Introduction to Neticks

What is Neticks?

Neticks is a comprehensive endpoint management and backup solution designed for businesses that require complete control over their data. Unlike traditional backup services that store your data on their servers, Neticks operates as an endpoint management system that backs up your data directly to your own cloud storage.

Key Features

• Endpoint Backup: Automated backups for Windows, macOS, Office 365, Slack, and Google Workspace
• Client-Controlled Storage: All data is stored on your own AWS S3, NAS, or S3-compatible storage
• Enterprise Encryption: AES-256-CBC encryption for all data in transit and at rest
• 24/7 Monitoring: Continuous monitoring and automated backup scheduling
• Flexible Access: Granular permission system for team members and departing employees
• License-Based Billing: Pay only for the licenses you need

Why Store Data on Your Own Cloud?

Storing your backup data on your own cloud infrastructure (AWS S3, NAS, etc.) provides several critical advantages:

• Complete Data Ownership: You maintain full control and ownership of all backup data
• Compliance: Meet regulatory requirements by keeping data in your own infrastructure
• Cost Control: Manage storage costs directly with your cloud provider
• Security: Your data never leaves your infrastructure, reducing exposure risks
• Performance: Optimize storage performance based on your specific needs
• Disaster Recovery: Maintain complete control over backup and recovery procedures

Account Creation

Creating Your Account

To create a Neticks account, you must use a business email address from a domain that you own. Personal email providers (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc.) are not permitted for account creation.

1. Navigate to the Registration Page

   On the login page, click "Sign up free" to access the registration form.

2. Enter Your Information
   • Full Name: Your complete name
   • Business Email: Must be from a domain you own (e.g., yourname@yourcompany.com)
   • Password: Must be at least 8 characters with uppercase, lowercase, and numbers
3. Accept Terms

   Review and accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

4. Verify Your Email

   After registration, you will receive a verification email. Click the verification link to activate your account.

Domain Ownership & Account Control

How Domain Ownership Works

Neticks uses a domain-based ownership model to ensure proper account management and security:

Account Ownership Rules

• First User = Owner: The first person to register with a domain automatically becomes the account owner
• One Account Per Domain: Only one Neticks account can exist per domain
• Owner Controls Access: The account owner must add all other users from the same domain
• No Self-Registration: Users from an existing domain cannot create their own accounts

Adding Users to Your Domain

As the account owner, you can add users from your domain through the User Management section:

1. Navigate to User Management

   Go to Account → User Management in the sidebar

2. Add New User

   Click "Add User" and enter the user's email address (must be from your domain)

3. Set Permissions

   Assign appropriate role and permissions to the new user

4. User Receives Invitation

   The new user will receive an email invitation to access the account

Storage Configuration Overview

Storage Options

Neticks supports two primary storage options for your backup data:

1. Amazon S3 (Recommended)

Amazon S3 provides scalable, highly available cloud storage for your backups. This is the recommended option for most businesses.

• Scalability: Virtually unlimited storage capacity
• Availability: 99.99% uptime SLA
• Security: Built-in encryption and access controls
• Cost-Effective: Pay only for what you use
• Compatibility: Works with any S3-compatible storage (AWS, DigitalOcean Spaces, Wasabi, etc.)

2. NAS (Network Attached Storage)

For organizations that prefer on-premises storage, Neticks supports NAS devices via SFTP.

• On-Premises Control: Complete control over your storage infrastructure
• No Cloud Costs: No ongoing cloud storage fees
• Compliance: Ideal for organizations with strict data residency requirements
• SFTP Protocol: Secure file transfer protocol for data transmission

Configuring Your Database (RDS/MySQL)

Why Do You Need a Database?

Neticks uses a database to store metadata about your backups, including:

• Backup instance configurations
• User and service mappings
• Backup status and metadata
• File and email indexes
• Backup history and logs

Important: The actual backup files (emails, documents, attachments) are stored in your S3 bucket or NAS device, not in the database. The database only contains metadata to help Neticks organize and manage your backups.

