Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does SmartPick work on PCs, servers, and laptops?(back to questions)
Yes.

Is SmartPick compatible with any operating system? (back to questions)
SmartPick is compatible with the following operating system environments: Windows 9x, XP Home, XP Professional, NT 4.0, 2000 Server and Professional, and 2003 Server.

How does SmartPick upgrade the client program? (back to questions)
Upgrades to SmartPick are included in the cost of the service and are released to users as they become available. Upgrades are automatically applied to users' accounts and do not require user intervention.

Can I backup multiple computers using the same account? (back to questions)
Yes, as long as each computer has a different name. .

What type of internet connection do I need? (back to questions)
We recommend a broadband connection, however SmartPick will also work with dialup.

Can SmartPick be run as either a service or an application? (back to questions)
Yes.

How do I select data for backup? (back to questions)
In the Backup Tab, use the Windows-Explorer type interface to select the data you would like to backup by clicking your mouse next to the folders you want to protect.

How do I know how much data I am backing up? (back to questions)
The amount of data you have selected for backup is displayed in the bottom right corner of SmartPick. The amount of data is displayed in Kilobytes. Approximately 1000 Kilobytes = 1 Megabyte. Also, the SmartPick client displays the actual amount of storage space consumed from your quota at the left bottom of the SmartPick client program window.

Should I backup all the files on my computer? (back to questions)
No. Use SmartPick to backup only your business data files, not the programs and operating system. Many of your files are from software that you installed via CD or floppy disk. In the event of a computer crash, the best course of action is to re-install your software from its original source (CDs, etc).

How do I exclude music and video files from the backup set? (back to questions)
You may use filters to automatically include or exclude all files with particular file extensions (.mp3, .jpg, etc). For instance, a filter may be used to automatically include all MS Word documents in the backup, or to exclude all .mp3 files from the backup.

Can I just click a button to start the backup anytime? (back to questions)
Backups can be scheduled to occur automatically or can be performed immediately by clicking the "Backup Now" button.

How often can I backup? (back to questions)
You may backup as often as you like by clicking the "Backup Now" button. You may set a schedule to backup your data as often as hourly.

What is the best time for scheduling my backup? (back to questions)
We recommend scheduling backups to run Monday through Friday, after office hours.

How do I configure backup schedules?(back to questions)

1. Open SmartPick and click the "Schedules" button at the top.
2. Click "Add" and provide a name for the schedule, such as "My Schedule".
3. Select one or more backup sets to include in this schedule and then click next.
4. Select the frequency of the backup-daily, weekly, monthly.
5. Select whether to run a single backup or multiple backups on the day(s) that the backups are run.
6. Select the time of day to perform the backup. In this screen you can also tell the computer to log off, restart, shutdown or do nothing after the backup is complete.
7. On the next screen, simply click "next" and then "finish."

How do I know that my backups are actually working? (back to questions)
There are four different ways to put your mind at rest.

1. Configure Email notifications to send you an email after each backup. You may also configure it to send you email only if a backup fails.
2. SmartPick proactively monitors customer backups (for managed service only). If you have not backed up successfully in over one week, we will contact you.
3. Click on the Logs Tab and you will see verification that your backup completed successfully.
4. Click on the Restore Tab and restore some files..

How do I configure email notification? (back to questions)

Follow these steps to set up the email notification feature:

1. Click on View > Options > Backup Options.
2. Click on the mail tab.
3. Place a check in "send mail after a backup operation has completed."
4. In "SMTP Server Address", enter the name of your outgoing mail server. You may have to call the ISP to get that information.
5. In "From" and "Send Mail To" enter your Email address. The addresses do not have to be setup in Outlook Express or Outlook on that computer, as the needed functionality is built into the SmartPick client.
6. Select the send options (warnings only, errors only, both, log attached).
7. Press "Send test mail" to test it out.

How can I restore a file? (back to questions)
Click on the Restore Tab. Select the files you want to restore and click the "Restore Now" button. Using SmartPick ensures that your data can be replaced any time, onto any computer, as often as necessary, with no additional costs.

