Backup and disaster recovery
Backups you can restore when the bad day comes
A backup only matters when you need it back. Neatoware backs up covered computers, servers, virtual machines, cloud files, and databases. Data from your computers and servers is encrypted before it leaves, and off-site copies are locked in data centers away from your network. When something goes wrong, we lead the restore.
What we back up
One managed service for the systems your work depends on.
Desktops and laptops
Windows, Mac, and Linux desktops and laptops on Gold and Platinum. A stolen laptop or a dead drive does not have to take someone’s work with it. Windows and Linux computers can have image-based (whole-machine) backups, file-based backups, or both. Most customers back up local user file stores only and skip the workstation operating system. Macs are backed up at the file and folder level.
Servers
Windows and Linux servers, including the file shares your staff rely on. Managed server backups are part of Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
Virtual machines
Virtual servers on Proxmox, Hyper-V, and VMware can be backed up whole, so a virtual machine can come back the way it was.
Cloud email and files
We back up Microsoft 365 mail, calendars, contacts, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams files. Your copies are encrypted, locked against changes or deletion during configured retention, and kept in separate backup storage, so a deleted folder does not have to mean lost work. These backups are billed as part of your plan’s workstation and storage pricing.
Databases and domain controllers
SQL Server and MySQL databases, and Active Directory domain controllers, get database-aware backups that understand how they work, so they can come back in a usable state instead of as half-written files.
Network storage
Network storage devices are backed up and priced like a server, so the shared drive down the hall can be covered too.
How your backups are protected
Encrypted before they leave
Data from your computers and servers is encrypted before it leaves. Each client has separate keys, and the storage provider cannot read those backups.
Locked against tampering
Off-site copies of your computers and servers go to immutable storage, locked for a set retention period, so ransomware and attackers cannot simply change or delete them during that window.
Away from your building
Off-site copies are kept in data centers, so a fire, flood, or break-in at the office does not take your backups with it.
Local and off-site copies
Off-site copies in data centers are part of the service. You can add a backup device at your location so a copy is close at hand. The optional on-site appliance is separately scoped and costed.
Backup, restore, and disaster recovery
Three related ideas. A copy on disk is not the same as getting work running again.
Backup
A protected copy of data or systems, taken on a schedule, encrypted, and stored so it can be used later.
Restore
Bringing back what you need from a backup – one file, one mailbox, one folder, or a whole machine.
Disaster recovery
Planning and practice for a larger outage: what comes back first, who decides, and how Neatoware and your team work the restore when the bad day is bigger than a single file.
Recovery objectives in plain English
Two questions to answer before you set recovery targets.
How much recent work can you afford to lose? (recovery point – how far back the last good copy sits)
How long can the organization wait to work again? (recovery time – how long restore and return-to-work take)
Your assigned account representative helps set priorities for your account.
Getting your data back
Just what you need
One file, one folder, one mailbox, or a whole server. Get back the spreadsheet someone deleted last week without rebuilding anything.
When a whole machine fails
A failed Windows or Linux server, or a computer with a whole-machine backup, can often be rebuilt onto new hardware or brought up as a virtual machine. That can keep work moving while replacement hardware is on order. Macs are restored at the file and folder level.
Tested restores
We test restores on a planned cadence, so problems are more likely to turn up before the day you need one.
How a restore typically runs
Report
Ask for a restore through our help desk, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM ET. Emergency help after hours is available on every plan, billed at the after-hours labor rate. On Platinum, after-hours support counts against your included monthly hours.
Assess
We confirm what is missing and which backup applies.
Prioritize
Your assigned account representative helps set what comes back first when more than one system is involved.
Restore
Technical restoration follows the approved process and backup method for the system.
Validate
You confirm the restored data or system is usable for work.
Help desk hours are Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM ET on every plan. On Platinum, our Priority 1 response target is four hours, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Which plans include this
Compare backup-related coverage across plans. Full plan details live on the Plans page.
| Feature | Bronze | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managed server backups | Not included | Managed servers | Managed servers | Managed servers |
| Managed workstation backups | Not included | Not included | Managed workstations | Managed workstations |
| Microsoft 365 backups* | Not included | Not included | Yes* | Yes* |
| Disaster recovery planning | Not included | Not included | Planning assistance included | Planning assistance included |
| Help desk hours | Mon-Fri 9 AM-5 PM ET | Mon-Fri 9 AM-5 PM ET | Mon-Fri 9 AM-5 PM ET | Mon-Fri 9 AM-5 PM ET |
| Priority 1 response target | Not included | Not included | Not included | Four hours, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year** |
Bronze does not include managed backup. *Microsoft 365 backups are billed as part of your plan’s workstation and storage pricing. See the pricing calculator. **On Platinum, our Priority 1 response target is four hours, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Gold and Platinum include DR planning assistance; a formal Annual Technology Roadmap is separately priced. See Plans.
