Cloud Backup Solutions for both individuals and companies

We provide full protection against viruses, trojans, malware, Ransomware, cryptolockers.

Backup up to four computers in an account in real-time. You will never have to worry about that that lost or deleted file again.

Backup today, restore tomorrow.

Free, no obligation, 30 day trial!

Cloud Backup Solutions for both individuals and companies

We provide full protection against viruses, trojans, malware, Ransomware, cryptolockers.

Backup up to four computers in an account in real-time. You will never have to worry about that that lost or deleted file again.

Backup today, restore tomorrow.

Free, no obligation, 30 day trial!

Lucian Systems

Real time & secure backup solution

We provide insurance for your data. Our solution is powered Code42, an American cybersecurity company providing service to 60% of the world’s largest tech companies and 18 of the world’s most powerful brands.

All your critical data is encrypted and stored securely in either our backup cloud, or your own private cloud backup appliance.

With our cloud backup solution we accommodate everyone, from the home users to the large corporations who have a business requirement to store their critical data offsite.

Our Cloud Backup solution features TLS security between your device and our servers. Another advantage is that we offer automated compression and de-duplication of data up to a massive 52% in the case of a large business customer, which influences the data stored and therefore the overall savings, as we only charge for total storage per account.

Our service has now been 100% successful since launch, is 100% secure and we have 100% satisfied customers.

How does it work?

Sign up

One of the great features of our Internet cloud backup solution is that you don’t need to do much to get up and running quickly, nor do you need much technical know-how.

And the best part is, it’s FREE for the first 30 days with no obligations to continue at the end of your trial period.

After you sign up we will send you an invitation and instructions on how to register your account with minimal information and install the backup agent.

No financial information is required.

Backup

The second stage is to perform a backup with our automatic backup agent. Our backup agent does all the hard work, automatically detecting and selecting your home user folder, and probably your most important sets of files and folders.

However, you can select others to be backed up if you need to.

You can also set an encryption password if you wish. This ensures that no-one is ever able to retrieve your encrypted files without it, so make a note of this and keep it in a safe place.

The files and folders on your computer are monitored and backed up in real-time. You will never have to worry about that lost or deleted file again.

Relax

You can relax and essentially forget all about your backups now, as the backup agent in real-time will take care of the rest for you.

All you need to do is ensure that you have an internet connection. You don’t need to worry about whether your backup has run. If it hasn’t, you will be emailed a warning.

If you ever need to restore, you can do this yourself or we also offer a manual service whereby rather than use up your bandwidth which could be both costly and time consuming, we will manually restore all your data to disk, and/or directly to your device, at additional cost.

Pricing for cloud backups

1 account – up to 4 computers

Secure, fast, affordable storage. Includes all bandwidth & services, data stored in the datacenter.

First 20 GB

fixed price per month:

6,86 Euro
8,12 Dollar
5,91 British pound
120 ZAR

20 GB – 250 GB

fixed price per 10Gb stored per month:

2,34 Euro
2,64 Dollar
1,92 British pound
39 ZAR

+ 250 GB

fixed price per 10Gb stored per month:

2,06 Euro
2,43 Dollar
1,77 British pound
36 ZAR

NO LIMITS – 30 FREE TRIAL – NO FINANCIAL INFORMATION ASKED DURING SIGN UP

Frequently Asked Questions

We have a dedicated website with full support at https://www.cloud-backup.co.za/. Since we are located in South Africa we use a data centre in Johannesburg featuring redundant and resilient connectivity, power and cooling, in a secure facility with biometrically controlled access ensures the ultimate security of your data.

We are also the approved Code42 reseller partners in South Africa

Our backup solution is for clients worldwide.

Cloud backup solutions

What operating systems are supported?

Whether you are using our South African Cloud Backup or a managed in-house private cloud backup device, the following operating systems are supported on the client side:

  • Windows 32bit
  • Windows 64bit
  • Mac OS X
  • Linux

Can I install on multiple devices?

Yes, you are able to install the backup software on multiple computers using the same account.

However, as per our terms and conditions that includes the Code42 Enterprise EULA, you are only permitted to include a maximum of four computers per account.

To back up more devices than this, you will be required to create a new account for each multiple of four computers.

Please contact support@cloud-backup.co.za if you  would like your accounts can be aggregated into a single invoice. We will review this request to see if it is financially viable.

Note that having multiple computers in the same account is a security risk and so you should understand that each computer will have access to the other computers backup data for restores. In this situation we recommend that one person manages the account and enables the “Require account password to access the application” setting.

How do I install the backup software?

