What are my payment options?
The most common and most convenient is to use your Visa card or MasterCard. You can enter your card details security into our billing portal at customer.backupexpress.com.au. You may also pay by manual EFT or even by cheque (if you plan to use either of these methods please email us or phone us to let us know). Invoices are issued on 14-day terms.
Tell me more about how you charge for data usage?
We only charge for the storage you use. We think this is fairer and simpler than offering a range of storage plans that force you to estimate your storage needs. If you use only 100G, whether you have set a quota of 200G or 4TB, you will be charged for just 100G. Also, To ensure that you get the best possible value for money we use a combination of deduplication and compression to ensure your data consumes the least possible amount of storage.
In that case what’s the point of setting a quota?
Setting a quota does not impact your billing, but it does give a safety mechanism by allowing you to set a ceiling on the usage. Then if a large volume of unexpected data gets accidentally included in your backup you will receive a quota warning instead of an unpleasant bill. For example, if after performing your initial backup you find you are consuming 350G you might set a quota of 400G or 500G to avoid any unpleasant surprises. You can update the quota at any time through the billing portal.
How effective is deduplication and compression?
This depends very much on the type of data you have.
Deduplication works by identifying identical files, and also identical blocks of data within files. As an example, consider a large Word or PowerPoint file, laden with large graphics, which goes through multiple revisions with each revision stored separately on the PC. Deduplication recognises that the images and most of the text are identical across the files and sends only the portions that are different. This saves transmission time and also save storage on our end.
Compression is applied after Deduplication and uses an algorithm similar to ‘zipping’ a file. Some files, such as databases, compress very well. Other files, such as photos and videos, already use compression techniques and do not benefit very much from any additional compression.
How do I know that my backup is working correctly?
We send you a summary email every night so you can be sure that the backup is working correctly and promptly attend to any issues.
What steps do you take to protect my data?
Data that you send us from the Universal Backup software is encrypted before it leaves your PC and remains encrypted on our servers. Restored data is only decrypted when it arrives back on your computer. The encryption is 256-bit AES which is virtually uncrackable if you use a long and strong encryption key. This is why it’s important you do not lose your encryption key.
Any credit card details you supply are held in an encrypted form.
Logins to both the backup vault and the billing system are protected by separate Multi-Factor Authentication systems. This means that your backup operator (usually your I.T. manager) does not need to also have access to your accounting details.
Can I choose my own Encryption key?
Absolutely. By default your login password will be used as the encryption key but you are free to choose your own key if you prefer. Just make sure it’s long and complex, don’t share it with anyone and, most importantly, don’t lose it!
Where is my password used?
You will initially choose the password during the signup process. By default this password is used in three places: Your login to the billing portal uses your email address and the password, your connection to the backup platform uses your backup account name and the password, and the backups are encrypted using the password as the encryption key. You can choose to use a different password for each of these three functions but for simplicity we suggest you don’t.
What if I lose my password?
Bad things will happen. Consider using one of the commercial Password Managers such as 1-Password. Firstly, you should know that for security reasons we do not store your password. We can send you a password reset link for the billing portal, and we can also manually reset the password for the backup platform. However if you are using the password as the encryption key (which 99% of users do), you will not be able to access the backups – you will need to delete the backups and create a new backup set.
My office just burned down. My server is gone, and so is my password book. But I really need to restore my backups!
That’s really bad, but perhaps all is not lost. By default, your encrypted backups also hold an encrypted copy of the encryption key (unless you choose to disable this option in the software). We cannot recover the key from your backups ourselves but as a final backstop we can submit a request to the developers of the backup software. They can recover the key and provide it directly to you (they will not provide it to us). There is a fee of $300 to recover a lost encryption key. If you have chosen to not upload your encryption key with the backups then unfortunately nobody will be able to help you.
Multi-Factor Authentication is a nuisance. Do I really have to use it?
MFA is mandatory for the billing system at customer.backupexpress.com.au. MFA is optional but recommended for the backup platform at vault.backupexpress.com.
We understand that MFA can be a nuisance, especially for users who are not familiar with it, but it is a necessary part of security in today’s world. We are very happy to help you if you run into difficulty.
How do I setup Multi-Factor Authentication?
MFA enrolment to the billing system is compulsory. If you go into the billing portal immediately after signing up you will find that it lets you straight in. However the next time you return it will email you a QR code which you must scan into a smartphone authenticator app. The app will then generate a unique 6-digit code which you must provide to complete the login.
MFA enrolment to the backup platform is optional but recommended. The first time you log into the vault, whether through the Universal Backup software or through the web access you will be presented with a QR code to scan into your authenticator app. You have the option to skip MFA setup until a more convenient time. The system will continue to show you a QR code at every login until you confirm that you have setup MFA.
What are your support hours?
We provide support by phone or email during regular working hours: 9am-5pm weekdays, Brisbane time. Outside these times we offer emergency telephone support.
What are the limitations of a free trial account?
A free trial account lasts for 30 days. After that it will stop functioning unless converted to a paid account. During the trial period your account is completely functional, including Microsoft 365 backup and QNAP/Synology backup. The account is initially configured with 100G storage but you can increase this by logging into the Billing Portal, even during the trial period.
How do I convert my free trial account into a paid account?
Log into the Billing Portal and setup a payment method. We accept payment via Direct Debit (using GoCardless) or via Visa or Mastercard (using Stripe). Once you have setup a payment method you can change the account from ‘free trial’ to ‘paid’.
How often will I be billed?
The default billing period is monthly. However you can choose quarterly or annual billing if this simplifies your accounting.
What if I don’t need my backup account for a while but I don’t want to cancel it?
This might be useful if you are taking extended leave. You can set your account to ‘suspended’ in the Billing Portal. Then just ‘unsuspend’ it when you return.
How can I cancel my account?
Just call us on 1300 369 325, or email us at support@backupexpress.com.au. You can cancel at any time but please note that we don’t issue refunds.