Frequently Asked Questions
How is my bill calculated?
Your bill is calculated as a monthly average of your daily space usage. If you delete something part way through the month, it will be factored into the average.
How secure is my data?
All data being backed up is compressed and encrypted before leaving your PC. Data is stored at the data center in this encrypted form. Authentication traffic between your PC and the data center is also encrypted. Restores via the web interface are protected using encryption. GotData uses only the best encryption technology available.
At no time will usernames, passwords or data be sent out over the Internet in unencrypted form.
Can anyone else access my data?
Only if you give someone your password. Passwords are encrypted so you are the only one with access to your password.
See 'How does file-sharing work' to learn about how you can selectively share individual files, but not all your data, with other people.
Where is my data kept?
Your data is kept in a state-of-the-art data center alongside the systems of several telephone and communications companies. This highly secure physical infrastructure includes several levels of access control and round-the-clock security officers. Your data is stored in a data center in Toronto Ontario Canada and only you have access. All data stored at the data center and any communication with the data center is two-way encrypted.
Will the backup work through my firewall?
The Backup Client was designed to be firewall friendly. If the firewall is configured to allow outgoing web traffic on ports 80 and 443 (which are required for browsers to function), the Backup Client will function correctly.
Is the software web based?
You have both a Windows Backup Client and a Web Client. The Windows client provides the backup and simple restore functions. The Web Client provides more powerful restore options and allows you to manage your online data store.
The Web Client also provides advanced collaboration features such as sharing files and folders with colleagues, mailing of very large attachments and the ability to access your data from anywhere on the Internet.
Do backups have versioning?
Yes. You can configure the number of versions you wish to keep as well as the minimum amount of time between new versions. Through the web interface, you can restore any available version of the file. Those versions may cover a month or two year's worth of changes. It all depends on how you configure the backup.
Do versions take up a lot of storage space?
Not really. Before we backup a new version of a file, we compare it to the previous version and only backup the data that changed. So if you have a 50Mb mail file, and then receive 10Kb worth of new messages, we only backup the 10Kb that changed.
Are backups scheduled?
No. Backups are continuous rather than scheduled. The Backup Client continuously monitors your hard drive while you work. When it notices a file that has changed (within set parameters), it backs it up immediately.
Will it slow down my PC?
No. The Backup Client has a feature that suspends the backup when the PC is in use. When you use the keyboard or mouse, GotDatapauses. When you stop to answer the phone, backup continues.
And since we backup the files as they change, the amount of data being sent through your Internet connection is kept to a minimum. Most people can't tell a backup is in progress.
What if the backup gets interrupted?
Backups stop and resume automatically. If you unplug your laptop halfway through backup of a large file, the backup continues where it left off when you plug it back in. This is especially useful during the initial backup, which may take some time to complete.
What if I have dial-up Internet?
Because backups are compressed, incremental and interruptible, they work quite well on a dial-up connection. If you have a lot of data, you may find that your initial backup takes quite some time. Rest assured that it will get done. Once the initial backup is done, only individual file changes have to go up. So the amount of data going out through your modem is small.
What folders should I backup?
When you install the software, it will automatically locate popular folders like 'My Documents', 'Desktop', 'Favorites', 'Outlook', etc. You have the ability to choose your own selections and change them at any time.
We recommend you only backup data files. The system will automatically exclude Program and Operating System files. These generally don't need to be backed up as you can easily reinstall them from the original media.
Can I backup more than one PC?
Yes. We do not charge for the number of PCs you back up. You only pay for the storage they use.
Online data is stored in separate volumes that are sorted by PC name and drive letter. If you have a similar file with the same name on more than one PC, there is no danger of the files overwriting each other.
What operating systems are supported?
The Backup Client will run on any version of Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 onward. Macintoshes can run the client using Windows emulation software, such as Virtual PC, or they can use a PC to do the backup through a mapped drive letter.
How easy is it to restore a file?
Very easy. You just a right click the GotData icon at the bottom of the screen, select 'Restore', find the file in the tree and right click 'Restore'. That's it.
To retrieve a previous version of a file, login to the web site; select 'Online Storage', find the file in the tree; click on the file link, then click the "Download" button. That's it.
How does file-sharing work?
Once your data has been backed up, you have the ability to share selected portions of it with whomever you want. You can share individual files or folders.
In the 'Online Storage' section of the Web Client, you can mark a file as 'Sharable', and assign it a separate password. The system will give it a unique URL for download and even send an email to the recipient with a link. The system maintains a log of who downloaded it and when. Sharing of folders is similar.
Why does this help me with very large email attachments?
If you need to send a large file to someone, but his or her email will not allow large attachments, use the file-sharing feature of the Web Client. Mark it as 'Sharable' and email the recipient a link to the file. They simply click the link to download the attachment.
