Product Overview
Are you doing everything you can to protect your information? While local backup and recovery software offers critical protection against a mistakenly deleted file or from a server or workstation crash, it can’t protect against fire, flood or theft. To survive those onslaughts means investing in a redundant offsite strategy in addition to local backup. Fortunately, there’s a better solution: Acronis Backup & Recovery Online – a fast, secure and cost-efficient offsite data protection service from the leader in local and online disaster recovery. This subscription service, when used in conjunction with Acronis Backup & Recovery 11, offers the benefits of a dedicated remote datacenter providing backup & recovery redundancy without the high price tag.
- Acronis Management Console
- Servers
- Virtual Machines
- Workstations
- Local Storage
- Acronis Online Storage
Unlike other online backup services, Acronis Backup & Recovery Online does more than just protect your files. It leverages Acronis’ patented disk imaging and Cloud computing technologies to capture files as well as server and workstation operating systems and applications. Backups are stored online in a remote, secure location, fully secured via government-grade encryption. It’s highly cost effective because you only pay one flat rate per machine for the online protection you need.
If you already use Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 software for local backup and recovery of your physical and virtual machines, adding Acronis Backup & Recovery Online is a snap because the two products are completely integrated. One console seamlessly manages all of your backup and recovery efforts regardless of the data’s actual location.
Features and Benefits
- Back Up Individual Files or an Entire System Image
- Acronis Backup & Recovery Online allows you to back up specific files and folders or an entire system image (including the operating system, applications and configuration information).
- Restore Anywhere
- Users can restore backed up files or system images to any server or workstation, eliminating the need to match the underlying hardware before they can begin using them.
- True Ease of Use
- Acronis Backup & Recovery Online leverages Acronis’ highly regarded graphical user interface. Existing Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 users will be immediately productive: it’s the same great console they already know and love. New users will find Acronis Backup & Recovery Online remarkably easy to configure and use. Even relative novices can create sophisticated, professional backup and recovery plans that pay off with easy recoveries whenever they’re needed.
Key Features
- Online, Cloud-based Data Protection
- Acronis stores files and system image backups at a remote, secure location to give Windows servers and workstations the additional protection they need against disaster or theft. No additional hardware investment is required.
- Recover Entire System, Single File or Folder
- Acronis image-based recoveries give you the granularity you need for any kind of recovery. Restore files or complete system images to any server or workstation, eliminating the need to match the underlying hardware.
- Easy-to-use, Centralized Management
- Administrators can establish online backup policies for workstations and servers using a powerful, wizard-driven user interface. Existing Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 local backup software seamlessly integrates with Acronis Backup & Recovery Online so you can manage both local and online backups from a single, centralized client console.
- Flexible Deployment
- Meet today’s data protection challenges and accommodate future needs ‘on the fly’ without costly upgrades. Disk-based backup and disk-based recovery options are available in annual subscriptions; pay one flat rate by machine type for the online service. Because Acronis Backup & Recovery Online integrates seamlessly with
Acronis Backup & Recovery 11
, the products can be used together to support any one or any combination of these scenarios:
- systems that require the two-layer protection of local backups for speed and performance coupled with redundant remote backups to guard against site outages
- systems that only require local data protection
- systems that only require online data protection
- Support for Virtualized Environments
- Acronis supports the systems you have today with agent-less backup and recovery of virtual machines to the cloud. You can store virtual machine (VM) backups in Acronis Online storage when used with Acronis Backup & Recovery Online for Virtual Machines. Back up data for all Virtual Machines on a VMware® ESX server or Microsoft® Hyper-V server with one Acronis Backup & Recovery Online for Virtual Machines subscription per host. Virtual Machines are managed in the same way as physical machines from the same management console, including grouping and policy-based management.
- Government-grade Data Privacy & Security
- High-level data privacy is critical to businesses, and Acronis takes privacy to the maximum level. Government-approved AES-256 Encryption is standard issue with Acronis Backup & Recovery Online. Moreover, each customer has the option (and is strongly encouraged) to create a unique private key which ensures that only the user can access their business’ information. Neither Acronis nor anyone else will be able to access your data.
Key features and technologies for Workstation:
Backup options
Block Level Image Backup
Create an overall backup copy of your machine, including operating system, applications, user settings and data.File Level Backup
Back up only selected files and folders.Real-time Backup
Back up your system or specific files without interrupting your work.Full Backup
Do a complete backup of your machine.Incremental Backup
Back up all changes to your system since the previous backup.Sector-by-sector Backup
Stores exact copies of a disk or volume, sector-by-sector, including unused space.Exclude files during backup
Save storage space and time by excluding non-essential files and folders from backups.Compression
Compress backups to optimize your storage space.Multi-volume Snapshots
Create a consistent snapshot of several volumes at once.Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) support
Back up your mission-critical VSS-aware applications, such as Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft SQL Server, on a live server without taking them offline.Network Bandwidth/Disk Write Speed Throttling
Limit impact on a disk or network by limiting the bandwidth that is allowed to be used by Acronis Backup & Recovery Online.Initial Seeding
Optional service that lets you save an initial full backup locally and then send it to Acronis on a hard disk drive
Recovery options
Acronis Startup Recovery Manager
If your system won’t boot properly, press F11 during the system startup to start Acronis Backup & Recovery Online.Bare-metal restore
Restore your workstation from scratch in the event of a hard disk failure — restore an exact copy of your computer on a new hard drive.Remote restore
Perform remote restores of your networked machines.Restore to dissimilar hardware
Migrate or restore the whole system to dissimilar hardware or a virtual machine.Dynamic Disk Support
Manage, backup and restore your LDM disks, backup and restore LVM disksLarge Scale Recovery option
In the event of a large workstation outage, customer may request for Acronis to load a workstation’s backups onto a hard drive and ship it to them
Virtualization support
Migrate between P2V and V2P during backup and restore
Convert backup images to virtual machine formats compatible with VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V environments.Agent-less backup through VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB)
Back up a virtual machine from ESX Server by mounting it with VMware consolidated backup
Backup management
Pre/post commands
Define pre/post backup and data capture commands to integrate Acronis Backup & Recovery Online with other applications or to temporarily stop some.Conditions for backup
Configure backup operations to wait until specified conditions are met like a pre-defined time interval or a user logs off.Advanced backup scheduling
Schedule your backup operations so that they run automatically without interrupting your workAutomatic retry in case of non-fatal failure
If a task fails, it will automatically retry in a configured time interval
Centralized management
Grouping machines into static or dynamic groups
Put machines into nested groups, manually or by other criteria such as OS, IP range, or membership in an Active Directory.Policy-based management
Apply backup policies to a machine or a group of machines.Distributing backups within time interval
Avoid overloading networks by distributing backup activities within an allowed time window. Automatically shift task start times on each machine.Centralized list of vaults
Creates a centralized list of vaults that will be visible to all machines registered in Acronis Management Server
Reporting and monitoring
Centralized dashboard
Operational overview of all configured machines on a single screen.Consolidating log events into centralized log
See events from all managed machines in the Acronis Management Server log, even if the event is from a machine that is not available.
