Acronis Backup for Windows Server Essentials - User Guide - Manual (Page 409)

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For effective use of the storage space, you have the option to set up the "Delete backups older than"
retention rule.
Example
You might want to use the following backup strategy for a file server.
Back up the critical files twice a day on a schedule. Set the retention rule "Delete backups older
than" 7 days. This means that after every backup the software will check for backups older than 7
days and delete them automatically.
Run backup of the server's system volume manually as required. For example, after the operating
system updates. Manually delete the backups that you do not need.
16.1.4 How do I secure my data?
Backups can be encrypted using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) cryptographic algorithm
and the password you set. This guarantees that your data is not accessed by anyone else.
16.1.5 How do I back up virtual machines to the cloud storage?
Use either of the following methods or both.
Install Acronis software onto the virtualization host
This approach comes in handy when the virtualization product installed on the host server is VMware
ESX(i), Windows Server with Hyper-V, or Microsoft Hyper-V Server.
Host-based backup is available only for paid licenses of VMware ESXi. If your ESXi uses a free license, choose the
alternative approach described later in this section.
In this approach, you install one or more Acronis agents onto the virtualization hosts. Each agent can
back up multiple virtual machines by using a single subscription for servers. Therefore, you need as
many subscriptions as the number of the agents. Alternatively, the agents can use a volume
subscription that can be shared with other virtual or physical machines.
You will be able to back up and recover entire virtual machines or individual disks and volumes. In
addition, you can recover individual files and folders to a network share, FTP or SFTP server. You
cannot recover files directly to a virtual machine’s file system.
Installing the software, backing up, and recovery are described in the "Backing up Virtual Machines"
document for Acronis Backup Advanced. When installing Acronis Backup for cloud backup only, you
do not need to enter a license key during installation.
Because ESX(i) machines may be automatically redistributed among the agents, you need to
manually bind the machines to their agents so that the machines always use the same subscription.
Install Acronis software into the guest system
This approach comes in handy when:

the machine is not hosted on a virtualization server

the virtualization product installed on the host server is not VMware ESX(i), Windows Server with
Hyper-V, or Microsoft Hyper-V Server

you want to back up an RDM disk attached in the physical compatibility mode on a running ESX(i)
machine