Database Requirements

Your database must meet the following requirements:

• MySQL-Compatible: MySQL 5.7+, MariaDB 10.2+, or Amazon RDS MySQL
• Network Access: The database must be accessible from the internet (or via VPC peering if using AWS)
• Credentials: Valid username and password with appropriate permissions
• Storage: Sufficient storage space for metadata (typically minimal, as actual files are stored in S3/NAS)

Configuration Steps

1. Set Up Your Database

   Create a MySQL or MariaDB database instance. If using Amazon RDS:

   • Go to AWS Console → RDS → Create Database
   • Choose MySQL or MariaDB engine
   • Configure instance size based on your needs (small instances are usually sufficient for metadata)
   • Enable public accessibility (or configure VPC peering if required)
   • Create a master username and password
2. Configure Security Group

   Add an inbound rule to your RDS security group to allow connections from Neticks servers:

   • Go to RDS → Your Database → Connectivity & Security → VPC Security Groups
   • Add inbound rule: Type = MySQL/Aurora, Port = 3306
   • Source: Contact Neticks support for the specific IP address to whitelist
3. Navigate to Account Settings

   Go to Account → Settings in the Neticks dashboard sidebar menu

4. Open Database Configuration

   Scroll to the "Data & Database Configuration" section

5. Add Database Connection

   Click "Add Database" button to open the database connection form

6. Enter Database Details
   • Connection Name: A descriptive name for this database connection (e.g., "Production RDS")
   • Database Type: Select "MariaDB" (works for MySQL and MariaDB)
   • Hostname: Your database endpoint (e.g., "mydb.123456789.us-east-1.rds.amazonaws.com")
   • Port: Usually 3306 for MySQL/MariaDB
   • Database Name: The name of your database (e.g., "neticks_backups")
   • Username: Your database username
   • Password: Your database password
   • Region: (Optional) AWS region if using RDS
   • RDS Instance ID: (Optional) Your RDS instance identifier
7. Test Connection

   Click "Test Connection" to verify your credentials and network connectivity work correctly

8. Save Configuration

   Once the test succeeds, save the configuration. The database connection will be available for use when creating backup instances.

Using the Database Connection

Once configured, your database connection will be available when creating new backup instances. During instance creation, you'll select which database connection to use for storing that instance's metadata.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter connection issues:

• Connection Timeout: Verify that your database security group allows inbound connections on port 3306 from Neticks servers
• Authentication Failed: Double-check your username and password
• Database Not Found: Ensure the database name exists and the user has permissions to access it
• Network Issues: Verify that your RDS instance is publicly accessible (or that VPC peering is configured correctly)

Configuring AWS S3 Storage

Prerequisites

Before configuring S3 storage, ensure you have:

• An AWS account (or account with S3-compatible storage provider)
• An S3 bucket created in your AWS account
• AWS Access Key ID and Secret Access Key with appropriate permissions

Required S3 Permissions

Your AWS credentials need the following permissions:

Configuration Steps

1. Navigate to Account Settings

   Go to Account → Settings in the sidebar menu

2. Open Database & Storage Section

   Scroll to the "Database & Storage Configuration" section

3. Add S3 Connection

   Click "Add Database Connection" and select "S3 Storage" as the connection type

4. Enter S3 Details
   • Connection Name: A descriptive name for this storage connection
   • S3 Bucket Name: Your S3 bucket name (e.g., "my-company-backups")
   • Region: AWS region where your bucket is located (e.g., "us-east-1")
   • Access Key ID: Your AWS Access Key ID
   • Secret Access Key: Your AWS Secret Access Key
   • Domain: Your domain (automatically filled)
5. Test Connection

   Click "Test Connection" to verify your credentials work correctly

6. Save Configuration

   Once the test succeeds, save the configuration

Configuring NAS Storage

Prerequisites

Before configuring NAS storage, ensure you have:

• A NAS device with SFTP enabled
• SFTP user credentials with write permissions
• Network access to your NAS from the backup server
• A dedicated storage path for backups

Configuration Steps

1. Navigate to Account Settings

   Go to Account → Settings in the sidebar menu

2. Add NAS Connection

   Click "Add Database Connection" and select "NAS (SFTP)" as the connection type

3. Enter NAS Details
   • Connection Name: A descriptive name for this storage connection
   • NAS Hostname/IP: Your NAS device's hostname or IP address
   • SFTP Port: Usually 22 (default SFTP port)
   • Username: SFTP username
   • Password: SFTP password
   • Storage Path: Directory path on NAS where backups will be stored (e.g., "/backups/neticks")
   • Domain: Your domain (automatically filled)
4. Test Connection

   Click "Test Connection" to verify SFTP connectivity and credentials

5. Save Configuration

   Once the test succeeds, save the configuration

Instance Overview

What is an Instance?

