Adding a new Datto SaaS Protection client

IMPORTANT  This article does not apply to Backupify customers.

Adding (onboarding) a new Datto SaaS Protection client to your environment is an easy and straightforward process. This article describes the steps you perform to add a new client to a subscription.

IMPORTANT   It is recommended that you review this article in its entirety before performing the required tasks as you may need to obtain information from the client to complete certain steps.

To add a new Datto SaaS Protection client:

  1. In the Datto Partner Portal, select Status > SaaS Protection Status.
  2. Click Add SaaS Protection Client.

NOTE  The Add SaaS Protection Client button is available only to Admins. If you wish to make this function available to a technician at your company, contact Datto Technical Support.

  1. In the Add SaaS Protection Client dialog box, in the Select or create client list, do one of the following:
    • Select an existing client.
      If M365 or Google Workspace is not being backed up for the client currently, go to step 4.
      If M365 or Google Workspace is currently being backed up for the client, the following information is prepopulated and cannot be changed:
      • Region Where Data is Stored:: Same region as the product currently being backed up.
      • Select Which Product will be Backed Up: The product that is not currently being backed up is selected automatically.
      • Select Commitment Term and Retention Type: Same subscription terms as the product currently being backed up.
      • Who will Manage this SaaS Protection Client: Same as the product currently being backed up.
      • Skip the remaining steps in this section and perform the steps in the Client Management section below (step 1 will be completed by default).
    • Select Create New to create a new client account. Important: You must select Create New. The box above Create New is a search box that allows you to search for an existing client.

      1. In the Create Client box, enter the client's name.
      2. For Is this a Not for Resale account, No is selected by default. If applicable, select Yes.
      3. Continue to step 4.
  2. In the Region Where Data is Stored list, select the region where the client's backups should be stored. The client may have policies regarding this. Datto's cloud servers are located in each of the regions listed.

NOTE  You cannot change the client's storage location after the account has been created.

  1. For Select which product will be backed up, select Office 365.
  2. In the Select commitment term and retention type list, select the applicable subscription combination. For subscription information, see the article Understanding the pricing model.
  3. Perform the steps in the Client Management section below.

In the Client Management area of the form, you select whether you (partner) or your client will manage the SaaS Protection client account. The selection you make determines who authorizes and creates the client account. If you will be managing the account, in the following table, perform the steps in the partner-managed column. If your client will be managing the account, perform the steps in the client-managed column.

Partner-managed Client-managed
  1. For Who will manage this SaaS Protection client, verify Partner is selected.
  1. For Who will manage this SaaS Protection client, select Client Only.
  1. For Do you have global admin credentials for the Office 365 tenant you are protecting, select one of the following:
    • Yes: If you select Yes, you will complete all steps required to authorize and create the client account.
    • No: In the Email box, enter the email address of the appropriate client staff member who has global admin credentials. An email will be sent to this address with instructions to authorize and create the client account.
  1. Complete the fields in the Create Client User area of the form. All fields are required.
    In the Client Email field, enter the email address of the appropriate client staff member who has global admin credentials. An email will be sent to this address with instructions to authorize and create the client account.
  1. Perform the steps in the License Management and Acknowledgment section below.
  1. Perform the steps in the License Management and Acknowledgment section below.

In the License Management area of the form, the Users Auto-Add feature allows backups to be performed automatically and a license fee to be charged for each user the client adds to its environment. To make managing user licenses easier, it is recommended the Users Auto-Add feature is left enabled, its default status.

This feature is especially useful when adding a new client. Each of the client's end users are immediately protected when the account is authorized and created. If the Users Auto-Add feature is disabled when you add a new client, the client is required to enable protection individually for the desired users. Or, the client can upload a comma-separated values (CSV) file containing the user data.

IMPORTANT  If the client will be managing the SaaS Protection client account, it is recommended that you explain the Users Auto-Add feature to the client prior to performing the steps in this article. Whether Users Auto-Add is enabled or disabled should be the client's decision, but you select the status of the feature when setting up the account. After the account is created, the client can change the status at any time but it will only apply to new users that are added going forward.

