Uplevel Systems Storage Backup Services

Enabling Backup in the Portal

1. Login to your Portal and choose Storage
   
2. Edit (notepad icon) each Share that you would like to configure Backup settings on
3. Choose Configure Backup
4. Choose Local Snapshots, Disaster Recovery, or Archive
5. Save all the way out and Done to exit the Backup Preferences window

Uplevel's Three-Tier Backup Solution

Local Snapshots: Instant Protection with Zero Performance Impact

No additional fees

Our local snapshot technology harnesses the sophisticated Copy on Write (CoW) capabilities of the advanced BTRFS filesystem built into your Gateway. Think of these snapshots as intelligent photographs of your data taken at specific moments in time – but unlike regular photos that consume space for every pixel, our snapshots initially store only a lightweight "outline" of your data structure.

When your Gateway creates a snapshot, it doesn't duplicate your files. Instead, it creates a highly efficient metadata map that points to your existing data. This innovative approach means creating a snapshot happens almost instantly and requires minimal storage space. The snapshot only begins to consume additional space when files in your active system change after the snapshot is taken. When this happens, the filesystem preserves the original data blocks for the snapshot while creating new blocks for your current files, ensuring each snapshot remains a perfect record of that moment in time.

These local snapshots serve multiple critical functions. For day-to-day operations, they enable immediate file recovery through the Windows Previous Versions interface, allowing users to easily restore accidentally deleted or modified files. More crucially, they form a robust defense against ransomware attacks. Because snapshots are read-only and immutable – meaning they cannot be modified once created – they remain safe even during an active ransomware attack. When ransomware attempts to encrypt files on your network, it cannot alter these protected snapshots. After your network has been sanitized, you can safely restore your data from these untouched snapshots, enabling your business to recover quickly while maintaining complete data integrity.

Please see our KB article for instructions on Restoring Previous Versions in Windows

Disaster Recovery: Your Safety Net in the Cloud

Please contact our Sales Team for exact pricing

Think of Disaster Recovery like creating a complete digital twin of your NAS that lives securely in the cloud. When first activated, the system makes a comprehensive copy of everything on your Gateway's NAS drive – similar to taking a full backup of your smartphone before getting a new one. This initial backup takes longer because it's copying everything, just like that first phone backup.

After this foundation is laid, the system becomes much more efficient. Instead of copying everything again, it only sends the changes that happen throughout the day – like how your phone only backs up new photos and messages. This means minimal impact on your network speed during normal operations, though uploading large new files will still take proportional time to sync.

The real power of Disaster Recovery becomes clear in worst-case scenarios: if your Gateway is destroyed in a fire, stolen, or simply stops working. In these situations, we can quickly download your cloud image to a new Gateway and typically have it delivered to your location by 8am the next business morning. It's like getting a new phone with all your data already restored – just plug it in and you're back in business. 

For detailed technical information about our Disaster Recovery security and infrastructure, click here

Note: Next-morning delivery and complete data restoration timing depends on when we're notified, shipping carrier cutoffs, and the total size of your data.

Contact support@uplevelsystems.com or call 917-317-3001 immediately in the event of a disaster.

A Critical Warning About Disaster Recovery

While Uplevel offers robust Disaster Recovery services, what's absolutely crucial is having SOME form of proven Disaster Recovery strategy in place for your clients – whether it's our solution or another trusted provider. This isn't just an IT best practice; it's fundamental to business survival.

The statistics paint a sobering picture of what happens when businesses face severe data loss. Nearly 94% of companies experiencing catastrophic data loss never fully recover, and the impact can be devastating. Consider this: it typically takes organizations over nine months – approximately 280 days – just to identify and contain a data breach. During this time, the damage compounds:

Most small businesses cannot survive such an event. Studies show that 51% of companies close within two years of a major data incident, while 43% never reopen their doors. Even more alarming, 70% of small businesses shut down within just one year of experiencing significant data loss.

These statistics underscore why we strongly advocate for quarterly testing of your Disaster Recovery system, regardless of the solution you choose. Regular testing ensures that when disaster strikes – whether it's a ransomware attack, hardware failure, natural disaster, or human error – you can confidently restore your clients' operations with minimal disruption.

Think of Disaster Recovery testing like a fire drill – it might seem inconvenient to practice regularly, but when an emergency occurs, you'll be grateful for the preparation. Every quarter, you should:

• Verify your recovery procedures are current
  
• Confirm all critical data is being captured
  
• Test the actual recovery process
  
• Document and address any issues discovered
  
• Update recovery time expectations based on current data volumes

Remember: The cost and effort of maintaining and testing a Disaster Recovery solution is minimal compared to the potentially devastating impact of data loss on your clients' businesses.

Archives: Your Long-Term Data Preservation Solution

Please contact our Sales Team for exact pricing

Think of archiving as similar to how museums preserve historical artifacts. Just as museums carefully pack away items in climate-controlled storage for future reference, our archiving system creates compressed copies of your Disaster Recovery archives, storing them securely for long-term retention.

These archives serve a distinct purpose from your active backups. While Disaster Recovery keeps your current data readily available – like items on display in a museum – archives are designed for long-term preservation of historical data that you rarely need to access but must maintain for compliance or reference purposes. Just as a museum needs time to carefully unpack and prepare stored artifacts for viewing, archived data requires a decompression process before it can be accessed.

The duration and volume of data you need to archive varies significantly by industry, much like how different types of institutions have different preservation requirements:

An accounting firm needs to maintain detailed financial records for tax and audit purposes, typically spanning seven years of business operations. A healthcare facility, on the other hand, faces a much longer retention requirement – they may need to preserve medical imaging and patient records for the entirety of a patient's lifetime.

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