Please refer to the initial welcome email that was sent to you, that contains links to the server and instructions on how to install. Alternatively you can view this online at the instructions page.

Depending on which service you have selected, the installation process may be different.

For support, please contact support@cloud-backup.co.za.

Where do I download the backup client?

Please visit our instructions page, that contains download links and all the details you will require in order to get started, to add a new computer to your account, or a new computer for restore purposes.

What type of security do you use?

The backup agent and server communicate over 128bit AES TLS sessions.

No plain text or unencrypted data is ever communicated between the client and server.

How can I quickly restore all my data?

If you have unfortunately suffered data loss and/or some sort of hardware failure, we are very sorry for you – but help is at hand as this is exactly why you signed up for our service in the first place.

Restoring to a new device is a simple process – you will need to download the backup client again and choose the option to sign in with your existing account username (your email address). If you do not remember the password, contact us and we can reset it for you.

Do not perform a backup yet – you will be prompted “Is this a new device” and given the opportunity to “adopt” your old device – then you can restore the data in your account – your new device will inherit everything from the old one.

Once the data has been restored you can allow the backup to start, which will continue from the point of restored data onwards.

Manual Restore

Optionally, we are able to quickly and easily perform a bulk data restore for your account, to your own external device, rather than you wait for your data to be restored over the internet, which could take a long time. There is a one-off fee of for this service (1000 ZAR – 57,21 EURO – 67,69 DOLLAR – 49,35 BRITISH POUND).

If you have configured an additional archive restore password for your backups, you will need to provide us with this when your restore is performed, otherwise we have absolutely no way of restoring your data for you.

How do I restore?

The simplest, quickest and most effective way to restore is by launching the CrashPlan PROe application on your computer.

Navigate to the Restore tab on the left, choose the files and folders you wish to restore, and start the process. By default any data is restored to your desktop.

If you have multiple computers in your account, you may also be able to choose an alternative computer to restore the data for.

You can also restore up to 1Gb through our web-based dashboard, by logging in with your account credentials at https://master.cloud-backup.co.za:4285/console/

Click the device you wish to restore data for, and then the small rewind icon next to the Cloud Backup Solutions destination:

cloud backup solutions

By default this will be restored to a zip file and then downloaded via your browser.

How do I setup automated cloud backups?

You don’t need to do a thing – once the Cloud Backup CrashPlan client has been installed and your first backup has started, the backup agent will automatically, and in real-time, provide you with ongoing protection for your files and folders.

Backups will run whether you are logged on to your machine or not.

How do I perform a backup?

Once you have clicked “Start Backup” next to Cloud Backup Solutions the backup process will begin.

You do not need to do anything further and the client will run in the background monitoring your files and uploading any changes automatically.

I have a lot of data to backup?

For backups of more than 20Gb, we have the facility to allow you to perform your first backup to an external hard drive and send this to us for an initial data load, otherwise, you must allow your data to upload over the internet and ensure you have enough data, should your service be capped.

If you have more than 20Gb to back up and wish to make use of this service, please let us know by sending an email to support@cloud-backup.co.za and we will take care of the rest for you.

Note that if you do choose this option, you will need to have your initial data load performed prior to any internet based backups.  Once your initial data load has been imported, your backups will continue from that point onwards.

Any backups performed to an external device are fully encrypted by the backup software so your data will be safe in transit.

There is a one-off fee for this (1000 ZAR – 57,21 EURO – 67,69 DOLLAR – 49,35 BRITISH POUND).

Can I backup to local devices?

Yes, in addition to the Cloud Backup, for resilience you are also able to back up to one or more local devices.

Bear in mind though that most failures are caused by electrical, hardware or power failure, and we recommend that you always maintain your Cloud Backup too.  All your backups will be encrypted and stored securely.

How do I know my backups are working?

If you don’t hear anything, they are working silently in the background.

If your device has not backed up for 3 days and you have configured notifications, you will receive a warning email.

Occasionally you may receive an email with a summary of a successful backup.

When you receive your monthly invoice email, this will outline each computer in your account, and highlight a warning if no contact has been made in a certain amount of time.

You can also access the web-based dashboard at https://master.cloud-backup.co.za:4285/console/ and log in with your account credentials to view the overall status of all devices in your account

When will my files be backed up?

Once you have the Cloud Backup CrashPlan agent installed and running, any new files will be backed up as soon as possible after they are created.

Therefore, assuming you have a working internet connection and/or an active external device that you are backing up to, the new files will be backed up pretty much immediately and available for restore within a few minutes.

Are open files backed up?

Yes.  Inbuilt into the Cloud Backup CrashPlan agent are methods enabling open files to be backed up.

