Acronis Protection Plan Configuration Guide | Backup Policies & Scheduling

Acronis Protection Plan Configuration

This document explains how to create, assign, modify, and manage Protection Plans in Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud, including backup scheduling, retention, encryption, exclusions, bandwidth limitation, and backup window configuration.

Platform: Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud

1. Create a Protection Plan

Procedure

  1. Log in to the Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud console.
  2. Navigate to Protection Plans.
  3. Click Create Plan.
  4. Enter a Plan Name and optional description.
  5. Select the workload type (Server, Workstation, Virtual Machine, etc.).
  6. Configure the backup settings as required.
  7. Click Save to create the protection plan.

2. Assign a Protection Plan

Procedure

  1. Navigate to Devices.
  2. Select the device(s) to protect.
  3. Click Assign Protection Plan.
  4. Choose the required protection plan.
  5. Click Apply.
  6. The selected devices will begin following the assigned backup policy.

3. Modify a Protection Plan

Procedure

  1. Navigate to Protection Plans.
  2. Select the required protection plan.
  3. Click Edit.
  4. Update the required settings, such as:
    • Backup schedule
    • Retention policy
    • Backup destination
    • Encryption
    • Notifications
  5. Click Save to apply the changes.

Note: Changes apply to all devices currently assigned to the protection plan.

4. Disable a Protection Plan

Procedure

  1. Navigate to Protection Plans.
  2. Select the required plan.
  3. Click Disable.
  4. Confirm the action.

Note: Disabling a protection plan suspends scheduled backups for all assigned devices until the plan is re-enabled.

5. Configure Backup Schedule

Procedure

  1. Open the required Protection Plan.
  2. Navigate to the Schedule section.
  3. Select the backup frequency:
    • Hourly
    • Daily
    • Weekly
    • Monthly
  4. Specify the backup start time.
  5. Configure additional schedule options if required.
  6. Click Save.

6. Configure Backup Retention

Procedure

  1. Open the required Protection Plan.
  2. Navigate to Retention Rules.
  3. Configure how long backups should be retained.
  4. Specify retention by:
    • Number of recovery points
    • Days
    • Weeks
    • Months
  5. Save the configuration.

Note: Expired recovery points are automatically removed based on the configured retention policy.

7. Configure Backup Encryption

Procedure

  1. Open the required Protection Plan.
  2. Navigate to Encryption.
  3. Enable Backup Encryption.
  4. Enter a strong encryption password.
  5. Confirm the password.
  6. Save the changes.

Important: Store the encryption password securely. Encrypted backups cannot be restored without it.

8. Configure Backup Exclusions

Procedure

  1. Open the required Protection Plan.
  2. Navigate to Backup Options or Exclusions.
  3. Add the files, folders, file types, or paths to exclude from backup.
  4. Save the configuration.

Example Exclusions

  • Temporary files
  • Cache directories
  • ISO files
  • Log files
  • Recycle Bin

9. Configure Bandwidth Limitation

Procedure

  1. Open the required Protection Plan.
  2. Navigate to Network Settings.
  3. Enable Bandwidth Limitation.
  4. Specify the upload speed limit.
  5. Choose whether the limit applies:
    • Always
    • During business hours only
  6. Save the configuration.

Note: Bandwidth limits help reduce network congestion during backup operations.

10. Configure Backup Window

Procedure

  1. Open the required Protection Plan.
  2. Navigate to Backup Schedule.
  3. Enable Backup Window.
  4. Specify the allowed backup start and end times.
  5. Save the configuration.

Example: Configure backups to run between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM to minimize the impact on production workloads.