Backup administration
Automated deletion of outdated backups
Specify rules to automatically delete backups that are no longer needed.Consolidating incremental backups
Consolidate incremental backups to save space.
Deployment and upgrade options
Remote installation and configuration
Remotely install clients and updates on your networked machines.No reboot
No reboot required to complete installation.
User interface
Local management console
Intuitive user interface makes Acronis Backup & Recovery Online easy to install, quick to configure and deploy, and simple to useCentralized management console
Centrally manage all operations from a single console on the network.
Security
User group to control remote access
Assign access to specific groups — ensure only authorized groups can access machines remotely.User group to allow centralized management
Set a security group that is allowed access to the Acronis Management Server.Encrypted network communications
Ensure data is safe during backups across the network — all remote communications are encrypted by default.Configurable ports
All port numbers used may be changed.
Storage
Acronis Online Storage
Remote, secure location to store files and system image backupsInitial Seeding option
Customer creates an encrypted local backup and then ships the hard drive to Acronis for recovery into Acronis Online Storage.Please note that running a defragmentation after initial seeding backup will result in creating a full backup thus increasing backup time to online storage.
Key features and technologies for Server:
Backup options
Block Level Image Backup
Create an overall backup copy of your machine, including operating system, applications, user settings and data.File Level Backup
Back up only selected files and folders.Real-time Backup
Back up your system or specific files without interrupting your work.Full Backup
Do a complete backup of your machine.Incremental Backup
Back up all changes to your system since the previous backup.Sector-by-sector Backup
Stores exact copies of a disk or volume, sector-by-sector, including unused space.Exclude files during backup
Save storage space and time by excluding non-essential files and folders from backups.Compression
Compress backups to optimize your storage space.Multi-volume Snapshots
Create a consistent snapshot of several volumes at once.Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) support
Back up your mission-critical VSS-aware applications, such as Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft SQL Server, on a live server without taking them offline.Network Bandwidth/Disk Write Speed Throttling
Limit impact on a disk or network by limiting the bandwidth that is allowed to be used by Acronis Backup & Recovery Online.Initial Seeding
Optional service that lets you save an initial full backup locally and then send it to Acronis on a hard disk drive.
Recovery options
Acronis Startup Recovery Manager
If your system won’t boot properly, press F11 during the system startup to start Acronis Backup & Recovery Online.Bare-metal restore
Restore your server from scratch in the event of a hard disk failure — restore an exact copy of your computer on a new hard drive.Remote restore
Perform remote restores of your networked machines.Restore to dissimilar hardware
Migrate or restore the whole system to dissimilar hardware or a virtual machine.Dynamic Disk Support
Manage, backup and restore your LDM disks, backup and restore LVM disksLarge Scale Recovery option
In the event of a large server outage, customer may request for Acronis to load a server’s backups onto a hard drive and ship it to them.
Virtualization support
Migrate between P2V and V2P during backup and restore
Convert backup images to virtual machine formats compatible with VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V environments.Agent-less backup through VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB)
Back up a virtual machine from ESX Server by mounting it with VMware consolidated backup
Backup management
Pre/post commands
Define pre/post backup and data capture commands to integrate Acronis Backup & Recovery Online with other applications or to temporarily stop some.Conditions for backup
Configure backup operations to wait until specified conditions are met like a pre-defined time interval or a user logs off.Advanced backup scheduling
Schedule your backup operations so that they run automatically without interrupting your workAutomatic retry in case of non-fatal failure
If a task fails, it will automatically retry in a configured time interval
Centralized management
Grouping machines into static or dynamic groups
Put machines into nested groups, manually or by other criteria such as OS, IP range, or membership in an Active Directory.Policy-based management
Apply backup policies to a machine or a group of machines.Distributing backups within time interval
Avoid overloading networks by distributing backup activities within an allowed time window. Automatically shift task start times on each machine.Centralized list of vaults
Creates a centralized list of vaults that will be visible to all machines registered in Acronis Management Server
Reporting and monitoring
Centralized dashboard
Operational overview of all configured machines on a single screen.Consolidating log events into centralized log
See events from all managed machines in the Acronis Management Server log, even if the event is from a machine that is not available.
Backup administration
Automated deletion of outdated backups
Specify rules to automatically delete backups that are no longer needed.Consolidating incremental backups
Consolidate incremental backups to save space.