The advantage of this is that active files do not need to be closed prior to backup, and anything you are actively working on is also protected.

The one exception to this is Microsoft Outlook files. We do not recommend that you back these up unless you have an uncapped ADSL connection, due to the constant changing nature of the single large email database file.

How long are my files kept?

All your backed up files are retained indefinitely unless you have set a retention policy that changes the default setting.

Files deleted from your device are never removed from your backup set unless you deselect them from the backup, in which case you will be prompted that you understand they will also be removed from our cloud.

New versions of files already backed up are updated by default every 15 minutes after they are changed.

How long will my backup take?

This all depends on the amount of data you are backing up, and how fast your internet connection is.

For customers using our dedicated South African Cloud Backup service, our servers have dedicated 1Gbps connections to the main core network of our ISP and so we are very capable of catering for our customers backing up solidly at once without a performance impact.

Typically, we estimate you can expect to back up between 2 and 10Gb per day over an internet connection, but we have seen more than this possible.

Remember that if you have a large initial backup size exceeding 20Gb, we can load this manually for you and your device backup will continue from where this stops. We charge a one-off fee of R1000. You provide us with a memory stick or hard drive with your initial encrypted backup on and a prepaid return method, we load it onto our servers and then send your device back to you.

How much data can I backup?

There are theoretically no limits to the amount of data that you can back up as we dynamically add new cloud storage on demand as required, but please bear in mind that you will be limited by your internet connectivity for the initial upload.

We also offer substantial discounts on backups larger than 500Gb so we recommend you contact us to discuss your requirements.

Refer to the other frequently asked questions for information on how we can perform an initial manual load of your encrypted backup data directly to our servers.

Why is my backup smaller than the data on my device?

The backup software that we use implements deduplication and compression, and skips irrelevant, temporary and certain system files.

This means that if you have files that are duplicated in your backup set, only a single instance of the file is stored, and files such as swap or temporary files which are only used for the duration of your logon, are not backed up.

The result is that your backup set may be much smaller than the drive, folder, or files that you have specified to be backed up.  For example, you choose your C:\ drive which reports it has a total of 30Gb used, but your backup set is only 20Gb.

In addition, compression is used wherever possible to save as much bandwidth and space as possible. This also saves you money on your storage fees.

Can I backup my email?

The answer depends on how your emails are stored. Generally the answer is “Yes”, but if you are using Microsoft Outlook you should only back up your PST files if you have an uncapped connection, as this file changes every time an email is received so the backup client performs a complete scan and attempts to back up the changed blocks.

When Outlook is not running the file will be successfully backed up to the point of completion.

How does your service differ from dropbox?

This is a great question. The primary distinction is that we provide endpoint backup rather than file syncing and sharing. If you are looking for key differentiators, the following list summarises accurately:

  • Dropbox is primarily a sync client, for file sharing and collaboration, and is not really designed for ongoing backups even when you are logged off
  • Dropbox is based in the US, and as such is governed by a different jurisdiction, subject to the privacy questions that are being raised in the US with the NSA. This is also particularly relevant in light of the POPI (Protection of personal information) act passed in South Africa, governing that certain data cannot leave the country.
  • Backing up or recovering large sets of data to Dropbox could potentially take months, whereas our service is 100% based in South Africa and we have a 1Gb connection to the internet. We can back up and restore data as fast as your ADSL connection will allow.
  • Dropbox do not provide any quick and easy way to restore large quantities of backup to external disk for rapid recovery (and the same for backup)
  • Dropbox charge extra for versioning and delete files are subsequently removed after 30 days – we store multiple versions and deleted files indefinitely
  • Dropbox themselves have advised they will decrypt and hand over files to the US government upon request, and on their website quote “Dropbox employees are prohibited from viewing the content of files you store in your account” which we read as “prohibited, but fully capable of doing so”. We cannot view your files unless we initiate a full restore on behalf of our customers, and if a backup encryption password is used, we are completely unable to even initiate it without the password.

How many computers can I backup?

As per our terms and conditions that includes the Code42 Enterprise EULA, you are only permitted to include a maximum of four computers per account.

To back up more devices than this, you will be required to create a new account for each multiple of four computers.

Please contact support@cloud-backup.co.za if you  would like your accounts can be aggregated into a single invoice. We will review this request to see if it is financially viable.

Can I backup directly from my NAS?

It depends on the manufacturer and operating system.

Generally we have seen good success in NAS devices that are able to run virtual machines. Run a CentOS Linux virtual machine, and then mount the network shares on it. Install and run the Linux Cloud Backup Solutions agent. It’s a free, effective and supported solution.

