The top 12 things you need to know before starting with Carbonite.
- Our employees already back up files to external hard drives. Why should we use Carbonite Business?
- What types of files does Carbonite back up?
- Will Carbonite back up my external hard drive?
- Will Carbonite back up my NAS device?
- Can I use Carbonite to back up my servers?
- Is Carbonite secure?
- Do Carbonite data centers undergo security and access control audits (formerly known as a "SAS 70" audit)?
- How much time will it take to get started?
- Do you offer non-profit pricing discounts?
- Do you offer special pricing for educational institutions?
- Is Carbonite HIPAA compliant?
- Does Carbonite allow me to manage my own encryption key?
1. Our employees already back up files to external hard drives. Why should we use Carbonite Business?
When you back up with Carbonite your backups may be more complete, your backup data is safer, and backing up requires little or no effort on your part. Consider:
- Carbonite is completely automatic. Once you set Carbonite up, it works on its own, backing up your files whenever your computers are connected to the Internet. You don’t have to remember to back up, because Carbonite never forgets. And you and your team never lose working hours to managing backup activities.
- Carbonite stores your files safely offsite. Offsite storage keeps your backup safe from theft, fires, floods, accidents, and anything else that can happen in your office (or in your home, if you currently bring your backup media home every night).
- Carbonite is more reliable than your external hard drive. Carbonite stores your backup on a redundant disk array (RAID) that is immeasurably more reliable than a computer’s internal hard drive, OR an external hard drive. The good news is that you can include your external hard drives in your Carbonite Business backup – and we strongly recommend that you do.
- Carbonite backs up wherever you go. As long as employees are connected to the Internet – Carbonite backs them up. Whether they’re in the office, at home or on the road, Carbonite keeps working to keep everyone’s backup up to date.
- Carbonite makes it easy to monitor everyone’s backup. A simple, browser-based dashboard lets you check backup status for everyone’s computer, at a glance – plus monitor your backup storage levels for your company.
2. What types of files does Carbonite back up?
Carbonite backs up many of the most common file types you’d use in a small or mid-sized business. This includes, but is certainly not limited to:
Carbonite Business backs up:
- Documents
- Spreadsheets
- Email
- Point-of-sale (POS) files
- Pictures and graphics
- Videos
- Financial/Accounting files (.QBB, .PTB)
- Customer relationship management files
These file types will be included in your backup automatically if the files are saved in your Users folders. If you have files stored outside your Users folders, or want to back up file types that are not already included automatically, you can manually add them to your backup.
Carbonite does NOT back up:
- Application program files (the files you install when you install a program such as Microsoft Word, Quicken, etc.)
- Temporary files (files your programs create for various reasons, while you’re using the program)
- System files (files that make up part of your Windows or Mac OS operating system)
If you have a question about a specific file type, please contact our sales team at BusinessTeam@carbonite.com or 1-855-227-2249.
3. Will Carbonite back up my external hard drive?
Both the Business and BusinessPremier plans allow you to include external hard drives in your online backup. To include an external hard drive in your backup, it needs to be attached to the computer by a USB connection and formatted in NTFS, HF+, or FAT32. You may back up as many external hard drives as you would like, provided you have enough storage space available. If you need additional storage, you can add it to your account at any time.
4. Will Carbonite back up my NAS device?
Both the Business and BusinessPremier plans allow you to manually add NAS devices to your backup. An account administrator using a Windows computer must right-click on the NAS device and select “Back this up”. Once added to the backup, any data on that NAS device will be automatically included in the admin’s backup. Note: This functionality is only available using the Windows version of Carbonite through an Administrator Account.
5. Can I use Carbonite to back up my servers?
The BusinessPremier plan ($599/year) allows you to back up servers running Microsoft Windows Server 2003, 2008 and 2011. You may include as many servers running these operating systems as you'd like, provided your account has enough storage. If you need additional storage, you may add it to your account at any time.
The Business plan ($229/year) does not include server backup. If you would like to back up a server, you must upgrade to BusinessPremier.
Please note: The BusinessPremier plan allows you to back up your local backup file of Microsoft SQL and Exchange, but it does not back up the programs themselves. To learn more about how to back up your SQL or Exchange backup, please visit our knowledgebase: Exchange FAQs, SQL FAQs
6. Is Carbonite secure?
Yes. Your business depends on your data – so we make it our top priority to keep your data safe. We encrypt your files before transmitting them from your computer to our data center, using the same encryption technology used in online banking and e-commerce transactions. And your files remain encrypted on our servers, which are housed in state-of-the-art data centers that are guarded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Learn more about everything we do to keep your data safe.
7. Do Carbonite data centers undergo security and access control audits
(formerly known as a "SAS 70" audit)?
Yes. Carbonite requires that each of its data centers is subject to an independent audit of its security and access procedures. These audits are conducted by independent CPA firms following internationally recognized procedures established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Formerly known as "SAS 70’s", these audits provide assurance that each data center has a system of controls in place that are designed and operating effectively. Carbonite backup systems are hosted in top-tier, 3rd party data centers. These data centers are specialized facilities designed for hosting computer hardware and feature high levels of security and redundancy. Additional information regarding Carbonite's Data Security Practices can be found in our data security white paper.
8. How much time will it take to get started?
It takes less than 10 minutes to set up Carbonite for your company, and another 5 minutes for each employee to start using it to back up their systems. Specifically:
- Signing up for the Carbonite trial takes less than 5 minutes (and, because it requires no credit card, there’s nothing to cancel if you decide Carbonite isn’t right for your company).
- After you sign up, it takes just a few more minutes to invite your users to join your company account via the easy-to-use administrative dashboard.
- Carbonite sends each user an email on your behalf with a link and instructions for installing Carbonite on their computers. The installation itself takes less than five minutes - and doesn’t require them to restart their computers or close anything they’re working on.
After that, you and your team are done – Carbonite starts backing up automatically, in the background.
Want to learn more? Watch our short install video
9. Do you offer non-profit pricing discounts?
Yes, we offer discounted pricing for non-profit businesses. Please contact our sales team at BusinessTeam@carbonite.com or 855-227-2249 for details.
10. Do you offer special pricing for educational institutions?
Yes, we offer special pricing for educational institutions. Please contact our sales team at BusinessTeam@carbonite.com or 855-227-2249 for details.
11. Is Carbonite HIPAA compliant?
Through private encryption key management, Carbonite helps medical and dental offices with their compliance requirements. Private encryption key management allows account admins to back up any Windows computers, NAS devices or servers containing protected health data in such a way that no one, not even the Carbonite technical support staff, has access to backed up data. If you choose this option, your backed up files cannot be decrypted without your unique encryption key.
To learn more, please download our HIPAA fact sheet or contact our small business team at 855-227-2249 or BusinessTeam@carbonite.com.
12. Does Carbonite allow me to manage my own encryption key?
Yes. During installation, Carbonite Business account admins can select private encryption key management, allowing them to manage the sole copy of the encryption key for each Windows computer, NAS device and server. With private encryption key management, no one, not even the Carbonite technical support staff, can recover files without your unique encryption key. And since your private encryption key is never sent to Carbonite, there will be no way to recover the key should it be lost or misplaced. For more information on private encryption key management, please contact our small business team at 855-227-2249 or BusinessTeam@carbonite.com.
Please note: If you choose to manage your own encryption key, you will be unable to use features such as Anytime, Anywhere Access and Courier Recovery.