Deployment and upgrade options
Remote installation and configuration
Remotely install clients and updates on your networked machines.No reboot
No reboot required to complete installation.
User interface
Local management console
Intuitive user interface makes Acronis Backup & Recovery Online easy to install, quick to configure and deploy, and simple to useCentralized management console
Centrally manage all operations from a single console on the network.
Security
User group to control remote access
Assign access to specific groups — ensure only authorized groups can access machines remotely.User group to allow centralized management
Set a security group that is allowed access to the Acronis Management Server.Encrypted network communications
Ensure data is safe during backups across the network — all remote communications are encrypted by default.Configurable ports
All port numbers used may be changed.
Storage
Acronis Online Storage
Remote, secure location to store files and system image backupsInitial Seeding option
Customer creates an encrypted local backup and then ships the hard drive to Acronis for recovery into Acronis Online Storage.Please note that running a defragmentation after initial seeding backup will result in creating a full backup thus increasing backup time to online storage.
Key features and technologies for Virtual Machines:
Backup options
Block Level Image Backup
Create an overall backup copy of your machine, including operating system, applications, user settings and data.File Level Backup
Back up only selected files and folders.Real-time Backup
Back up your system or specific files without interrupting your work.Full Backup
Do a complete backup of your machine.Incremental Backup
Back up all changes to your system since the previous backup.Sector-by-sector Backup
Stores exact copies of a disk or volume, sector-by-sector, including unused space.Exclude files during backup
Save storage space and time by excluding non-essential files and folders from backups.Compression
Compress backups to optimize your storage space.Multi-volume Snapshots
Create a consistent snapshot of several volumes at once.Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) support
Back up your mission-critical VSS-aware applications, such as Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft SQL Server, on a live server without taking them offline.Network Bandwidth/Disk Write Speed Throttling
Limit impact on a disk or network by limiting the bandwidth that is allowed to be used by Acronis Backup & Recovery Online.Initial Seeding
Optional service that lets you save an initial full backup locally and then send it to Acronis on a hard disk drive
Recovery options
Acronis Startup Recovery Manager
If your system won’t boot properly, press F11 during the system startup to start Acronis Backup & Recovery Online.Bare-metal restore
Restore your server from scratch in the event of a hard disk failure — restore an exact copy of your computer on a new hard drive.Remote restore
Perform remote restores of your networked machines.Restore to dissimilar hardware
Migrate or restore the whole system to dissimilar hardware or a virtual machine.Dynamic Disk Support
Manage, backup and restore your LDM disks, backup and restore LVM disksLarge Scale Recovery option
In the event of a large server outage, customer may request for Acronis to load a server’s backups onto a hard drive and ship it to them
Virtualization support
Migrate between P2V and V2P during backup and restore
Convert backup images to virtual machine formats compatible with VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V environments.Agent-less backup through VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB)
Back up a virtual machine from ESX Server by mounting it with VMware consolidated backupManage virtual machines protection with policies
Centrally managed protection of virtual machines, including grouping and policy-based.Backup unlimited number of virtual machines
Back up and recover an unlimited number of virtual machines on a VMware ESX server or a Microsoft Hyper-V server with one Acronis Backup & Recovery Online for Virtual Machines subscription.Agent-less backups of virtual machines
Backup virtual environments without installing individual agents on every virtual machine. Available for VMware ESX or Microsoft Hyper-V-based servers, complete agent-less backups of volumes, virtual disks and entire virtual machines, all from the centralized management console.
NOTE: This feature is not supported in the free edition of VMware ESXi. For more information see KB Article 2976
Backup management
Pre/post commands
Define pre/post backup and data capture commands to integrate Acronis Backup & Recovery Online with other applications or to temporarily stop some.Conditions for backup
Configure backup operations to wait until specified conditions are met like a pre-defined time interval or a user logs off.Advanced backup scheduling
Schedule your backup operations so that they run automatically without interrupting your workAutomatic retry in case of non-fatal failure
If a task fails, it will automatically retry in a configured time interval
Centralized management
Grouping machines into static or dynamic groups
Put machines into nested groups, manually or by other criteria such as OS, IP range, or membership in an Active Directory.Policy-based management
Apply backup policies to a machine or a group of machines.Distributing backups within time interval
Avoid overloading networks by distributing backup activities within an allowed time window. Automatically shift task start times on each machine.Centralized list of vaults
Creates a centralized list of vaults that will be visible to all machines registered in Acronis Management Server
Reporting and monitoring
Centralized dashboard
Operational overview of all configured machines on a single screen.Consolidating log events into centralized log
See events from all managed machines in the Acronis Management Server log, even if the event is from a machine that is not available.
Backup administration
Automated deletion of outdated backups
Specify rules to automatically delete backups that are no longer needed.Consolidating incremental backups
Consolidate incremental backups to save space.
Deployment and upgrade options
Remote installation and configuration
Remotely install clients and updates on your networked machines.No reboot
No reboot required to complete installation.
User interface
Local management console
Intuitive user interface makes Acronis Backup & Recovery Online easy to install, quick to configure and deploy, and simple to useCentralized management console
Centrally manage all operations from a single console on the network.
Security
User group to control remote access
Assign access to specific groups — ensure only authorized groups can access machines remotely.User group to allow centralized management
Set a security group that is allowed access to the Acronis Management Server.Encrypted network communications
Ensure data is safe during backups across the network — all remote communications are encrypted by default.Configurable ports
All port numbers used may be changed.
Storage
Acronis Online Storage
Remote, secure location to store files and system image backupsInitial Seeding option
Customer creates an encrypted local backup and then ships the hard drive to Acronis for recovery into Acronis Online Storage.Please note that running a defragmentation after initial seeding backup will result in creating a full backup thus increasing backup time to online storage.