What is the master server address?

Please view the our instructions page for all details and access to the client downloads.

What is the web based dashboard address?

You are able to manage your account and backup devices at https://master.cloud-backup.co.za:4285/console

Use your account username and password to gain access.

What should I backup?

By default, the Cloud Backup Solutions CrashPlan software will back up your home user area which will include all your most important files and folders.  You also have the ability to manually add any files or folders.

As a rule, this default selection of the current users home directory will be enough. This will typically include Documents, Pictures, Mail files and so on.

However, it should be noted that on Windows in particular, this can include video files, which can take up more space than may be necessary, so some “tuning” of the backup selection may be required.

On Windows, we do not recommend backing up the C:\Program Files\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\ directories as this usually will not result in the programs being installed successfully following a restore, unless you also back up a copy of the registry and C:\Windows directory to include components. This can result in a lot of data being backed up!

My backup is not working under Macos Mojave

Apple introduced new privacy settings in macOS Mojave 10.14, which impacts CrashPlan’s ability to access some files from apps like Contacts, Photos, and Mail that contain personal data.

IMPACT

Due to Apple’s restrictions, these items will not be backed up until you give CrashPlan permission to access them.

If these files and folders are included in your backup sets they will no longer be backed up until you take action to change your macOS privacy settings.

ACTION NEEDED

Follow the below instructions to update your privacy settings and ensure files and folders from apps such as Contacts, Photos and Mail continue to back up on Mac devices running macOS Mojave 10.14.

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: GRANT FULL DISK ACCESS TO THE CRASHPLAN APP

  1. Open Apple System Preferences.
  2. Open Security & Privacy.
  3. Select the Privacy tab.
  4. If privacy settings are locked:
    1. Click the lock icon in the lower-left corner.
    2. Enter your device password.
    3. Click Unlock.
  5. In the left pane, select Full Disk Access.
  6. In the right pane, click the + icon.
  7. Navigate to Applications > CrashPlan.
  8. Click Open.
    The following message appears: “CrashPlan” will not have full disk access until it is quit.
  9. Click Quit Now.
  10. (Optional) Click the lock in the lower-left corner to re-lock privacy settings.
  11. (Required) Follow the steps in the next section to restart the CrashPlan service. The CrashPlan app will not have full disk access until the CrashPlan service restarts.

 

STEP 2: RESTART THE CRASHPLAN SERVICE

There are two ways to restart the CrashPlan service: restart your device or enter a command in the CrashPlan app command prompt. Choose whichever option is easiest for you.

 

Option 1

Restart your Mac.

 

Option 2
  1. Open the CrashPlan app.
  2. If necessary, sign in to your account.
  3. Press Option+Command+C to open the commands prompt.
  4. Enter this command:
    restart
  5. Press Enter.
    This closes the CrashPlan app, reauthenticates theCrashPlan app with the Cloud Backup Solutions authority server, and then restarts the CrashPlan service.

After installation on an unsupported device, no service is created

Should you be installing on an unsupported system such as Windows XP, we are aware that the latest version of the software will not create a CrashPlanService.

To fix this, follow these steps:

  1. Uninstall the current CrashPlan software
  2. On a 32 bit Windows XP or server-class system, install version 4.6.1
  3. For 64 bit systems, attempt to install version 4.7.1
  4. Once the installation has completed, if the service does not start, you will get “Unable to connect to the backup engine”. For Windows systems with less than 2Gb RAM, carry out the following:
    1. Navigate to C:\Program Files\CrashPlan
    2. Edit file CrashPlanService.ini
    3. Change 1024M to 512M to halve the memory usage
  5. Attempt to restart the service and then launch CrashPlan PROe

My backup is not working under Macos Mojave

Apple introduced new privacy settings in macOS Mojave 10.14, which impacts CrashPlan’s ability to access some files from apps like Contacts, Photos, and Mail that contain personal data.

IMPACT

Due to Apple’s restrictions, these items will not be backed up until you give CrashPlan permission to access them.

If these files and folders are included in your backup sets they will no longer be backed up until you take action to change your macOS privacy settings.

ACTION NEEDED

Follow the below instructions to update your privacy settings and ensure files and folders from apps such as Contacts, Photos and Mail continue to back up on Mac devices running macOS Mojave 10.14.

