MSP backup: One platform for every workload

Frequently Asked Questions

• I signed up for a trial. Where can I download the backup agents?

  You first need to create a customer and an account for them. Once that is done, you can either log in as that customer or, in the Account management console, select the customer to manage their backups. This will bring you to the Backup management console where you can download the backup agent.

• How much system resource usage will it take to back up?

  1. Resource usage is relative to the system specifications and a number of other factors, such as disk speed, disk size, available bandwidth, etc. By default, the Acronis backup process runs on low priority, with the operating system dynamically throttling its resources.

  2. On modern servers and workstations, the CPU usage is typically around 3-4% and RAM consumption will be up to 500 MB with CPU spikes during the snapshot phase.

• Can you integrate with my storage solution?

  Acronis provides a hardware-independent software solution that can work with almost any hardware on industry-standard protocols like SMB and NFS. Acronis can also support any block-based storage, as long as it's supported by the operating system.

• How can I set up a backup to a network drive?

  In the backups section of the backup portal:

  • Select Add Location
  • Select a Network folder and enter the network path

  We also have online documentation

• How frequently can I back up (RPO)?

  This will depend on the size and performance of the hard disk, the amount of data changed, and the available bandwidth. Testing needs to be done, but the minimum threshold is 10 minutes.

• What are the best practices to back up Hyper-V?

  We recommended you perform agentless backup for Hyper-V guest VMs, unless the VM needs to have ransomware protection and application-aware backups. Then, installing a Windows application agent is required.

• Does Acronis support deduplication?

  1. Acronis backup agents support deduplication, in archives, for a single machine. Any new duplicated files will be skipped and not backed up.

  2. Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud does not use a centralized deduplication server as the client's data can be encrypted and containerized for security purposes.

• What is the compression rate?

  Compression rates vary depending on the type of data but generally, you can expect around 30-40% compression unless the data is exclusively media files.

• Does Acronis support encryption?

  Yes, Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud and its services use encryption on all levels.

• How does ransomware protection work?

  Acronis Active Protection is an advanced anti-ransomware technology. Completely compatible with the most common anti-malware solutions, our artificial-intelligence-based technology actively protects all of the data on your systems, including documents, media files, programs, Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud files, and more. It can detect and deflect attacks, and restore impacted data. For more information, review this guide in the Knowledge Base.

• How granular is Exchange/Microsoft 365 recovery?

  Granular recovery can restore individual items from the mailbox: a single email, contact, or calendar item.

• How do I do a bare metal restore?

  Bare metal restores can be done by booting the target machine using bootable media, point to the backup repository for the image file. (Refer to: https://www.acronis.com/en-us/support/documentation/BackupService/index.html#42056.html).

• How can I restore a VM to Azure/Google/Amazon?

  The destination VM needs to have an OS pre-installed with the Acronis agent. The restoration will then be done using either P2V or V2V. It's not possible to use bootable media in Azure/Google/Amazon.

• Can I restore from a smaller disk to a larger disk and vice versa?

  Yes. It’s possible to restore a disk image to a smaller drive if the smaller drive has enough space to accommodate the occupied space of the larger disk (e.g. if you have a 200 GB disk with 100 GB of space used, you can transfer an image of this disk to a 150 GB drive, but not to an 80 GB disk).

• My customer has low bandwidth. How can I upload the initial backup?

  This process is done in two stages:

  • Creation of the initial backup on external media, please refer to the online documentation.
  • Sending the data, which can be done through physical shipment, also described in this Knowledge Base article, or upload via WAN from an alternative location using a special tool.

• What is an MSP backup solution?

  MSP backup solutions enable managed service providers to deliver backup services to their clients.

• Is Acronis Backup pack for MSPs?

  Yes, the Backup pack is available to managed service partners using Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud. The Backup pack enables service providers to extend the cloud backup capabilities their clients need to proactively protect their data, including continuous data protection, extended backup support, one-click recovery, and more.

• Why are cloud backup services important for MSPs?

  Cloud storage is the most flexible and cost-effective way to back up critical files and programs. Cloud backup solutions help isolate data from local device failures, malware attacks or natural disasters. However, experts recommend that you follow the 3-2-1 rule: make three copies of every piece of important data; store that data in two different formats; and keep one off-site copy.