An instance is a configured backup environment that connects to a specific service (like Google Workspace) and manages backups for users within your domain. Each instance includes:

• Service Configuration: Connection to Google Workspace, Office 365, etc.
• Storage Connection: Link to your S3 or NAS storage
• User Management: List of users whose data will be backed up
• Backup Services: Which services to backup (Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Contacts)
• Schedule Settings: When and how often backups run

Instance Types

Neticks supports different instance types based on the service you want to backup:

• Google Workspace Instance: For backing up Gmail, Google Drive, Calendar, and Contacts
• Office 365 Instance: For backing up Outlook, OneDrive, and other Office 365 services
• Slack Instance: For backing up Slack messages and files

Creating a Backup Instance

Prerequisites

Before creating an instance, ensure you have:

• Configured storage (S3 or NAS) in Account Settings
• Sufficient licenses for the number of users you plan to backup
• Google Workspace admin credentials (for Google Workspace instances)
• Service account credentials with domain-wide delegation (for Google Workspace)

Step-by-Step: Creating a Google Workspace Instance

1. Navigate to Instances

   Go to Instances → Google Workspace in the sidebar menu

2. Click "Create New Instance"

   Click the "Create New Instance" button at the top of the page

3. Select Instance Type

   Choose "Google Workspace" as your instance type

4. Configure Basic Information
   • Instance Name: A descriptive name (e.g., "Main Google Workspace Backup")
   • Domain: Your domain (automatically filled)
   • Database Connection: Select the database connection for this instance
5. Select Storage Type

   Choose between S3 or NAS storage. If using S3, select your configured S3 connection.

6. Configure Google Workspace
   • Admin Email: Your Google Workspace admin email
   • Service Account Key: Upload your Google Service Account JSON key file
   • Domain-Wide Delegation: Ensure domain-wide delegation is enabled in Google Admin Console
7. Select Backup Services

   Choose which services to backup:

   • ☑ Gmail (Email messages and settings)
   • ☑ Google Drive (Files, folders, and documents)
   • ☑ Calendar (Events and calendars)
   • ☑ Contacts (Contact information)
8. Review and Create

   Review all settings and click "Create Instance"

Google Workspace Service Account Setup

To enable Google Workspace backups, you need to create a service account with domain-wide delegation:

1. Create Service Account

   In Google Cloud Console, create a new service account

2. Enable Domain-Wide Delegation

   Enable domain-wide delegation for the service account

3. Download JSON Key

   Download the service account JSON key file

4. Authorize in Google Admin

   In Google Admin Console, authorize the service account with required scopes

Google Workspace Configuration

Syncing Google Workspace Users

After creating a Google Workspace instance, you need to sync users from your domain:

1. Navigate to Instance

   Go to Instances → Google Workspace and click on your instance

2. Sync Users

   Click "Sync Google Users" to import all users from your Google Workspace domain

3. Review User List

   Review the list of synced users. You'll see users in different states:

   • Backed Up: Users currently being backed up
   • Unbacked: Users available for backup but not yet assigned
4. Assign Licenses

   Select users and assign licenses to enable backups. You need one license per user.

License Allocation

Each user you want to backup requires a license. Licenses are purchased through the Billing section and allocated to instances:

• License Types: Google Workspace Instance licenses
• Allocation: Licenses are allocated per instance
• Flexibility: You can reallocate licenses between instances as needed

Google Workspace Backup Services

Available Google Workspace Services

For Google Workspace instances, you can backup the following services:

Gmail Backup

• All email messages (sent and received)
• Email attachments
• Email labels and folders
• Email settings and filters

Google Drive Backup

• All files and folders
• File metadata (name, size, modified date, etc.)
• Native formats for Google Docs (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX)
• File sharing information

Calendar Backup

• All calendar events
• Event details (title, description, attendees, location)
• Recurring events
• Calendar settings

Contacts Backup

• All contact information
• Contact groups
• Contact metadata

Enabling Backup Services

When creating or editing an instance, you can select which services to backup. You can enable all services or select only the ones you need.

Gmail Backup

What Gets Backed Up

• Email Messages: All sent and received emails
• Attachments: All file attachments
• Labels: Email labels and folder structure
• Metadata: From, To, CC, BCC, Subject, Date, etc.
• Settings: Email filters and forwarding rules

Accessing Backed Up Emails

Once emails are backed up, you can access them through the Mailbox portal:

1. Navigate to Mailbox

   Go to Portal → Mailbox in the sidebar

2. Select User

   Select the user whose emails you want to view

3. Browse Emails

   Browse emails by date, label, or search

4. View Email

   Click on an email to view full content, headers, and attachments

5. Download Attachments

   Download any email attachment directly

Email Features

• Search: Search emails by subject, sender, content
• Filter: Filter by date, label, or sender
• Print: Print email content
• Download: Download email as EML file
• Restore: Restore emails to Gmail account
• Forward: Configure email forwarding to another account
• Transfer Ownership: Transfer email ownership to another user