Some of our well known customers:
- LG Electronics
- Philips Medical Systems
- ABB
- Intel Corporation
- Fujitsu Services Ltd
- Audi
- NVIDIA
- Shell Oil
- HP
- Cardinal Health
- Chevron
- Volkswegen
- Toshiba TEC Europe Retail Information Systems S.A.
- IBM
- Constellation Brands
- George Brown College of Applied Arts & Technology
- Hong Kong Trade Development Council
- Elan Pharmaceuticals
- BASF
- PricewaterhouseCoopers AG
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
- Air Products & Chemicals Inc.
- Bankwest
- Discover Financial
- BHP Billiton
- Arvato
- Nokia Siemens Networks
- Abbott Manufacturing Singapore
- Jabil Circuit
- State of Texas-Department of Transportation
- Honeywell
- University of South Australia
- McKinsey & Company
- Loews Corporation
- Singapore Polytechnic
- St. Joseph's Healthcare
- Ministry of Defense-Israel
- Tellabs
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police-Ottawa
- Lufthansa
- Compass Group UK & Ireland
- Yuanta Bank
- State of Tennessee-Department of Transportation
- Tata Communications Ltd
- Korea Broadcasting System
- State of Oregon-Department of Human Services
- University of Phoenix
- Mighty River Power Limited
- Singapore Health Services
- TransCanada PipeLines Limited
Security
Data Transfer Security
Customers are identified by username (e-mail address) and a password. Authentication information is sent securely over SSL. All backup data is encrypted using government grade 256-bit AES before uploading to the Internet.Availability
Backup data is split between multiple servers similar to RAID with additional Reed–Solomon error correction.Onsite Monitoring and Security
Physical security is ensured via high fences, 24x7 security personnel, and video surveillance with 90-day archiving. Biometric hand-geometry scan and proximity key card are required for access.Redundant Power and Networks
Datacenters are equipped with UPS and backup diesel-generators and are designed to ensure constant power availability for up to 48 hours to sustain an undefined power outage. In addition, there are redundant HVAC, network and UPS.Fire Detection and Suppression
VESDA (Very Early Smoke Detection Apparatus) Air Sampling and Dual Zone Pre-Action (Dry Pipe). There is also temperature and humidity monitoring.
Privacy
- Neither Acronis, nor anyone else, is able to access your data.
- Acronis privacy statement.
System Requirements for Server and Virtual Machines
Supported operating systems
- Windows 2000 Server SP 4+
- Windows 2003 Server SP 2+ x32 and x64 Editions
- Windows 2008 Server SP2 x32 and x64 Editions
- Windows 2008 Server Foundation
- Windows 2008 Server R2 SP1
Note: Systems with Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) are not supported in current version.
Supported file systems
- FAT16/32
- NTFS
Supported file systems
- Acronis Online Storage
System Requirements for Workstation
Supported operating systems
- Windows 2000 SP (Service Pack) 4+
- Windows XP SP2+ x32 and x64 Editions
- Windows Vista all SP x32 and x64 Editions
- Windows 7 SP1 x32 and x64 Editions
Note: Systems with Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) are not supported in current version.
Supported file systems
- FAT16/32
- NTFS
Supported file systems
- Acronis Online Storage
Useful tools
| Disaster Recovery ROI Calculator |
|---|
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| Launch in pop-up |
Product Documentation
- Web Help
- Data Sheet (0.6 MB, PDF)
- Centralized management User Guide (0.9 MB, PDF)
- Local management User Guide (0.8 MB, PDF)
- Initial Seeding Step-by-Step Guide (0.9 MB, PDF)
- FAQ
Other resources
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Acronis® Backup & Recovery™ Online?
- What are the main benefits of Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
- Why should I buy an online backup service from Acronis?
- What makes Acronis unique?
- Can Acronis Backup & Recovery Online and Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 work together?
- Why would I buy both Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 and Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
- Do I need to buy an Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 license to use Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
- Am I able to use Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 for local backups if I purchase a subscription of Acronis Backup & Recovery Online but have not purchased a license of Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 ?
- How does Acronis ensure the privacy of my data and files?
- How does Acronis Backup & Recovery Online work?
- How long does it take to backup data?
- Does Acronis Backup & Recovery Online do incremental backups?
- How often should I back up my data?
- If my PC or server is turned off or my laptop is disconnected during my scheduled backup, what happens?
- How frequently can I back up my data?
- How do I recover a file?
- How long will it take for me to restore a file using Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
- How do I set my private encryption key?
- I forgot my encryption key. What can I do?
- What backup methods are available?
- Is the online storage available under Acronis bootable media?
- Can I use Acronis Universal Restore when recovering a system from the online storage?
- Can Acronis see and access my data?
- Can I restore files to a dissimilar machine with Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
- How do I backup a large server with hundreds of gigabytes of data?
- How long does the Initial Seeding take?
- If I have a large server crash and do not want to wait for the online recovery, what can I do?
- What is the turnaround time for a Large Scale Recovery?
- How do I know how much online backup capacity I have left for a specific machine?
- Can users use their workstations during the backup?
- Do servers need to be shutdown during the backup?
- Will Acronis Backup & Recovery Online impact my Internet connection bandwidth?
- How do I know if a backup has been completed for a server, local workstation or remote workstation?
- What happens if my Internet connection is lost during a backup?
- Do I need technical knowledge to install and use Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
- How long does it take to install and configure Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
- Can I backup external, mapped or networked drives with Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
- What operating systems for workstations and servers does Acronis Backup & Recovery Online support?
- Does Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 support virtualization?
- What are the minimum system requirements for Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
- What languages is Acronis Backup & Recovery Online available in?
- Can I try Acronis Backup & Recovery Online before I purchase it?
- What happens if I do not renew my subscription?
