Automated Snapshots. In a Snap.

Our snapshot feature is a save function on steroids. Rather than rely on traditional backup systems to backup your sites, instance.com offers automated snapshots that help you forget the perils of physical data. Single snapshots create an image of your instance at the present moment, which is ideal after you’ve spent hours perfecting your configuration or making a change with the potential to impact service. If something goes awry, simply begin anew from your saved snapshot library. Scheduled snapshots are integral to any system backup plan. Create a recurring schedule of snapshots and adjust it based on factors like storage space costs and retention policy requirements.

One time Snapshots

• These allow you to create a snapshot or “image” of your machine in the state prior to the snapshot being taken. This has many uses, including creating a template for rapid deployment of duplicate server configurations you spent hours preparing. Or to recover from potential service impacting changes that may have been made to your data or virtual server configurations.

Scheduled Snapshots

• Creating scheduled snapshots that occur on a predefined recurring schedule allows users to create backup strategies based on their needs. Adjust the schedule based on storage space requirements as well as for ideal retention policy needs. An integral part of any backup strategy for easy system or file level restorations.

Consider the following example. You’ve been receiving calls from your customer care team about users experiencing problems with ordering your products from the e-commerce section of your website. You confirm the abnormal behavior and check your change management system for any maintenance or updates your development or administration team might have performed last night. You find that a Jr. administrator inadvertently upgraded your primary application server’s operating system without going through the proper change management process or testing your e-commerce application before the rush of customers to your site during normal business hours? What do you do? Troubleshoot the problem? Take the site down and restore the server from backups? Build a new server to bring online during a maintenance window later that day?

With the instance.com snapshot feature you can deploy a known good snapshot (image) and instantly direct traffic to the restored machine while then taking the problematic server out of service.