Can I restore a file when I'm away from the office? (back to questions)
Yes! You can download the SmartPick client from the download section of our website on any computer, configure the client using your username and password and use the same restore method to restore your files to that computer.

Does SmartPick protect older versions of my data? (back to questions)
Yes. SmartPick not only protects the most recent version of your data, it also protects older versions of each file. By default, SmartPick is set to keep the previous 2 weeks of changes made to a file. Thus, if you have a file that you change every day, SmartPick gives you the ability to restore any one of the previous 14 versions of that file.

What happens to files I delete from my computer or de-select from my backup set? (back to questions)
Files you delete from your computer or de-select from your backup set remain on our server for 14 days after the last backup. The 14 day period may be lengthened upon request.

How do I restore an older version of a file, as opposed to the most recent version? (back to questions)

1. In the Restore tab, click on the down arrow to the left of the red "X".
2. Select "On" so that you can specify which date to restore from.
3. Right click on My Computer and select Get Volume List from Server.
4. Select the appropriate date from the list.
5. A list of files will be displayed. Select the file you want to restore and click Restore Now.

How much does it cost to restore data? (back to questions)
Nothing. If you need SmartPick consultant to assist you on-site to restore data , our normal hourly consulting charges will apply.

How do I delete data from SmartPick's backup server?(back to questions)

1. Click on the Restore tab and you will see a red "X" to the right of the restore tab.
2. Click the red "X". This will switch the software into delete mode.
3. Right click on "My Computer" and choose Get Volume List from Server.
4. A message will pop up saying, "A connection will now be made to the backup server to receive the volume list, do you wish to continue?" Click Yes.
5. SmartPick will then retrieve a list all of the files and folders that you have stored on the backup server.
6. Click on the "plus" signs (+) to expand your folders and select the folders or files you would like to delete by clicking in the box next to each folder or file. A red X will appear next to all folders you've selected.
7. Choose Delete Files Now from the top right of the program.
8. A message will pop up saying, "Are you sure you want to delete the selected files from the server? Once these files are deleted, they can no longer be restored from the server."
9. Choose "Yes" and the selected files will be deleted from the backup server.

Is SmartPick safe? (back to questions)
Yes. Before the data leaves your computer SmartPick encrypts the data state-of-the-art encryption technology. Your data is transmitted to the data center via a secure client-server connection. Your data is stored redundantly in a state-of-the-art, highly secure data center using high availability RAID storage. (read more on SmartPick security). Here is some of the security and data availability measures employed in our class A data center:

• Double redundant backup power supply
• Redundant network connections from Tier One providers
• Physical access restricted to authorized personnel
• 24 X 7 on-site systems administration
• Climate controlled environment
• Camera surveillance
• State-of-the-art firewalls

Does SmartPick enable HIPAA compliance? (back to questions)
Yes. For specific information, please click here.

Do you have any additional levels of security? (back to questions)
Yes. Users of SmartPick also choose a "Secret Encryption Key" to be applied to their encrypted data. This is an additional level of security that gives password protection to the actual encryption process. This functionality operates in addition to the normal Username and Password assigned to your account. Users choosing to apply this functionality need to be aware that they must have their Secret Key in order to restore their data. You will no longer be able to restore data with merely a Username and Password. In addition, SmartPick keeps no records of Secret Encryption Keys. Loss of a Secret Encryption Key will result in an inability to recover data.

How do I configure SmartPick to work through firewalls? (back to questions)
If you have a firewall, you will need to open the port SmartPick client uses, bi-directionally so that you can transmit and retrieve data. You can fid the SmartPick client port by clicking at view->options->general.

What happens to virus infected files? (back to questions)
Viruses only function when the application that the virus was designed for invokes the infected file. Therefore, when an infected file is backed up to the SmartPick server, it remains dormant because the virus-infected file has been compressed and encrypted and has no program to invoke it. When it is restored at the client site, however, the virus will live again. It is important to run an updated anti-virus program on all computers.

.