- How do I purchase Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
- How is Acronis Backup & Recovery Online Licensed?
- What do I do if I need to increase capacity for a workstation or server?
- After I buy subscriptions for workstations and servers, how does Acronis Backup & Recovery Online know which machines to back up?
- I purchased my Acronis Backup & Recovery Online subscriptions through the online store. What do I do next?
- I purchased my Acronis Backup & Recovery Online subscriptions through an Acronis partner. What do I do next?
- Can I name the machines so I know which machines they are?
- When does a subscription officially begin – at time of purchase or at time of activation?
- Can I buy subscriptions before I need to actually use them without wasting part of the subscription time?
- What does "Auto-renew" mean?
- What if I renew a subscription manually while "Auto-renew" is selected?
- How do I renew all activated subscriptions at once?
- What is the "Group" column for?
- Can I change the email account that manages the Acronis Backup & Recovery Online subscriptions? For example, what do I do if my IT person quits?
- What customer support is available?
- How do I contact support?
- Can you tell me approximately how long I’ll have to wait for an initial response?
- How can I provide feedback about my support experience?
- Is the registration of my product mandatory?
- What is the availability of the online service?
What is Acronis® Backup & Recovery™ Online?
Acronis Backup & Recovery Online extends the data and system protection functionality in the award winning Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 software product portfolio to an online software-as-a-service model. When used in conjunction with Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 , Acronis Backup & Recovery Online provides an online, remote secure location for users to store redundant copies of their file, application and system image backups without having to make the investment in a remote data store.
Unlike other online backup services, Acronis Backup & Recovery Online does more than just protect your files. It leverages Acronis’ patented Disk Imaging technology and Cloud technology to protect whole systems, including the operating system and applications. It’s a cost-effective online subscription service for workstations and servers – you only pay one flat rate per machine for the online service.
Acronis Customers now have a complete solution to meet all of their information protection requirements from one centralized application. Whether Customers wish to back up locally, online or both, Acronis provides additional choice and flexibility to meet their expanding data recovery requirements. Acronis Customers can implement their current information protection strategy and plan for their future needs knowing that Acronis can support all deployment options.
What are the main benefits of Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
- Secure offsite data protection and backup of your workstations, servers and virtual machines
- Support for file/folder and entire system image backup & recovery
- Integrated solution for local and online backup when used with an Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 license
- Access to your backups from any Internet-connected PC with Acronis Agent or the machine booted from Acronis Bootable media
- Government-approved AES-256 encryption of your files for your privacy
- Centralized management and control of your backup policies and schedules for all machines
- No worries about hardware, software, compatibility or storage capacity
- Leverages Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 award-winning software
Why should I buy an online backup service from Acronis?
Acronis is a leading provider of on-premise and online backup and disaster recovery and security solutions and has over 85,000 business customers. Acronis has leveraged its years of development in advanced, easy to use software into this online offering. You get the benefits of a proven, tested, market-leading product now available in an online, subscription based offering. This offering can be used in conjunction with Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 to provide redundant remote backups to provide an extra layer of protection against local site outages, or it can be used independently of Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 and as an alternative to local backup.
Acronis launched its consumer online backup service back in September, 2009 and now has thousands of customers using the service and the Acronis online storage for their backups.
What makes Acronis unique?
Acronis offers you the combination of an online service, Acronis Backup & Recovery Online, and software for local backup, Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 . With the two products, you get the best of both worlds and complete two-layer data protection. Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 provides faster local restore and the ability to recover the entire machine, including the operating system. Acronis Backup & Recovery Online provides remote data protection in the event of loss, theft or natural disaster and gives you secure access to your files, wherever you are. Acronis Backup & Recovery Online, like Acronis Backup & Recovery, allows you the flexibility to choose either to back up specific files and folders or the entire system image of your workstations and servers.
Can Acronis Backup & Recovery Online and Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 work together?
Yes. Acronis Backup & Recovery Online is the cloud-based service to Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 . To achieve best practice of fast local backup & recovery coupled with the added layer of protection of a redundant remote backup, the two products should be used together, but they can also be used independently for single-layer local or online backup. Businesses can manage all of their local and cloud-based backups across all of their servers and workstations via one integrated Acronis console.
Why would I buy both Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 and Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
Acronis Backup & Recovery Online and Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 provide complementary system and data protection benefits. With the two products, you get the ultimate in information protection – both local and online. Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 provides fast restore and the ability to recover the entire PC or server in minutes off of frequent interval backups. Acronis Backup & Recovery Online offers the an additional level of redundancy by protecting your backups at a secure, offsite location in case of outage in your local backup and it also allows you to access your files from anywhere.
| Local Backups | Online Backups | |
| Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 |  | |
| Acronis Backup & Recovery Online | | |
| Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 + Acronis Backup & Recovery Online | | |
Customer use case scenarios include:
- systems that require the two-layer protection of local backups for speed and performance coupled with redundant remote backups to guard against site outages
- systems that only require local data protection
- systems that only require online data protection
With Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 and Acronis Backup & Recovery Online, you can manage all of these backups from a single application with common management.
Do I need to buy an Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 license to use Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
No. They are separate, independent offerings. They are licensed and priced separately.
Am I able to use Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 for local backups if I purchase a subscription of Acronis Backup & Recovery Online but have not purchased a license of Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 ?
No. Acronis Backup & Recovery Online is licensed on an annual subscription basis per machine. Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 is licensed on a perpetual license basis. The two products can be used together or independently but require separate licenses.
How does Acronis ensure the privacy of my data and files?
Acronis uses government-approved AES-256 encryption to protect your data. Your files are encrypted before they are transferred to our secure, remote location, if you enable encryption. Your information is transferred using a secure socket layer (SSL) connection to the Acronis data center.
Using your self-created encryption options, only you can access your information.