Email Forwarding

The Email Forwarding feature allows you to automatically forward all new emails from a backed-up account to another email address:

• Configure forwarding from the Mailbox page
• All new emails are automatically forwarded
• Forwarding rule is created in Gmail
• Can be deactivated at any time

Google Drive Backup

What Gets Backed Up

• Files: All files in Google Drive
• Folders: Complete folder structure
• Google Docs: Converted to native formats (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX)
• Metadata: File names, sizes, modified dates, sharing settings
• Versions: File version history

Native Format Backup

Google Docs (Documents, Sheets, Slides) are automatically converted and backed up in native formats:

• Google Docs → DOCX: Microsoft Word format
• Google Sheets → XLSX: Microsoft Excel format
• Google Slides → PPTX: Microsoft PowerPoint format

This ensures that even if files are deleted from Google Drive, you can still access them in standard formats.

Accessing Backed Up Files

Access your backed up files through the Google Drive portal:

1. Navigate to Google Drive

   Go to Portal → Google Drive in the sidebar

2. Select User

   Select the user whose files you want to view

3. Browse Files

   Browse files by folder or search by name

4. View File Details

   Click on a file to view details (size, type, modified date, location)

5. Download File

   Download any file directly. Google Docs are automatically converted to readable formats.

Calendar Backup

What Gets Backed Up

• Events: All calendar events
• Event Details: Title, description, location, time
• Attendees: Attendee lists and responses
• Recurring Events: Recurrence patterns and exceptions
• Calendars: Multiple calendars per user

Accessing Backed Up Calendars

Access calendar backups through the Calendar portal:

1. Navigate to Calendar

   Go to Portal → Calendar in the sidebar

2. Select User

   Select the user whose calendar you want to view

3. View Events

   Browse events by date or calendar

4. Download ICS

   Download calendar events in ICS format for import into other calendar applications

Contacts Backup

What Gets Backed Up

• Contact Information: Names, emails, phone numbers
• Addresses: Physical addresses
• Organizations: Company and job title information
• Notes: Contact notes and additional information
• Groups: Contact groups and labels

Accessing Backed Up Contacts

Access contact backups through the Contacts portal:

1. Navigate to Contacts

   Go to Portal → Contacts in the sidebar

2. Select User

   Select the user whose contacts you want to view

3. Browse Contacts

   Browse contacts alphabetically or search

4. View Contact Details

   Click on a contact to view all details in a modal window

Slack Backup

PC Devices Backup

macOS Backup

Billing & License System

How Billing Works

Neticks operates on a simple license-based model:

• Purchase Licenses: Buy licenses for the services you need (Google Workspace, Office 365, etc.)
• Allocate to Instances: Assign licenses to specific instances
• Per-User Basis: One license is required per user you want to backup
• Flexible Allocation: Move licenses between instances as needed

License Types

• Google Workspace Instance License: Required for each user backed up in a Google Workspace instance
• Office 365 Instance License: Required for each user backed up in an Office 365 instance
• Slack Instance License: Required for each workspace/channel backed up

License Management

Viewing Your Licenses

To view your current license status:

1. Navigate to Billing

   Go to Billing → Licenses in the sidebar

2. View License Summary

   See total licenses, active licenses (allocated), and unused licenses

3. Check Per-Instance Allocation

   View how many licenses are allocated to each instance

Allocating Licenses

When creating or editing an instance, you can allocate licenses:

• Licenses are allocated per instance
• Each user you enable for backup requires one license
• You can increase or decrease license allocation for an instance
• Unused licenses can be reallocated to other instances

Purchasing Licenses

How to Purchase Licenses

1. Navigate to Product Licenses

   Go to Billing → Product Licenses in the sidebar

2. Select License Type

   Choose the type of license you need (Google Workspace Instance, Office 365 Instance, etc.)

3. Set Quantity

   Use the +/- buttons or enter the number of licenses you want to purchase

4. Review Pricing

   Review the total cost based on quantity and pricing tier

5. Proceed to Checkout

   Click "Add to Cart" and proceed to Stripe checkout

6. Complete Payment

   Enter payment information and complete the purchase

7. Licenses Activated

   Once payment is confirmed, licenses are immediately available for allocation

Pricing Tiers

License pricing may vary based on quantity purchased. Check the Product Licenses page for current pricing information.

Access Management System

What is the Access System?

