Server backup

Service Definition • Armstrong Bell • 21 May 2026
Document summary

This document provides detailed information about the services offered to customers utilising our Server Backup solution. It is designed to provide clarity on the scope of the items included within the overall service provision.

Core service provision

Our Server Backup service is designed to ensure the integrity, availability, and rapid recovery of critical business data and systems. The service provides the following advanced feature set:

  • Scheduled automated backups for files, databases, and entire servers to ensure data consistency
  • Offer flexible storage options, including on-premises, cloud-based, and hybrid configurations
  • Encrypt data at rest and in transit to maintain compliance with security standards like GDPR and ISO:27001
  • Enable granular recovery of individual files, databases, or entire systems
  • Daily monitoring of backup success and remediation of errors

The solution is fully managed by our in-house team, offering customers a hassle-free and secure backup environment. 

Supported platforms
All currently in support versions of Microsoft Windows Server are fully supported for backup within the solution. 

For a list of currently supported Linux distributions, please request these via your account manager.
Frequency of backup and retention
By default our backup solution runs nightly at approximately 21:00 and data is retained for 30 days.

Alternative options such as multiple backups during the day and longer retention timeframes are also available upon request.
Backup monitoring
Our Network Operations Centre (NOC) team conduct monitoring of the backup platform during weekdays, identifying any failed jobs and investigating these, aiming to ensure that the next pass of the backup is successful. Whereby an issue persists, this is escalated to our vendor to assist with further investigation.

If multiple backups fail subsequently, our team will contact the customer to provide updates whilst this is investigated.
Service desk support

Customers can raise queries directly with our dedicated support team for assistance. Typical requests include:

  • Restoring individual files or entire servers from backups
  • Adjusting backup schedules or retention policies
  • Troubleshooting failed backup jobs or errors

Service coverage is provided in line with the customer’s existing Managed IT Service support contract.

Backup storage and encryption
Data is protected using AES-256 encryption and the backups are immutable; this ensures that the data cannot be modified or deleted in any way.
Portability of backups / transition to a new supplier
The data cannot be exported from the backup platform for ingestion in to another system, as such if a customer is transitioning to another supplier; the backups will either need to be retained with Armstrong Bell until they are no longer required or alternatively the customer can simply start a new schedule with a new platform.
Data restoration options
Our solution provides several options should you need to restore data that has been backed up:

  • Restore data directly to the folder or area that it originally was stored within
  • Restore data into another folder
  • Export data in to standard file formats as required
  • Restoration of a complete server to replace an existing deployed server
Alert management
Our team receive alerts for a variety of events relating to the platform, these include the following:

  • Planned maintenance
  • Degraded service due to issues arising
  • Critical incidents or major outages
When one of these is received by our team, it is initially reviewed for impact and then if appropriate communications will be sent to customers.
Vendor escalation
Our team work closely with our preferred partner for backup services, with the ability to escalate incidents to them where required. All initial analysis and investigation is conducted internally and then specific platform or technical queries will be logged with the vendor; there is no additional cost to the customer for this and our team will fully manage this process throughout.
Addition of new features
Whereby a new feature is introduced to the platform that would be of benefit to a customer, the required changes are reviewed by our team to ensure they are suitable for implementation. If the change has any requirement for disruption to service or an adjustment to core components that may alter existing functionality, these will be communicated to the customer and a route forward agreed.

For any additional functionality that requires considerable work and/or integration, these items will be scoped and discussed independently with the customer.
On-boarding
The on-boarding steps for the core components are listed below:

  1. Platform setup
    • Install and configure backup agents on servers and databases
    • Deploy any on-site backup appliances if required
  2. Backup Policy Configuration
    • Create policies for server backups
    • Configure retention periods
  3. Initial Full Backup
    • Perform the first full backup of all identified systems
    • Verify data integrity
  4. Testing and Validation
    • Conduct test restores to ensure backup jobs are correctly configured
    • Validate recovery times to align with business continuity goals
  5. Ongoing Monitoring and Maintenance
    • Monitor backups for errors or failures.