This encryption is in addition to the traditional login and password protection scheme to access your online backups.
How does Acronis Backup & Recovery Online work?
After purchasing the subscription service, download and install the client software onto your PC, laptop or server. Launch the application, choose the files or entire system image to back up and then set the schedule. This only takes a couple of minutes. Acronis Backup & Recovery Online does the rest. It automatically backs up and protects your information without further user involvement.
When you need to recover a file, you can either use the application on your PC or log in to your Acronis account from any Internet-connected PC with the Acronis Agent or the machine booted from Acronis Bootable media installed and select the files or folders to restore.
How long does it take to backup data?
The initial backup takes the most time because it is a full backup. Additional backups only require that the changed data be backed up, which is a fraction of the total data. Actual time depends on (A) how much data there is to backup and (B) how fast your Internet connection is. Most business customers with high performance internet connections usually find that they can back up roughly 10-25 GB/day.
The following table provides estimated transfer times for online backup with 100 MB, 1 GB and 10 GB backups with network connection speeds of 500 kbps, 1 Mbps, 5 Mbps and 10 Mbps. User experience may vary.
| Internet Connection Speed | 100 MB | 1 GB | 10 GB |
| 500 kbps | 36 min | 336 min | 3330 min |
| 1 Mbps | 20 min | 170 min | 1670 min |
| 5 Mbps | 6 min | 36 min | 336 min |
| 10 Mbps | 5 min | 20 min | 170 min |
Additionally, Acronis offers an initial seeding option for large backups. This is covered here.
Does Acronis Backup & Recovery Online do incremental backups?
Yes. After the initial backup, only new and changed files get backed up again over the internet. Acronis still keeps an available version of the "unchanged files" as part of that backup, but saves time and bandwidth by not requiring that another version be transferred over the Internet. Disk backups are implemented in 4Kb blocks, and for incremental backups only blocks that have changed since the last backup are backed up.
How often should I back up my data?
It depends on your usage and needs. Most customers back up their data daily. Some customers choose to back up weekly; others choose to back up multiple times per day.
If my PC or server is turned off or my laptop is disconnected during my scheduled backup, what happens?
Your service will not be able to back up your data for that date or time. It will back up your data at the next regularly scheduled time. When you do turn your machine back on, you can also initiate a backup task and run it manually. If it’s just a connection break, you can initiate the option to retry from the same place you stopped the backup at, not having to start the backup from the very beginning.
How frequently can I back up my data?
Backups can be scheduled according to your schedule and your requirements. The technical limitation is every minute. At any time, you can select a backup task and run it manually. Acronis Backup & Recovery Online has a flexible retention policy that allows users to set the retention period for data.
How do I recover a file?
You connect to your online storage, open the archive, select the backup slice (point in time to which you wish to recover a file) and select the file you wish to recover.
How long will it take for me to restore a file using Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
The amount of time it takes depends on the amount of data and your Internet speed. For large scale recoveries, Acronis recommends the large scale recovery option where Acronis will ship a disk to the customer with the server, workstation or virtual machine data or image.
How do I set my private encryption key?
Private encryption keys provide data protection so that only you can access your files. The Encryption key can only be specified when configuring the Backup Plan or the Centralized Backup Policy. The encryption key is specified for an archive in backup options. You will be given the option to enter your personal encryption key. This key is then used in all of your backups. Acronis has no ability to recover your encryption key, please do not lose it.
I forgot my encryption key. What can I do?
Acronis has no access to your encryption key or ability to recover it. You must start over with the backups for that machine.
Start a new backup process with a new backup archive and password.
What backup methods are available?
The backup sequence is as follows: for image-level backups, the first backup is a full backup of all files or the entire system image; subsequent backups of the same data are incremental. For file-level backups, the customer selected will be backed up. In terms of Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 , this means that the available backup schemes are: Back up now (manual start), Back up later (manual start or start on schedule), Simple (start on schedule). An additional backup scheme that is available only for online storage is Initial seeding. This is the Simple scheme with local destination for the first full backup. To use this scheme, you need a license for the Initial Seeding option. After creating "Initial seeding" backup one needs to send the disk over to Acronis. Once the archive with a full backup is uploaded to online storage, you can set up a "Simple" scheme to continue backing up to that same archive, doing only incremental over Internet.
Note: Simple scheme is a "First full and next incrementals", you can do this first full through initial seeding or directly to the Online vault by choosing "Simple" scheme in GUI.
Is the online storage available under Acronis bootable media?
Recovery from Acronis Online Backup Storage is available. Backup to the storage is not available.
Can I use Acronis Universal Restore when recovering a system from the online storage?
Yes. Acronis Universal Restore is always available when recovering a system from the online storage. You don’t need a separate license for Acronis Universal Restore, as is required with Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 and other products.
Can Acronis see and access my data?
No. Data privacy and data security are critical to Acronis and our customers. Acronis does not have any access to customer information if the customer chooses the recommended encryption options.
Can I restore files to a dissimilar machine with Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
Yes, you can use any Internet-connected PC to access your backup. See "Can I use Acronis Universal Restore when recovering a system from online storage?"
How do I backup a large server with hundreds of gigabytes of data?
Acronis provides two methods for large, hundred-plus gigabyte capacity initial backups.
- Users can back up the server over the internet, knowing that it will take a few days for the initial backup to complete.
- Users can order an "initial seeding" option from Acronis. The user performs the initial backup to a local external hard drive and then ships the hard drive to the Acronis managed datacenter. Acronis will then manually load the data from this hard drive onto the Acronis Online Backup Storage infrastructure. Initial seeding can be done for several machines (servers, WS, or VMs) but only up to 2 TB. The customer will receive notification when the Initial Seeding is complete. If the customer pre-paid for the return of the drive, Acronis will ship it back; otherwise, Acronis will securely destroy the drive. Note: The data will be encrypted prior to shipment if the user encrypts it, so there is no risk of data being accessible by others. The product offers encryption by default.
