Where do we store your data and how is it backed up?

This document covers where we store your data and how we back it up.

Where is my data?

Arbor Finance data is stored in the cloud on Microsoft Azure. The main location for our Arbor Finance server is Dublin - Ireland with a backup location in Amsterdam - The Netherlands.

We may review these locations from time to time, taking into account legislation and best practices.

Microsoft Azure is a highly secure platform and allows us to take advantage of a technology called SQL Elasticpools. The Elasticpools allow us to keep each data file from each school separate, making your data even more secure.

Storing data in the cloud allows you to have anywhere, anytime access. You must make sure that your passwords are secure and changed regularly according to your school policy.

How is my data backed up?

Every time you post a transaction, this is registered in your school database.

Over the first 30 days we hold a 'point in time' back up which means that in an emergency, we can restore the database to a point in time (transaction) in the last 30 days. For instance, this could be 11:30 am last Tuesday.

After 30 days we back up overnight and hold that daily data for 6 months.

After 6 months the backups that are kept are weekly.

We are making some changes to the backups that we run, having analysed the data and restored patterns so far. The new routine is listed below and changes have been highlighted:-

• 35 days of point-in-time recovery
• 35 days - 18 months: one backup for each database per week 
• 18 - 24 months: one backup for each database per month 
• Beyond 24 months: one backup for each database per year 

We review this backup cycle periodically to ensure that we balance customer needs with the storage space requirements and efficiency of Arbor Finance.

What happens if the main servers in Dublin fail?

Backups are held on the main servers in Dublin and also in Amsterdam. This means that if there was a major failure in Dublin, we could get things up and running from our backup location in Amsterdam. Customers don't need to do anything if this were to happen, the login process would be the same.

We have a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) for keeping things up and running so you can be confident that in an emergency we will get things back up and running as quickly as we can.

What happens to my data when I stop subscribing?

When you leave Arbor Finance, we go through a disconnection process. We communicate with you to let you know what is happening and delete your data after 60 days (we will exclude holidays from the 60 days, so this is always a minimum length of time) from our servers. You should ensure that you have downloaded all the reports and data that you need before we permanently delete your database as it is not recoverable once deleted.

If you wish to continue to access your data in Arbor Finance then talk to us about an extended contract for this purpose before we delete your data.

What if the Internet fails?

If the internet fails in one location (e.g. a school) then you can move to a different location (another school, your home, the local library etc.) where you can carry on processing your data.