All About Backups
We take the backing up of your websites extremely seriously. That is why we have a triple backup system in place to protect your websites.
Our backup system has been designed to protect at different levels so that we have different backups for different scenarios. For example sometimes a site may break due to some code or a hack and we need to restore it to the point just before it happened.
Other times we can restore an account that was deleted from our platform, should the customer change their minds.
And in the worst case scenario we may have to activate our data disaster plans and rebuild the platform.
Triple Backup System
Our three pronged backup approach is designed to cover each eventuality so that we have a backup ready for every situation.
Local Backup
A local backup runs on the same server as your website. This backup is the fastest way to restore a site as we only have to copy information from the backup to the area where your website exists.
Our local backups are also made available to you through the JetBackup facility in each cPanel. You can select files, databases and entire accounts and restore any option you want. Or if you prefer we can do the restore for you, just raise a ticket.
Same Data Centre Backup
Each server is backed up to a dedicated backup server within the same data centre our main servers live in. Having the backup nearby is not as fast has having it on the same server, but it is faster than an off-site backup. In the event that the local backup is compromised we can use the same data centre backup instead.
The same data centre backup can also be used should something happen to an entire server. We are able to create a new server, and then load the entire information onto the new server and get that server into production.
Off SIte Backup
In addition to the local and same data centre backup we have an external off site backups. These backups are completely independent from the local server and data centre, so this can be used if something was to happen to the data centre.
Now data centres are very robust, and each one costs millions of pounds. They have all sort of disaster recovery plans built in such as many different power supplies, power generators, flood defences, biometric access to name just a few, so it is very rare that a data centre will have an issue.
Regardless of the unlikeliness of a data centre failure, our off site backups have a copy of all of the data of each production server in a completely separate data centre, ran by a completely different data centre company.
In the extremely rare event that the main data centre has issues we are able to re-create the setup in an alternative data centre and restore from our off site backup.
Backup Schedules
What is a backup point?
When a backup job runs it creates a point in time where the backup is taken. For example if a backup runs at 1pm then once the backup has completed we can return the state of the website to 1pm on that specific date or backup point.
A backup point is simply a copy of the files that make up your website, emails and databases at that point in time. It's like a mirror snapshot of that timeframe.
Standard Backup SChedules
Our backups run automatically in the background and are monitored each day to ensure that the backup ran, and that it is stored safely.
Daily Backup Schedules
Weekly Backup Schedules
Monthly Backup Schedules
When Hosting accouts Are Cancelled
When hosting accounts are cancelled we will retain them for 90 days. Once 90 days have passed then the backup is removed from our backup system completely.
If you want to retain the backup for longer than this make sure you download a full backup from the cPanel before you cancel it or before you request a go live. You can retain the backups for as long as you want, and should you need them in the future then we can restore the account from your downloaded backup.
Due to GDPR we believe it to be unreasonable keep backups longer than 90 days after cancellation as the backup may hold personal information. See ICO Guidelines - click here.
90 days is a sensible cooling off period for the customer to change their minds where we will be able to restore that account from the backups.
We would recommend that you consider whether you should keep a download of the customers data "just in case" beyond our 90 day that we keep the backups for you. There is nothing wrong with sending the backup file to your customer as it contains their data, so we would recommend that if the customer wants to retain the backup after cancellation that you send them the backup file. This would then mean that you are no longer responsible for the safety of that backup.
SNAPSHOTS AND DOWNLOADS
SNAPSHOTS
A snapshot is a new backup point that you can create anytime. For example you are able to go to the cPanel and then JetBackup and go to the "Snapshots" section.
When you click on the "Create new Snapshot" button our backup system will make a fresh backup of the entire account at this exact point in time. This is great if you want to make significant changes and want to be able to undo the work. For example, if you are updating plugins and think something may go wrong then you can take a snapshot before you do the update and then revert the site back to that snapshot point.
Of course you can revert the website back to any backup or snapshot within your control panel.
You can create 2 snapshots per cpanel account and they will expire after 7 days. You can also download the snapshot should you want to keep it for longer.
If you create a 3rd snapshot (with 2 existing snapshots still present) then the oldest snapshot will be deleted to keep you within the 2 snapshots limit.
DOWNLOADING BACKUP POINTS
You are able to download full backups, databases and individual files from the JetBackups section of your cPanel.
Browse to the area that you want to download, and then next to the backup point click on "Download". This will create a file that you can download for the information contained in that point in time.
When the backup is ready for download, click on the download link and the file will be downloaded to your computer. Make sure that you understand that the backup could contain personal information and that you comply with your own GDPR policies.