Off-site storage and optional appliance
The first 1 TB of aggregate off-site backup storage is included account-wide (not per device). Additional storage is billed per TB allotment on the dated pricing sheet. An optional local backup appliance may be purchased separately; you buy the hardware, and we custom-build and set it up, with the operating system included in your licensing.
Silver aims to respond within two business days, and Gold and Platinum within one business day. Our help desk is open Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM ET. Emergency help after hours is available on every plan, billed at the after-hours labor rate. On Platinum, after-hours support counts against the included monthly hours in your agreement, and Priority 1 incidents carry a four-hour response target, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. See Plans.
Watched, not just scheduled
We keep an eye on your backups, so problems are more likely to be caught before the day you need a restore.
Backup is a separate service from security monitoring. For threat detection on your computers and servers, see managed endpoint detection and response on Cybersecurity and Endpoint Detection and Response.
A plan for the bad day
Disaster recovery planning is part of Gold and Platinum. Your assigned account representative works with you on what comes back first and in what order, so the bad day has a plan behind it. Gold and Platinum include DR planning assistance. A formal Annual Technology Roadmap is separately priced. See Plans, Virtual CIO, and IT Planning.
For public safety agencies and regulated organizations
Agencies and practices often work under strict security policies. For your computers and servers, encryption before upload, separate keys for each client, and locked off-site copies help support the backup and recovery parts of your agency’s or practice’s security policy, whether it is CJIS-related or a HIPAA program. Your assigned account representative can walk your team through how your backups are handled. See Public Safety and Local Government.
Why Neatoware
Your assigned account representative knows what we back up for you, reviews it with you, and coordinates communications and priorities if you ever need a larger restore.
See what it would cost with our pricing calculator.
Common questions
Can ransomware reach our backups?
Off-site copies of your computers and servers, and your Microsoft 365 backups, go to immutable storage, locked for a set retention period, so ransomware and attackers cannot simply change or delete them during that window.
Can you bring back just one file?
Yes. We can restore a single file or folder, or a whole server, depending on what you need.
Do you back up laptops and Macs?
Yes, on Gold and Platinum plans. We back up Windows, Mac, and Linux desktops and laptops. Windows and Linux can use image-based backups, file-based backups, or both. Most customers back up local user file stores only and skip the workstation operating system. Macs are backed up at the file and folder level.
Who can read our backups?
Data from your computers and servers is encrypted before it leaves, with separate keys for each client, and the storage provider cannot read it.
Where are our backups kept?
Off-site copies of your computers and servers are kept in data centers, away from your building and your network. Cloud email and file backups are encrypted, locked against changes or deletion during configured retention, and kept in separate backup storage in data centers.
What is the difference between backup and disaster recovery?
Backup is the protected copy. Disaster recovery is the plan and process for bringing critical systems back when the outage is larger than a single restore. Gold and Platinum include DR planning assistance. See the vocabulary band above and Plans.
Do you test restores?
We test restores on a planned cadence, so problems are more likely to turn up before the day you need one.
What happens after hours?
Ask for routine restores through our help desk, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM ET. Emergency help after hours is available on every plan, billed at the after-hours labor rate. On Platinum, after-hours support counts against the included monthly hours in your agreement, and Priority 1 incidents carry a four-hour response target, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. See Help Desk and Plans.
What does immutable mean here?
Off-site copies are locked for a configured retention period so they cannot simply be changed or deleted during that window. It is one protection layer.
Do we need a backup device on site?
It is optional, but we recommend one for many offices. A local copy needs a backup device at your location with enough storage for your full set of backups. It is an added cost, set up in your contract when service starts. You buy the hardware, and we custom-build and set it up, with the operating system included in your licensing. Off-site copies remain part of the service.
How much off-site storage is included?
The first 1 TB of aggregate off-site backup storage is included account-wide (not per device). Additional storage is billed per TB allotment. See Plans and the pricing calculator.
Will backups slow down our internet?
They can. Off-site copies travel over your internet connection, so it needs enough capacity to send them. The first full backup and large amounts of data take the most. If you are not sure your connection can keep up, ask us before setup.
What if our building is unusable?
Your off-site copies are kept in data centers, away from your building. Your assigned account representative works with you on what to bring back first.
Can people keep working while a server restores?
Sometimes. It depends on which systems failed, what still runs elsewhere, and how the restore is sequenced. Your assigned account representative helps set what comes back first.
Do we need a written recovery plan?
Many organizations want one. Gold and Platinum include DR planning assistance. A formal Annual Technology Roadmap is separately priced. See Plans.
What kinds of Microsoft 365 items can you restore?
Restores can include mail, calendars, contacts, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams files.
Backups you can restore, not just store.
Encrypted off-site copies, restore testing on a planned cadence, and clear plan coverage. Book a call to plan recovery before you need it.