works.

► Do I have to manage and configure the service myself?

We will configure the filtering for you to get you started, and work with you to make sure it meets your exact requirements. We will also gladly handle all the management and custom unblock requests as part of the service if you prefer it. Keep in mind though that we don't know your company, personnel or beliefs on what should or shouldn't be allowed so we can only use our best judgement. For this reason we recommend a designated member or members of your staff take charge of at least the custom unblock requests. We will of course help and guide them where required.

► Do I have to protect every user or computer?

Generally speaking we advise you to protect every computer, otherwise you may be leaving holes in your security, however the service requires a small MSI package to be installed on each protected computer so you can choose which to protect and which not to.

► Can I protect phones, tablets or non-Windows computers?

We have apps for both Apple and Android devices so you can easily protect the majority of devices available today. For linux or proprietary systems we have the option to install a small gateway device to provide perimeter security for every device. If you think you may need this option please contact our support staff who can assess your requirements and advise you of the best options.

► Do I still need Anti-Virus if I use your Web and Email filtering services?

Whilst our system is capable of blocking viruses from most external sources, we would always recommend a good Anti-Virus product too. Internet and email are undoubtedly the primary source of viruses, but they aren't the only sources. We can not stop viruses that are already inside your network from sources such as USB sticks, or devices brought in to your network by users (BYoD). Our service should be an extra layer of security rather than the only layer of security.

► Can I change between your Email Filter, Email Pro Filter and Cloud Filter services?

Yes. If you choose one service and decide another would be more suitable you can change at any time, the only exception is you can not change down from either the Cloud Filter service or the Email Filter Pro to the Email Filter within the first 12 months. The change will commence from the next billing cycle.

► Can I change the base package and add or remove users?

You can change base package, either up or down, or add and remove users at any time. If the change results in an increased cost you will be invoiced pro-rata for the difference, the change will take effect once payment has been received.

► Why have 2 different email filtering services?

Where possible we try to keep things simple by having a single service that can be tailored to your needs if required, however when it came to email filtering we found there were 2 very distinct types of client. One just wants their emails filtered, they don't want to know about it or look at reports about it, they just want it all to happen in the background with the minimum amount of fuss. The other wants to be able to customise the filter, view reports and receive regular quarantine digests. The best way for us to serve the two different requirements is to provide two separate services.

► Is there any difference in the filtering between the standard and pro services?

No. Both services use the same filtering engine and aim to provide the same high level of filtering. The difference between the two services is just the additional features the Pro service provides, not the filtering itself.

► If a legitimate email gets blocked do I lose it?

All blocked email is placed in a quarantine for 7 days, so in the unlikely event that a legitimate email gets blocked it can still be retrieved. With our Pro service each user will receive regular quarantine reports, so retrieving a blocked email is as simple as clicking a link in the email. With our standard service simply let us know who sent the email and we can release it for you.

► Will filtering slow down my emails?

Filtering takes a matter of seconds, so in practical terms no there will be no delay. Our systems are designed to cope with large quantities of emails so even at busy times there will be little to no delay. If you are currently using an in-house or other solution that uses heuristics or similar methods to recognise spam these traditionally take a lot longer to process email, as this will no longer be required you may even find your emails are faster with our service.

► Do I still need Anti-Virus if I use your Web and Email filtering services?

Whilst our system is capable of blocking viruses from most external sources, we would always recommend a good Anti-Virus product too. Internet and email are undoubtedly the primary source of viruses, but they aren't the only sources. We can not stop viruses that are already inside your network from sources such as USB sticks, or devices brought in to your network by users (BYoD). Our service should be an extra layer of security rather than the only layer of security.