Create a backup policy

When you create a backup policy, you define which files Agents back up and the actions that the Connected web application lets users perform on their backed up files. You can define one or more rule groups in each backup policy to target specific items for backup.

Before you begin

Backup policies consist of many different components. To ensure that your policies meet your specific backup requirements, it is important to know how key policy components work and interact with each other. For information to help you better understand backup policies, see the following topics:

• Optimize system scans with scope settings

• Optimize protection and migration of Windows user state data

• How Agents process backup policy rules

• Examples of corporate and group-level backup policies

• Tips for creating a backup policy

In addition, keep in mind that Agents apply policies based on a file’s extension not its binary signature.

To create a backup policy

1. Click the POLICIES tab, click NEW POLICY ( ), and then click Backup.
2. Specify policy details: name, description, and level to which the policy applies. See more.

   If you are a customer-level administrator, you can apply the policy to either the entire company or a subset of groups. If you are a group-level administrator, you can apply the policy only to groups for which you have administrative control.

   If you are a partner administrator, you can apply the policy to either all the companies or a subset of companies. To apply the policy to all the companies, in the Apply to list, click All Companies. To apply the policy to specific Company(s), in the Apply to list, click The Following Company(s).

   To apply the policy to a group, in the Apply to list, click The following group(s), and then select a group. To apply the policy to multiple groups, add each group one at a time.

   The following are valid inputs for the policy name:

   • Any letter, number, underscore, and space.

3. Configure backup settings. See how.

   You can configure the following settings:

   • Skip drives. Prevent Agents from scanning and backing up entire Windows drives or macOS volumes.

     • To specify a Windows drive, either select a drive letter from the list or enter one, and then press Enter.
     • To specify a macOS volume, enter the volume name without prefacing it with /Volumes/, and then press Enter.

     Drive and volume names are case insensitive. To specify multiple drives or volumes for a particular operating system, add them one at a time.

     TIP: Skipping a drive or volume rather than excluding it though a rule results in faster first backups because Agents scan excluded drives even though they do not back up items from them. If you edit a policy to skip a drive, any files that Agents have backed up from that drive are deleted from Connected.

   • Enable Smart scan technology. Skip a predefined set of system-level folders during scans and prevent users from selecting files in those folders for backup.

     Smart scan technology is recommended and enabled for new policies by default.

   • Enable Express backups. Expedite backups by enabling Agents to back up multiple files simultaneously.

     When enabled, both the Agent and Connected server use more system and network resources to achieve enhanced performance. Therefore, express backups are best suited in environments with wired LAN connections.

   • Retain files excluded by policy. Retain protected files no longer in scope for backup due to policy changes or user exclusion.

     If not selected, Connected permanently deletes its copy of files excluded from back up after a short grace period. For information about the retention process, see Data retention overview.

     Changing this option's setting for an existing policy impacts files excluded only after that point in time. For example, if you select this option, Connected retains only newly excluded files; any previously excluded ones remain deleted. Conversely, when you clear this option, Connected retains currently excluded files but deletes files excluded from that point onward.

     NOTE: Connected deletes its copy of files excluded from devices running Agent version 4.2.1, or later, at the time of their exclusion. Files excluded from devices running earlier Agent versions are retained regardless of how the Retain files excluded by policy option is set in the policy that governs the device.

   • Back up Windows user state files (.mig). Back up all .mig files on disk except those excluded by drive or Smart Scan, regardless of any admin or user rules that exclude them. (Affects only Agents 4.9.0 and later)

     Enable this setting to provide users a quick way to restore their Windows environment to its previous state after replacing or re-imaging their computer. If enabled, when users start a restore request that includes a .mig file, they can choose to import the file automatically when the entire restore completes (requires Microsoft's User State Migration Tool installed on the user's computer).

     NOTE: The restore option appears only if the request contains a .mig file that was backed up by Agent 4.9.0, or later, whose policy had the Back up Windows user state files (.mig) option enabled at the time of backup.

   • Allow backups over a metered connection. Back up files over a metered connection.

     NOTE: Currently, macOS-based Agents back up over metered connection even if you do not select this option.

   • Allow users to view files in their backup sets. Permit users to view files in their backup sets using Connected web application.

     This option is available only if the Allow users to download files from their backup sets option is selected.

     NOTE: To view a file in the Connected web application, the system must decrypt a copy of it in the cloud. As a result, servers external to your company might briefly store decrypted user data on disk. If your corporate security policy prohibits decryption of data on external systems, ensure that you create policies that prevent users from viewing files.

   • Allow users to download files from their backup sets. Permit users to download files from their backup sets using Connected web application.

4. Add a rule group.

   • To add a new custom rule group, click Create a new rule group.

   • To load the rule groups from the default template, click Or start from a pre-defined "Data Only" template.

     This template targets common user data and is available only when the policy does not contain any other rule groups.

5. To configure a rule group, do the following:

   1. Click either Include the following or Exclude the following to define whether Agents include or exclude the rule group's content from backup.
   2. To lock the rule group so that other rule groups do not override it, click Lock this rule group.

   3. To add a predefined file group, select its check box. To remove a file group, clear its check box.

      To see the contents of a file group and the platforms to which it applies, point to the group. By default, only the most common predefined groups are listed. To access additional groups, click More file groups, and then click Add additional file groups.

6. (Optional) Add, edit, or delete a custom rule in a rule group. See how.

   To add or edit a custom rule, do the following:

   1. To add a new rule, click Create a custom rule; otherwise, to edit an existing one, click .

   2. In the Rule name box, enter a name to associate with this rule.

      Use a descriptive name, up to 50 alphanumeric characters in length, to help you easily identify the rule's contents in the future.

   3. In the Platform list, click the platform to which the rule applies: Windows, Mac, or Windows + Mac.

   4. Do one or more of the following to identify the items that match this rule:

      • In the Folder path box, enter the path and folder name followed by a slash:

        • For a Windows-based rule, use a backward slash: folderName\

        • For a macOS-based rule, use a forward slash: folderName/

      • In the File name box, enter the name of the file without its extension.

        For example, to match the file report.txt, enter report.

      • In the File extensions box, enter a file extension, and then press Enter. You can specify multiple extensions.

        • Do not precede extensions with a dot (.). For example, enter txt not .txt.

        • To match files without an extension, enter a dot (.). For example, . matches report or myReport.

      For tips on how to specify these values, including how to use wildcard characters, registry keys, and environment variables or how to define recursive folder paths, see Tips for creating custom backup policy rules.

   5. Click Save.

   To delete a custom rule, do the following:

   1. Click the rule to clear its check box.
7. To save the rule group, click .
8. Add additional rule groups, if necessary.

9. Reorder rule groups, as needed, so that Agents process them in the desired order.

   Rule groups appear in descending order of priority. To reorder a rule group, drag it up or down in the list.

10. To save changes to the policy, click one of the following:

    • SAVE & PUBLISH. Saves your changes and notifies Agents of the new policy. Upon receipt, the Agent rescans the user's computer based on the new policy.
    • SAVE. Saves your changes as a draft version of the policy and does not activate it.