The Access system is a separate portal that allows you to grant limited access to backup data without giving full account access. This is useful for:

• Departing Employees: Allow employees to access their own data when leaving
• HR Departments: Access employee data for compliance or legal purposes
• IT Support: Grant temporary access for troubleshooting
• Auditors: Provide read-only access for audits

Access vs. Main Account

The Access system is separate from your main Neticks account:

• Separate Login: Access users log in at a different URL (access/index.php)
• Limited Scope: Can only access specific backup users they've been granted permission for
• Granular Permissions: Control what they can do (read-only, restore, email forwarding, etc.)
• No Instance Management: Cannot create or modify instances

Granting Access to Users

Creating Access Users

1. Navigate to User Access

   Go to Instances → User Access Management in the sidebar

2. Add New User

   Click "Add User" and enter the user's email address

3. Set Permissions

   For each backup user, configure permissions:

   • Service Access: Which services they can access (Emails, Google Drive, Calendar, Contacts)
   • Read Only: View-only access without modification capabilities
   • Restore Capabilities: Ability to restore data
   • Transfer Emails Ownership: Ability to transfer email ownership
4. Save Permissions

   Save the configuration. The user will receive login credentials.

Permission Types

• Emails Access: Can view and access email backups
• Google Drive Access: Can view and download files
• Calendar Access: Can view calendar events
• Contact Access: Can view contact information
• Read Only: View-only mode, cannot restore or modify
• Restore Capabilities: Can restore data to original accounts
• Transfer Emails Ownership: Can configure email forwarding and transfer

Access Permissions Explained

Permission Levels

Service Access Permissions

Control which services the access user can view:

• Emails Access: Access to Gmail backups, view emails, download attachments
• Google Drive Access: Access to Drive backups, view files, download files
• Calendar Access: Access to Calendar backups, view events
• Contact Access: Access to Contacts backups, view contact information

Capability Permissions

Control what actions the access user can perform:

• Read Only: View data only, no modifications allowed
• Restore Capabilities: Can restore backed up data to original accounts
• Transfer Emails Ownership: Can configure email forwarding and transfer email ownership to other accounts

Use Cases

Departing Employee

When an employee leaves the company:

• Grant them access to their own backup data
• Enable "Transfer Emails Ownership" so they can forward emails to their new account
• Set appropriate service access (Emails, Drive, Calendar, Contacts)
• They can access their data, download files, and configure email forwarding

HR Department

For compliance or legal purposes:

• Grant read-only access to specific employee data
• Enable all service access but set "Read Only" mode
• HR can view data but cannot modify or restore

IT Support

For troubleshooting or data recovery:

• Grant temporary access with restore capabilities
• Enable all service access and restore capabilities
• IT can view data and restore if needed

Account Settings

Accessing Account Settings

Navigate to Account → Settings in the sidebar menu to access all account configuration options.

Database & Storage Configuration

Configure your database connections and storage:

• Add Database Connection: Connect to your MySQL/MariaDB database
• Add S3 Storage: Configure AWS S3 or S3-compatible storage
• Add NAS Storage: Configure NAS device via SFTP
• Test Connections: Verify database and storage connectivity

IP Access Control

Restrict account access to specific IP addresses:

• Add allowed IP addresses
• Remove IP addresses
• View current IP access list

User Management

Managing Users

As the account owner, you can manage all users from your domain:

1. Navigate to User Management

   Go to Account → User Management in the sidebar

2. View User List

   See all users in your domain with their roles and status

3. Add New User

   Click "Add User" to invite a new user from your domain

4. Edit User

   Modify user roles and permissions

5. Remove User

   Remove users who no longer need access

User Roles

• Owner: Full account control (first user who registered)
• Admin: Can manage instances and users
• User: Limited access, can view but not modify

Database Configuration

Why Database Configuration is Needed

Neticks uses databases to store:

• Backup metadata (file information, backup status, etc.)
• User information and permissions
• Instance configurations
• Backup history and logs

Note: The actual backup data (files, emails) is stored in your S3 or NAS storage, not in the database.

Adding a Database Connection

1. Navigate to Settings

   Go to Account → Settings

2. Database & Storage Section

   Scroll to "Database & Storage Configuration"

3. Add Database

   Click "Add Database Connection"

4. Enter Database Details
   • Connection Name: Descriptive name
   • Database Type: MySQL/MariaDB
   • Hostname: Database server hostname or IP
   • Port: Usually 3306 for MySQL
   • Database Name: Name of your database
   • Username: Database username
   • Password: Database password
   • Domain: Your domain (automatically filled)
5. Test Connection

   Test the connection to ensure credentials are correct

6. Save

   Save the database connection