How long does the Initial Seeding take?
Customer selects the shipping priority for a hard drive sends to the Acronis datacenter. The Initial Seeding will start within 8 hours of when the package is received (packages are received once per day) with an average transfer rate of 18 GB/hr. That translates into 6 hours of upload time for 100 GB.
If I have a large server crash and do not want to wait for the online recovery, what can I do?
Acronis Backup & Recovery Online provides a Large Scale Recovery option, which can be ordered through the Acronis Backup & Recovery Online service. The user identifies which server is requested. Acronis loads the data onto a 2TB hard drive and then ships it to your address using priority shipping. You load the data onto your machine and recover it. The data is encrypted during transfer if the user encrypted it, so there is no risk of data being accessed by others. The product offers encryption by default.
What is the turnaround time for a Large Scale Recovery?
After receiving the request for a large Scale Recovery, the transfer of data to a hard drive will start within 4 hours with an average transfer rate of 18 GB/hr. That translates into 6 hours of download time for 100 GB. The drive will be shipped with overnight service.
Note: Large Scale Recovery is available in EMEA.
How do I know how much online backup capacity I have left for a specific machine?
In the account management screen, you will see all of your machines, their licensed capacity and the capacity used.
Can users use their workstations during the backup?
Yes, Acronis Backup & Recovery Online can run at the same time as other applications without impacting system performance. The service is pre-configured to run at a low Windows Priority setting, meaning your other applications get priority for CPU and system resources. This setting can be adjusted if you choose.
Do servers need to be shutdown during the backup?
No, Acronis Backup & Recovery Online can run while servers are available for primary business reasons and running key business applications. However, most users configure their backup schedule to execute when they are not using their machines, eliminating any performance concerns.
Will Acronis Backup & Recovery Online impact my Internet connection bandwidth?
While Acronis Backup & Recovery Online necessarily must use up some network bandwidth during data transmission, you can easily limit its allocated bandwidth to minimize the impact on your other applications during the backup process. In "Backup Options", select "Bandwidth Throttling" for limiting the network bandwidth utilization.
Note: Most users configure their backup schedule to happen when they are not using their machines, eliminating any performance concerns.
How do I know if a backup has been completed for a server, local workstation or remote workstation?
The account management page can show how much data was backed up for each machine. Relevant information about backup progress and status can be seen from "tasks" and from "machines" views of a management server. From the dashboard screen, you’ll find information on the last successful backup. Additionally, in the dashboard screen you will see reporting on backup success and failure on a daily basis.
What happens if my Internet connection is lost during a backup?
Acronis Backup & Recovery Online has on option to retry from the same place where backup stopped, thus avoiding the need to start backup from the very beginning. Users can set the number of connection attempts and the time intervals between attempts in the "Backup options" -> "Error handling" -> "Re-attempt, if an error occurs".
Do I need technical knowledge to install and use Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
No, the user friendly graphical interface guides you through all the tasks you need to perform, anyone can do it.
How long does it take to install and configure Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
In normal circumstances, this simple process only takes a few minutes and does not require specific computer expertise.
Can I backup external, mapped or networked drives with Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
Yes, you can use Acronis Backup & Recovery Online to back up the files for these drives.
What operating systems for workstations and servers does Acronis Backup & Recovery Online support?
Acronis Backup & Recovery Online has been tested on the following operating systems:
| Product | Supported Operating Systems |
Acronis Backup & Recovery Online for Workstations |
|
Acronis Backup & Recovery Online for Servers Acronis Backup & Recovery Online for Virtual Machines |
|
Does Acronis Backup & Recovery 11 support virtualization?
Acronis is the only vendor in the industry to support agent-less backup and recovery of virtual machines to the cloud. Virtual Machine backups are stored in Acronis Online Storage when used with Acronis Backup & Recovery Online for Virtual Machines. The annual subscription includes 2TB of online storage, maintenance and unlimited virtual machines per host. And backup data for all virtual machines on a physical VMware ESX server or Microsoft Hyper-V server only requires one Acronis Backup & Recovery Online for Virtual Machines subscription per host. Plus, you manage your Virtual Machines the same way as physical machines from the same management console.
What are the minimum system requirements for Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
- 256 MB RAM
- Pentium 1GHz CPU
- 256Kb/second Internet connection
- Mouse or other pointing device (recommended)
What languages is Acronis Backup & Recovery Online available in?
The online backup service is currently available in English.
Can I try Acronis Backup & Recovery Online before I purchase it?
Yes, please visit http://www.acronis.com/backup-recovery/online/ and select "Try free trial". When it is clicked, there will be three subscription options: Workstation (250GB), Server (1TB) and Virtualization host (2TB). Select the appropriate type and you will receive a two-month subscription.
What happens if I do not renew my subscription?
Acronis will provide you warnings that your service is about to expire. If you choose not to renew your service, you will be able to back up your data for 5 days after the subscription expires. After that point you will not be able to backup your data. You will have 30 days after the service expiration to recover your data. After those 30 days, your data will be destroyed.
How do I purchase Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
Acronis Backup & Recovery Online is available through the Acronis website or through your preferred Acronis partner. You can buy Acronis Backup & Recovery Online in the same way that you purchase other Acronis software.
How is Acronis Backup & Recovery Online Licensed?
