Server Backup & Disaster Recovery

Managed Server Backup

Local snapshots plus offsite cloud backup for your file server: set up, monitored and test-restored by Bay Geeks, so a bad drive or a ransomware hit doesn't turn into a permanent loss.

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What Is Managed Server Backup?

Managed Server Backup is a Bay Geeks service that protects the data on a business file server with a local backup copy for fast, everyday restores and an offsite cloud copy for disaster-level recovery, both automated, monitored for failures, and periodically tested by us, rather than left for someone on staff to babysit.

3-2-1Industry-Standard Backup Rule

Local + CloudTwo Recovery Paths, Not One

HourlySetup & Management, Scoped to You

Since 2004Serving Tampa Bay Businesses

A File Server Isn't a Workstation

The Unlimited Cloud Backup included free on every Bay Geeks maintenance plan protects individual PCs. A file server is a different problem: it's usually where everyone's shared data actually lives, it holds a lot more of it, and when it goes down, it doesn't slow down one person: it stops the whole office. That's worth a backup plan sized specifically to it, not a per-PC tool stretched to cover it.

Local Speed, Offsite Safety

We set up backups that keep a local copy for fast restores (a deleted folder or a failed drive shouldn't require pulling anything down from the cloud) and an offsite cloud copy for the scenarios a local copy can't cover: theft, fire, flood, or ransomware that reaches the backup target itself. Version history is retained on both, so a restore can go back to before a problem started, not just to last night.

Why It Matters

The Business Case, at Two Altitudes

A file server outage reads differently depending on where you sit. Here's the same service, argued both ways.

For the C-Suite

Risk, Cost & Continuity

Contains a server outage to hours of downtime and staff time, not days of reconstructing shared files from email attachments and memory.
Gives you a documented backup plan to point to for cyber-insurance applications and frameworks like HIPAA or PCI-DSS that expect one.
Predictable cost structure: setup and management hours are scoped up front, and storage is billed at cost with no markup buried in it.
Moves the operational burden of backup monitoring off your team and onto ours, without adding headcount.

For IT & Operations

Architecture & Accountability

Local + offsite copies with retained version history, following the 3-2-1 model, so a restore isn't limited to last night's snapshot.
Backup jobs are monitored with failure alerting: you're not finding out a job silently stopped on restore day.
Restores are periodically tested, not just assumed to work because the job reported success.
Built around your existing NAS or backup software where it makes sense, instead of ripping out what already works.

What's Included

What Managed Server Backup Actually Covers

Local + Offsite Copies

A fast local copy for everyday restores, paired with an offsite cloud copy that survives a disaster the local copy can't: theft, fire, flood, or a compromised server.

Automated Backup Jobs

Backups run on a schedule sized to your environment: no one has to remember to kick one off, and nothing depends on someone doing it manually.

Retained Version History

Older versions are kept, not just the most recent snapshot, so a restore can reach back to before a problem started, including a slow-to-notice ransomware infection.

Monitoring & Alerting

Backup jobs are watched, and a failed or skipped job triggers an alert, instead of going unnoticed until the day you actually need a restore.

Tested Restores

We periodically confirm a backup can actually be restored, rather than assuming it works because the job reported success.

Setup Around What You Have

We can build the plan around an existing NAS or backup application, or set up something new if that's a better fit for the environment.

Ransomware-Resistant Retention

Retained version history means an infection that quietly spreads before anyone notices doesn't overwrite the only clean copy you have.

Documentation You Can Hand Over

What's backed up, how often, and where it's stored: written down and ready to show an auditor, insurer, or new IT hire without a scramble.

The Technical Backbone of a Real Backup Plan

Two ideas do most of the work in any credible backup design, and both shape how we set this up for your server.

The 3-2-1 Rule, Applied to Your Server

The 3-2-1 rule is a long-standing backup industry guideline: keep three copies of your data, on two different types of media, with one of them offsite. Managed Server Backup is built around it directly: the live data on your server is copy one, the local backup is copy two, and the offsite cloud backup is copy three, satisfying the offsite requirement without you having to manage a second physical location yourself.

