Frequently Asked Questions

I already have an Onsite backup system. Why would I want to change?

The backup systems that are included with a computer or backup disk drive are not as capable as full featured backup systems. You will find that if you want the FULL backup system, you have to pay extra for it. This full backup gives additional capabilities, for example, the ability to backup a file that is in use (very useful if you use a local email program like Outlook or Thunderbird) or the ability to backup databases. Advanced backup systems also provide much more capability for verifying that they actually are backing up correctly.

Many full featured backup systems store to backup tapes. Tapes have to be changed regularly (ideally daily) and the tapes that are not in use have to be stored at a remote site so that you can recover your data if you have a disaster at your site. All of this takes time, effort and money.

teraSERVICES utilizes a large capacity disk drive to store your data locally. This provides three distinct advantages over tapes. First, you and your team no longer need to change tapes or move them between sites, removing one of the major headaches and costs of backing up your data. Second, if you need to do a restore, you do not have to wait for a tape to arrive from another site. Our backups usually start restoring within 5 minutes of you contacting our control center. Third, because we take responsibility for managing your backup and sending you daily reports confirming they have run correctly, you do not have to learn or monitor the backup system. If you need a file restored, all you need is the name of the file and our phone number. If a backup or restore does not work for some reason, our professional IT staff will work to resolve the issue.

I've got an Online backup system. Why not just use that?

Online (internet) backups are similar to the free software included with a computer in that they are low in capabilities. As usual, the more you pay, the more capability and capacity you get. Because they operate over your internet connection, they are also limited in how much data they can backup. If you are a typical broadband customer 500 MB per day is a very aggressive amount of data to backup to an Online backup service. teraSERVICES onsite backup can store 500 MB in less than 3 minutes.

teraSERVICES uses the best from both worlds. Lightning fast onsite backups using an enterprise quality backup system for speed, features and capacity, and online backups to protect against fire, flood, theft or any other disaster. We compress your data and manage the backup routines to maximize the efficiency of your storage and minimize impact on your internet speed. Plus, all of our backups are monitored every day, so we know quickly if there is a problem and can address it before it becomes an issue for you and your business.

What happens if I need to get my data back?

Call our phone number, identify yourself, tell us what file(s) or directory(ies) you want to have restored.

How long will it take for my backup service to start?

Your service starts the day we complete the installation. Normally, we can install the same week you request our backup service.

I already have an external hard disk, can I use it?

Usually not. We have specific requirements of the hard disks we use for backups.

What size external hard disk drive do I need for backup?

The size of your backup drive depends upon how much data you have on your computer and how far back into the past you want to be able to retrieve files. If you have a 1 MB file that changes every day, and you want to be able to retrieve any copy of it up to 14 days in the past, then you need 14 x 1 MB, or 14 MB of space. If you only want to keep the most recent copy of that same 1 MB file, then you only need 1 MB of space.

How many computers can I back up?

There is no technical limit to the number of machines that can be backed up. If you have only a few MB of data to backup per machine, and a very fast network (Fiber or Gigabit Ethernet) then a lot of computers can be backed up. If your network is slower, and you have large volumes of data per machine, the number of computers that can be backed up will be smaller. Time is usually the limiting factor. Because the backup is network intensive, you probably do not want it to be running during the workday.

I have never had an issue which required restoring from backup, why should I backup now?

You have been lucky. Unfortunately, it is not a matter of if, but when a failure or disaster occurs. The odds are high that files will be accidentally deleted or modified, or that a hard drive will crash. There are two moving parts in a computer, the fan and the hard drive. Moving parts wear out.

Statistics show that two out of five businesses go out of business within five years of experiencing a major disaster. Most often, it is only after data is lost or corrupted that a business realizes its backup system is not working the way they thought it was.

How do I recover a document I overwrote last week?

Multiple versions of your files are stored with our service. The document you lost is only a phone call away.

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