Frequently Asked Questions
- How secure is my data?
- Can anyone else access my data?
- Where is my data kept?
- Will the backup work through my firewall?
- Is the software web based?
- Do backups have versioning?
- Do versions take up a lot of storage space?
- Are backups scheduled?
- Will it slow down my PC?
- What if the backup gets interrupted?
- What if I have dial-up Internet?
- What folders should I backup?
- Can I backup more than one PC?
- What operating systems are supported?
- How easy is it to restore a file?
- How does file-sharing work?
- Why does this help me with very large email attachments?
1. How secure is my data?
All data being backed up is compressed and encrypted before leaving your PC. Data is stored at the data centre in this encrypted form. Authentication traffic between your PC and the data centre is also encrypted. Restores via the web interface are protected using encryption. Nerds Backup uses only the best encryption technology available.
At no time will usernames, passwords or data be sent out over the internet in unencrypted form.
Learn more about our security features
2. 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.
See 'How does file-sharing work' to learn about how you can selectively share individual files, but not all your data, with other people.
3. Where is my data kept?
Your data is kept in a state-of-the-art data centre alongside the systems of several major banks. This highly secure physical infrastructure includes the latest in biometric authentication, video surveillance and round-the-clock security officers. Your data is stored at one of Acpana's data centres and only you have access. All data stored at the data centre and any communication with the data centre is two-way encrypted.
Learn more about our security features
4. 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.
Learn more about system requirements and personal firewalls
5. Is the software web based?
You have 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.
The Web Client also provides advanced collaboration features such as sharing files with colleagues, mailing of very large attachments and the ability to access your data from anywhere on the internet.
6. Do backups have versioning?
Yes. You can configure the number of versions you wish to keep 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. It all depends on how you configure the backup.
Learn more about file versioning
7. Do versions take up a lot of storage space?
Not really. Before we backup a new version of a file, we compare it to the previous version and only backup the data that changed. So if you have a 50Mb mail file, and then receive 10Kb worth of new messages, we only backup the 10Kb that changed.
Learn more about file versioning
8. 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.
Learn more about continuous backup
9. Will it slow down my PC?
No. The Backup Client has a feature that suspends the backup when the PC is in use. When you use the keyboard or mouse, Nerds Backup pauses. When you stop to answer the phone, backup continues.
And since we backup the files as they change, the amount of data being sent through your internet connection is kept to a minimum. Most people can't tell a backup is in progress.
Learn more about our backup features
10. 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.
Learn more about our backup features
11. 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.
Learn more about our backup features
12. 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.
13. Can I backup more than one PC?
Yes. The number of PCs depends on your rate plan.
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.
Learn more about our prices and plans
14. What operating systems are supported?
The Backup Client will run on any version of Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 onward. Macintoshes can run the client using Windows emulation software, such as Virtual PC.
Learn more about system requirements
15. How easy is it to restore a file?
Very easy. You just a right click the Nerds Backup 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.
16. How does file-sharing work?
Once your data has been backed up, you have the ability to share selected portions of it with whomever you want. You can share individual files or folders.
In the 'Online Storage' section of the Web Client, you can mark a file as 'Sharable', and assign it a separate password. The system will give it a unique URL for download and even send an email to the recipient with a link. The system maintains a log of who downloaded it and when. Sharing of folders is similar.
Learn more about web access and file-sharing
17. Why does this help me with very large email attachments?
If you need to send a large file to someone, but his or her email will not allow large attachments, use the file-sharing feature of the Web Client. Mark it as 'Sharable' and email the recipient a link to the file. They simply click the link to download the attachment.