You can set a limit for the total number of licenses allowed for the client using the Enable User License Cap feature. If the cap number is reached and the Users Auto-Add feature is on, whenever a new user is added to the client environment, either automatically or manually, backups will not be enabled for the new user. Hence, a license fee is not charged for the new user.

An email is automatically sent to you indicating SaaS Protection recognized that a new user was added to the client's environment, but due to the cap, the user cannot be added to the backup process.

After the License Management area of the form is the Acknowledgment area, where you agree to the licensing terms.

To complete the License Management and Acknowledgment areas of the form:

  1. Users Auto-Add is enabled by default. To disable it, turn the toggle Off.

    To re-enable it, toggle the toggle On.
  2. To Enable User License Cap:
    1. Select the check box.
    2. Enter the cap number.
  3. In the Acknowledgment section:
    1. Review the acknowledgment statement, the partner agreement, and terms of use document.
    2. Select the acknowledgment statement check box.
  4. Perform the steps in the Authorize and create the client account section below.

To authorize and create the client account:

  1. At the bottom of the dialog box, click Add SaaS Protection Client.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • If you are adding a client account that you are fully managing and for which you have global admin credentials, go to step 3.
    • If you are adding a client account that you are fully managing but you don't have global admin credentials, go to step 4.
    • If you are adding a client account that will be managed by the client, go to step 5.
  3. If you are adding a client that you are fully managing and for which you have global admin credentials, you are brought to the client's M365 log in page to authorize and create the client account.
    1. Log into the M365 account with your global admin credentials.
    2. At the bottom of the permissions list, click Accept. Momentarily, a message is displayed indicating the client was successfully added. For information about permissions, see the article Partner-managed, client-managed accounts.
    3. You are redirected to the SaaS Protection Status page where the client is now listed. If Users Auto-Add was On when adding the client, the Seats and Backup Success Rate (24 hrs) fields begin to populate. In the Details column, Activate SaaS Defense is listed.

NOTE  The duration of the initial data backup depends on the amount of data being backed up. For example, backing up six to eight terabytes of data takes approximately three to four days.

  1. If you are adding a client account that you are fully managing but you don't have global admin credentials:
    1. Datto SaaS Protection automatically sends the client an email with instructions and a link for authorizing and creating the account. The authorization link expires in 24 hours.
    2. You are redirected to the SaaS Protection Status page where the client is now listed. In the Details column, Check Authorization is displayed.

    3. If the client authorizes and creates the account within 24 hours and Users Auto-Add was On when adding the client, the Seats and Backup Success Rate (24 hrs) fields begin to populate.
      In the SaaS Defense Status column, Unavailable means SaaS Defense is not available for partner managed, client authorized accounts.

      Note: The duration of the initial data backup depends on the amount of data being backed up. For example, backing up six to eight terabytes of data takes approximately three to four days.

    4. If the client does not authorize the account within 24 hours:
      1. In the Detailscolumn, click Check Authorization.
      2. The Account Creation in Progress message is displayed and indicates when the client was sent the email with the authorization instructions. If you want to resend the authorization email to the client, click Resend Email.
  2. If you are adding a client account that will be managed by the client:
    1. Datto SaaS Protection automatically sends the client an email with instructions and a link for authorizing and creating the account. The authorization link expires in 24 hours.
    2. You are redirected to the SaaS Protection Status page where the client is now listed. In the Details column, Check Authorization is displayed. This icon means the account is client-managed.

    3. If the client authorizes and creates the account within 24 hours and Users Auto-Add was On when adding the client, the Seats and Backup Success Rate (24 hrs) fields begin to populate.
      In the SaaS Defense Status column, Unavailable means SaaS Defense is not available for client managed accounts.

    4. If the client does not authorize the account within 24 hours:
      1. In the Details column, click Check Authorization.
      2. The Account Creation in Progress message is displayed and indicates when the client was sent the email with the authorization instructions. If you want to resend the authorization email to the client, click Resend Email.