Set up CrashPlan for Small Business

Welcome

Welcome to CrashPlan for Small Business! Our goal is to help you get the most out of your free trial and set you up for success. This one-stop guide provides basic instructions for getting started with CrashPlan for Small Business. If you haven't signed up for a CrashPlan for Small Business free trial yet, start here.

Considerations before you begin

CrashPlan for Small Business requires two-factor authentication

When you sign in to the CrashPlan console for the first time, you'll be asked to set up two-factor authentication using Google Authenticator or another TOTP authenticator of your choice. This step is required. For more information, see our article Two-factor authentication for CrashPlan for Small Business

Back up network storage, NAS devices, and servers.

CrashPlan supports backing up files that reside on network attached storage (NAS) on Mac and Linux. CrashPlan doesn't support backing up NAS on Windows. For more information, see our article Back up networked storage or NAS devices with CrashPlan for Small Business

CrashPlan for Small Business also offers data protection for servers running a supported operating system. In order to back up your organization's servers effectively, see our article CrashPlan for Small Business server backup guide.

macOS permission requirements

Due to Apple's privacy restrictions for files and folders containing personal data in macOS Mojave 10.14 and later, CrashPlan cannot back up some files from locations like the desktop, Contacts, Photos, and Mail until you grant access to the CrashPlan app. For more information, see our article macOS not backing up files with personal data in CrashPlan for Small Business.

CrashPlan app settings for memory usage with large backups

The amount of available memory needed to use the CrashPlan app increases with the size of your archive or backup file selection. For backup selections exceeding 1TB in size (for Mac and Linux) or 4TB (for Windows), see our article Adjust CrashPlan app settings for memory usage with large backups (CrashPlan for Small Business).

CrashPlan and HIPAA compliance

CrashPlan for Small Business can support compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) as long as you follow proper policies and procedures. For more information, see our article CrashPlan and HIPAA compliance

Step 1: Add users

With your CrashPlan for Small Business free trial or subscription, you can add as many users as you need. Add a CrashPlan for Small Business user for each person in your organization. If you are the only person in your small business, skip to Step 2

The CrashPlan for Small Business CrashPlan console offers a few different ways to add users, giving you flexibility to quickly add one user or add multiple users at once. See Add users from the CrashPlan console for CrashPlan for Small Business for details. 

 Use unique email addresses and passwords

Each person using CrashPlan for Small Business needs their own user account with a unique email address and password. Sharing a user account among multiple people is a large security and data privacy risk because any person using the shared account can download backed-up files from every device under that user account.

User types

CrashPlan for Small Business offers the following user types:

Step 2: Add devices

To protect all of your data, it's important to back up all your devices. First, ensure your devices meet our system requirements.

CrashPlan for Small Business is $10 USD per month, per device on your account. Once you add a device to your account, you'll be billed automatically on your monthly renewal date.

 macOS

If you have Mac devices, see macOS not backing up files with personal data in CrashPlan for Small Business for important information about using CrashPlan for Small Business with macOS.

Download and install

After confirming your hardware and software meet our system requirements, add devices as follows:

  1. Sign in to the CrashPlan console
  2. Go to App Downloads.
  3. Download and install the CrashPlan app.

For detailed instructions, see Download and install CrashPlan for Small Business.

Sign in and complete setup

Once you've installed the CrashPlan app, sign in and complete setup to start backing up your data. 

  1. Enter your account's Email address and Password, then click Continue.
    The device appears in the CrashPlan console on the Active Devices page.
  2. Click Add destinations.
    Add_destinations_SMB_app.png
  3. To back up to CrashPlan cloud, select CrashPlan PRO Online. 
  4. To back up to a local destination: 
    1. Select Add Local Destination.
    2. Select the device or folder to which you want to back up, and click Open.  
  5. Click Save.
    SMB_Add-destination_popup_menu.png
  6. Click Done
    Your backup starts automatically.
Step 3: Back up your most important data

Now that you've set up your users and devices, make sure you're backing up your most important data. Consider backing up the following: 

Step 4: Restore files

Now that you've set up your account, users, and devices, test out restoring one or more files so that you're familiar with the process before disaster strikes. You can restore files from the CrashPlan app or CrashPlan console. 

Restore from the CrashPlan app

Restore from the CrashPlan app when possible, as it offers you the most flexibility. See Restore files with CrashPlan for Small Business for details. 

Restore from the CrashPlan console

The CrashPlan console provides an option for restoring files when you are not near one of your devices. However, when you restore from the CrashPlan console, you can only download 250 MB per session. See Download files from the web using CrashPlan for Small Business for details. 

Replace your device

If you recently reformatted or replaced a device or hard drive, follow the steps in Replace your device using CrashPlan for Small Business to use the CrashPlan app to transfer files, move your backup, and update settings from a previous device. 

Step 5: Monitor the health of your backup with status reports

Using the default settings, the CrashPlan app usually works quietly in the background. However, you can check the status of your backup, to make sure things are working as expected, from the following locations:

  • The CrashPlan app
  • Your device's notification area (Windows) or menu bar (Mac)
  • The CrashPlan console 

Backup status reports

CrashPlan for Small Business backup status reports are sent via email and keep you informed about the health of your devices' backups.

Report types

Configuring reports

From the CrashPlan console, you can configure how often you receive these reports. You can also configure who receives the backup status report for administrators. 

Troubleshooting backup

If your backup status reports indicate an issue with your backup, see What to do after receiving a backup alert for CrashPlan for Small Business to determine the cause and how to resolve it.

Step 6: Manage your subscription

Use the CrashPlan console to manage your subscription, including: 

Your subscription renews automatically each month and you are charged for each active device in your organization. For more information, see CrashPlan for Small Business subscription overview.

Additional Resources

After you've completed set up, you can review our Next steps after setting up CrashPlan for Small Business article for information about fine-tuning your backup policies, troubleshooting, and more.

Explore the support site for additional information and resources, such as an overview of the CrashPlan console and the CrashPlan app.

Articles for CrashPlan for Small Business

When using the support site, note that articles with CrashPlan for Small Business checked at the top of the page, like this one, apply to CrashPlan for Small Business.

Need further help? See Contact support for more information about how to contact our technical support agents. 

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