Recovery Point & Recovery Time, Defined for Your Environment

Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is how much data you could lose, measured in time since the last good backup. Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is how long it takes to get the server back up and usable after a failure. Neither is a one-size-fits-all number: we define both with you during setup, based on how the server is used and how much risk is acceptable, so the plan matches the environment instead of a generic default.

Know the Difference

Managed Server Backup vs. Your Included Workstation Backup

Both matter. They're not the same service, and they're not billed the same way.

	Workstation Cloud Backup	Managed Server Backup
What it protects	Individual PCs and laptops	Your shared file server
Cost	Included free on every maintenance plan	Setup + management billed hourly; storage passed through at cost
Setup	Automatic on enrolled devices	Scoped and configured around your server and retention needs
Monitoring	Bundled with general plan monitoring	Dedicated job monitoring, alerting and periodic test restores
Best for	Everyday workstation files	Shared drives and line-of-business data the whole team depends on

How Billing Works

Setup, Management & Storage

This is a managed, hands-on service scoped to your environment (not a flat monthly product), so it's billed the way the work actually happens.

Setup

Billed hourly

Initial configuration, retention policy and first full backup. A small single-server setup takes less time than a larger or more complex environment.

Management

Billed hourly / mo

Monitoring, alert response and test restores, billed monthly based on the environment: generally starting around an hour a month for straightforward setups.

Storage

Passed through at cost

Cloud storage is billed at what it actually costs, itemized separately: no markup added on top.

Hourly work is billed at our standard rate: $125/hr home · $175/hr business. See our Pricing page for how we quote work generally.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this different from the Cloud Backup already included in my maintenance plan?

Yes. The Unlimited Cloud Backup included free on our maintenance plans covers individual workstations. Managed Server Backup is a dedicated setup for a file server (sized to how much data it holds and how it's used), with its own monitoring and tested restores, billed separately from the maintenance plan.

How do you bill for setup and management?

Setup is billed hourly at our standard rate and scoped to your environment: a small single-server setup takes less time than a larger or more complex one. Ongoing management is also billed hourly per month, depending on the environment, generally starting around an hour a month for straightforward setups. Cloud storage is passed through to you at cost, with no markup added on top.

What actually happens if the server fails or gets hit with ransomware?

If a local snapshot is available and clean, we restore from that first: it's the fastest path back to working. If the local copy is also compromised, damaged, or the server itself is gone, we restore from the offsite cloud copy instead. Retained version history means we can typically go back to a point before an infection took hold, not just to the most recent backup.

How do you know the backups are actually working?

Backup jobs are monitored, and a failed or skipped job generates an alert instead of going unnoticed until the day you need a restore. We also run periodic test restores, so you find out a backup is good long before an emergency is the first time it's ever been tested.

Do I need to replace my existing NAS or backup software?

Not necessarily. We can build a backup plan around hardware and software you already have, or set up something new if what's there isn't a good fit. Either way, you get the monitoring, offsite cloud copy, and tested restores as part of the managed service.

What are RPO and RTO, and how do they apply here?

Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is how much data you could lose, measured in time since the last good backup. Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is how long it takes to get the server back up and usable after a failure. Both get defined with you during setup based on how the server is used, rather than applying the same fixed number to every environment.

What's the 3-2-1 backup rule, and does this follow it?

The 3-2-1 rule is a standard backup industry guideline: three copies of your data, on two types of media, with one stored offsite. This service is built around it: the live data on your server, a local backup, and an offsite cloud backup, so the offsite requirement is covered without you having to manage a second location.

Can this help meet HIPAA, PCI-DSS or cyber-insurance backup requirements?

Backup is one piece of most compliance frameworks and cyber-insurance applications, and a documented, monitored backup plan for your server gives you something concrete to show. It isn't full compliance on its own: for compliance mapping across your whole environment, see our Networking & Security page.

Do I need an on-premises server to use this?

Yes, this service is built around an actual file server or NAS. If you don't have shared server infrastructure, the Unlimited Cloud Backup already included on your maintenance plan likely covers what you need; see our Commercial Maintenance Plans for details.

Ready When You Are

Protect What's on the Server

Tell us about your file server and how it's used, and we'll scope a backup plan and give you an hours estimate before any work starts.

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