Once you have logged in to your Altaro Cloud Management Console and navigated to the Altaro Endpoint Backup application, you will be greeted with a number of steps to help you get started.
Let's go through each step to help you get started:
Step 1 - Setup Altaro Endpoint Manager (EPM)
Note: The Altaro Endpoint Manager needs to be installed on first setup only at the MSP premises or even on a virtual machine in the cloud where it's always online and available. The Altaro Endpoint Manager does not need to be installed at the customer site.
1.1 Install Endpoint Manager
Click on first step, this will guide you on how to 'Deploy and Link your Altaro Endpoint Manager' to the Cloud Management Console. Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the MSI onto a server on your premises or on a cloud hosted virtual machine. You can find the full system requirements here.
Once you have installed your Altaro Endpoint Manager, copy the access key on the screen and use it to register your Endpoint Manager to CP. You can find more details on this here.
Once you have successfully installed and linked your Endpoint Manager to your CP account, you'll see that the [Next] button is now available to click. So go ahead and click it to proceed with the setup.
1.2 Set Configuration Storage Location
Important Note: The configuration for your Endpoint Manager must be backed up. If you lose the configuration data then you will be unable to restore any Endpoint backups. This redundant copy of the configuration is required to allow you to restore data and resume backups if your current Endpoint Manager is lost.
Enter an Azure Connection String or a SAS (Shared Access Signature) of your choice and click [Test Connection] and finally [Save] once the test completes.
1.3 Finish
You have finished the installation and deployment of your Altaro Endpoint Manager. Click [Finish] to proceed and configure your first Endpoint backup policy.
Step 2 - Setup your first Endpoint backup policy
Next, click on next step to add your first backup policy.
2.1 Select a Customer
The first step to Configuring your Backup Policy to select a Customer. Either select an already existing customer from the drop-down list or click [Add New Customer] to quickly add a new one. Then click [Next]
2.2 Key Vault Password
A strong password is required for each customer in order to protect their Endpoint Key Vault. This password is required to restore a customer's data. Ensure that you store this password in your password manager in order to provide it for any restore operation (this includes the recovery of your own Endpoint Manager configuration).
Enter the Customer's Key Vault Password, click [Save] and another reminder to take note of this password.
Then click [Next] to proceed.
2.3 Configure Default Backup Policy Settings
Here you will need to configure a default Backup Policy, which you'll need to:
- enter a [Policy Name] of your choosing;
- select [Endpoint Directories] you would like to be included for Backup. Here you will be able to Include/Exclude directories and even Exclude File Types. More information on this here.
- select a Backup Location, click [Add New Backup Location] to enter your Azure Connection String. How to set up your Azure Cloud Storage Account. It is recommended that each Customer is given a dedicated Azure Storage Account for their backups.
- choose the backup frequency to [Backup Endpoints automatically every], anywhere from 1 hour to 24 hours
- choose whether you would like to [Limit Backup time window] to set a time window when the backups will take place
- choose if you would like to [Enable Bandwidth Throttling per Endpoint] in order to limit the bandwidth used up
- choose how often to [Automatically delete backups]
- Backup Warning Settings:
[Warn me on missing folder which was explicitly included in this policy]
[Warn on skipped sparse files]
[Warn me on skipped NTFS encrypted or compressed files][Warn me when Endpoint Backups are overdue]
Once you're happy with the policy settings, click [Save Backup Policy]
2.4 Select a Deployment Method
Next, you will need to choose a Deployment Method for your Endpoint Agents either by manually installing and linking it to your Altaro Endpoint Manager using the local interface and Access Key or using a Silent MSI Installer or Scripted Deployment to automatically install and link multiple Endpoint Agents.
Take your pick and then click [Next]
2.5 Deploy Endpoint Agents
Depending on your previous choice you will be taken to instructions on deploying your Endpoint Agents.
2.5.1 Standard GUI Installer
Find more information, on how to deploy via Standard GUI Installer here.
2.5.2 Silent MSI Installer for GPO or Scripted Deployment
Find more information, on how to deploy via Silent MSI Installer for GPO or Scripted Deployment here.
2.6 Finish
You have finished the configuration for your first customer. Click [Go to Dashboard] to proceed to Approve and Monitor Endpoints.
Step 3 - Approve & Monitor Endpoints
The final step, is to Approve & Monitor the Endpoints you installed in the previous step. Click on this step which will take you to the [Endpoints] screen.
You can click the dots next to each Endpoint and [Approve as New]. Here you can also select multiple Endpoints at once and then select [Approve Endpoints]. You can find more details on approving Endpoints here.
Then simply select your preferred Backup Policy (if one wasn't specified when deploying via GPO) to apply to each Endpoint, click [Next] and [Approve] to confirm.
You're done, your Endpoints will start backing up according to your Backup Policy. You can either manually trigger a backup from the [Endpoints] screen or else wait for the next backup to trigger automatically according to your assigned backup policy.