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: GRANT FULL DISK ACCESS TO THE CRASHPLAN APP

  1. Open Apple System Preferences.
  2. Open Security & Privacy.
  3. Select the Privacy tab.
  4. If privacy settings are locked:
    1. Click the lock icon in the lower-left corner.
    2. Enter your device password.
    3. Click Unlock.
  5. In the left pane, select Full Disk Access.
  6. In the right pane, click the + icon.
  7. Navigate to Applications > CrashPlan.
  8. Click Open.
    The following message appears: “CrashPlan” will not have full disk access until it is quit.
  9. Click Quit Now.
  10. (Optional) Click the lock in the lower-left corner to re-lock privacy settings.
  11. (Required) Follow the steps in the next section to restart the CrashPlan service. The CrashPlan app will not have full disk access until the CrashPlan service restarts.

 

STEP 2: RESTART THE CRASHPLAN SERVICE

There are two ways to restart the CrashPlan service: restart your device or enter a command in the CrashPlan app command prompt. Choose whichever option is easiest for you.

 

Option 1

Restart your Mac.

 

Option 2
  1. Open the CrashPlan app.
  2. If necessary, sign in to your account.
  3. Press Option+Command+C to open the commands prompt.
  4. Enter this command:
    restart
  5. Press Enter.
    This closes the CrashPlan app, reauthenticates theCrashPlan app with the Cloud Backup Solutions authority server, and then restarts the CrashPlan service.

Unable to sign in / sign up

If you receive a message “Unable to sign in” when signing up or signing into an existing account, please validate the following:

* You have downloaded our Cloud Backup South Africa specific Code42 installer from our instructions page

* You are specifying your username as an email address

* You are specifying the correct password

* The master server is specified as master.cloud-backup.co.za:4282

* You are using a valid registration key (non-distributors should use the key specified at the instructions page above.

Should you require a password reset, please log a support ticket and we will generate a new password for you. It is possible to change this via our web-based dashboard at https://master.cloud-backup.co.za:4285/console/ by clicking in the upper right-hand corner to access your profile, and then the “cog” icon to Edit your profile and specify a new password, rather than using the password reset feature.

Is there a mobile app?

Yes.  For any of our service offerings, whether South Africa Cloud Backup or private cloud backup devices, the mobile app is available from the major app stores – Apple, Windows Phone, Google Android and Amazon. Search for CrashPlan PROe and ensure that you use the server details from the instructions page to connect to our cloud.

The mobile app also offers file synchronisation of your favourite files, but does not back up mobile devices.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept:

  • EFT or cash payments into our bank account with First National Bank (FNB)
  • Debit or credit card payments via PayFast
  • Debit order via SagePay – download the mandate form  then sign, scan and return it to support@cloud-backup.co.za

In all cases, our most up-to-date details are included on your latest invoice, along with a customised link to make a card payment.

How do I pay by card?

We accept most major debit and credit cards. Payments are made through PayFast, one of the leading South African payment processors.

A customised link will be present in your invoice to capture the relevant invoice and payment amount information.The card payment link is here.

Can I overpay?

Should you wish to make a larger payment to add credit to your account this is certainly possible, and welcomed to keep your account in good standing.

In this instance, your credit will be used to pay future invoices, and you will receive an invoice for your records that reflects payment in full.

How do I sign up for debit orders?

Our debit order service is provided by SagePay and collections are processed by FNB.

Please either access our convenient online electronic version of the debit order form or download the debit order mandate, sign, scan and email it to support@cloud-backup.co.za.

Your invoices should continue to be paid by EFT or card payments until your invoice email reflects that it will be collected by debit order.

How do I get support?

Please send an email or visit support.cloud-backup.co.za (Our dedicated Cloud Backup site).

We have an automated ticketing system which will assign you a unique reference number and a member of our team will get back to you.

I forgot my username and/or password?

If you have forgotten your username – which is usually your email address – please send us an email – the same applies if you have forgotten your password.

To reset the password for a known username please refer to your initial welcome email to access the web-based portal and click “Forgot your password” to be sent a reset link.

If this does not work we can generate a new password for you.

How do I cancel my service?

In accordance with the terms and conditions, you must provide us with 1 clear calendar months notice of cancellation.

Because we bill monthly, termination must be provided upon receipt of your next automated invoice.  After this time, your Cloud Backup service(s) will be ceased.

Unless you request otherwise, your data will be automatically migrated away from our live backup area and kept for a maximum of 30 days, during which time you may reactivate the cloud backup service.

After reactivation your data will be migrated back to our live backup area and it will be possible to restore from it.

Do you support compliance?

Absolutely. The Cloud Backup and private cloud backup solutions that we offer feature compliance with legal hold initiatives, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS), Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), Safe Harbor and many other mandates.

Due to the granular and tight-controls it is possible to configure retention policies, security, access, and many other elements through the Administrative Console.

If you have a specific compliance requirement, please contact us to discuss.