- Workstations
- 49.95€ per workstation for 250GB of online storage
- 99.95€ per workstation for 500GB of online storage
- Servers
- 499.50€ per server for 1TB of online storage
- 729€ per server for 1.5TB of online storage
- VMware ESX or Microsoft Hyper-V Host with Unlimited virtual machines
- 1189.99€ per host for 2TB of online storage
- 1799€ per host for 3TB of online storage
- 2399€ per host for 4TB of online storage
- Initial Seeding Option
- 99.95€ for up to 2TB. May cover several servers or workstations. Customer provides HDD.
- Large Scale Recovery Option
- 279€ (Includes 2TB HDD and shipping)
What do I do if I need to increase capacity for a workstation or server?
In the event that you want to replace an existing annual subscription with a larger capacity subscription, please work with your local Acronis salesperson.
After I buy subscriptions for workstations and servers, how does Acronis Backup & Recovery Online know which machines to back up?
After users purchase their subscriptions, Acronis Backup & Recovery Online will store your subscriptions. Users then activate the subscriptions and assign them to specific machines.
I purchased my Acronis Backup & Recovery Online subscriptions through the online store. What do I do next?
Your Acronis Backup & Recovery Online subscriptions are available immediately. Login to your account on the Acronis Website and select "Online backup" > "For Business". This is your account management Web page. The newly obtained subscriptions populate the list of available subscriptions under the "Manage Subscriptions" tab. Next, you need to install Acronis software (if not installed yet) and assign each subscription to a machine. The subscriptions become activated. After that, you can start backing up your machines.
I purchased my Acronis Backup & Recovery Online subscriptions through an Acronis partner. What do I do next?
If you purchased your Acronis Backup & Recovery Online subscriptions from an Acronis partner, you should have received an email confirming the service keys for each subscription. Create an account on the Acronis web site, if you do not have one already and log in to it. Navigate to "Online backup" > "For Business". This is your account management Web page. In the Manage Subscriptions tab, Click "I have the registration codes" and enter the service keys. Next, you need to install Acronis software (if not installed yet) and assign each subscription to a machine. The subscriptions become activated. After that, you can start backing up to Acronis Online Backup Storage.
Can I name the machines so I know which machines they are?
Yes, Acronis Backup & Recovery Online provides the ability to name machines according to your internal naming scheme.
When does a subscription officially begin – at time of purchase or at time of activation?
Acronis Backup & Recovery Online subscriptions begin when the user activates a subscription and assigns it to a workstation or server.
This licensing approach ensures the most value for our customers. You begin using the service when you need it.
Can I buy subscriptions before I need to actually use them without wasting part of the subscription time?
Yes, Acronis Backup & Recovery Online subscriptions can be purchased and "saved" until the user has a machine ready to be backed up. Subscriptions do not begin until the user activates them and assigns them to a specific machine.
What does "Auto-renew" mean?
Auto-renewal means that the next subscription will automatically be taken from the available subscriptions, as soon as the current subscription expires. The next subscription must be identical to the current subscription. If an identical subscription is not found, auto-renewal will not take place and your backups may fail. No subscriptions will be bought automatically—only those available at the time of auto-renewal can be used. You can select auto-renewal for each individual subscription or set up bulk auto-renewal for all activated subscriptions you have.
What if I renew a subscription manually while "Auto-renew" is selected?
If you specify the next subscription manually, auto-renew will take effect when that next subscription expires.
How do I renew all activated subscriptions at once?
This is possible if you have the appropriate number of new subscriptions identical to the currently used subscriptions. Make sure the new subscriptions are available on your account management Web page. Then click "Renew all". The confirmation window will summarize which subscriptions will be renewed. If identical subscriptions are not found for some of the machines, you have the option to cancel automatic renewal and renew each subscription individually.
What is the "Group" column for?
Acronis designed this function so our Customers can apply actions, such as "Renew all" or "Auto-renew all", to a specific selection of the subscriptions. Specify the desired group name, for example, Sales_Department, near each of the subscriptions you want to group. Click the "Group" column header to sort the subscriptions and then apply the desired actions to the group.
Can I change the email account that manages the Acronis Backup & Recovery Online subscriptions? For example, what do I do if my IT person quits?
Yes, you will need to edit the backup policies and specify new name of the account and it’s password in a backup destination field. No backups will be lost.
What customer support is available?
Acronis Backup & Recovery Online customers receive Acronis Advantage(SM) Premier maintenance and support, which includes 7x24 phone, email and chat support as part of their subscription service. Customers also have access to the Acronis knowledge base on our website at: http://kb.acronis.com/
How do I contact support?
Visit http://www.acronis.com/support/
Can you tell me approximately how long I’ll have to wait for an initial response?
Response times vary but most customers will receive a response within 24 hours.
How can I provide feedback about my support experience?
By going to http://www.acronis.com/support, you can find a link to submit your feedback on support experience.
Is the registration of my product mandatory?
Yes, Acronis Backup & Recovery Online requires an Acronis account with an associated email and password pair. Users must register their service and their account at:https://www.acronis.com/my/index.html
What is the availability of the online service?
Acronis will make every reasonable effort to provide 99.5% availability of the online backup service. That translates into about 4 hours of downtime per month on average.
Contact sales
Call sales at (44) 203 176 0340
Buy from partners
Find a reseller near you:
See also
Purchase Online
To back up a machine to Acronis Online Backup Storage, you need to have Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Update 3 (or later) installed on the machine. If you do not have this product, download and install it on each machine you want to back up.
Screenshots
 | One console seamlessly manages both local and online backup and recovery efforts regardless of the data’s actual location. |
 | Create a backup plan by identifying what to back up and where to back up. Then choose between Back up now (manual start), Back up later (manual start or start on schedule), Simple (start on schedule) backup schemes. |
 | To recover a file, connect to your online storage, open the archive, select the backup slice (point in time to which you wish to recover a file) and select the file you wish to recover. |
 | View relevant information about backup progress and status |
Acronis Inc. Backup software.