Hello! This article explains how Backup Radar detects that one of your API backup integrations has disconnected, and how it alerts you. It also covers how you’re notified once the connection is working again.
Overview
API backup integrations, such as Acronis, Datto, Veeam and Cove, are how Backup Radar pulls backup results straight from your vendor. If one of these connections stops working, Backup Radar stops receiving results from it. Your backups may then show as No Results or missed, even if they actually ran successfully.
Backup Radar checks each of your API integrations on a regular schedule. When a connection is lost, it alerts you in two ways: an email to your account administrators and a banner in the app. When the connection comes back, it sends a follow-up email.
There’s nothing to set up. Every enabled API backup integration on your account is monitored automatically.
Supported Integrations
Connection monitoring works with these API integrations:
- Acronis
- AWS
- Azure
- Comet
- Cove
- Datto BCDR and Datto Endpoint Backup
- DropSuite
- MSP360 (CloudBerry)
- Redstor
- Replibit
- SkyKick
- Slide
- SolarWinds
- StorageCraft
- Veeam (current and legacy)
Each connection profile is monitored on its own. For example, if you have two Acronis profiles, each one is checked and reported separately.
How It Works
1. Regular connection checks
Backup Radar checks each enabled integration by confirming that its saved credentials still work with the vendor’s API.
- New or newly re-enabled integrations are checked right away.
- Connected integrations are checked about every 15 minutes.
- After a failed check, Backup Radar checks again sooner, then gradually waits longer between checks: after about 2 minutes, then 5, then 10, then every 15 minutes. This confirms a real problem quickly, while giving a short vendor hiccup time to clear up on its own.
2. Confirming a disconnection
One failed check is not enough to raise an alert. An integration is only marked Disconnected after 5 failed checks in a row, which is about 30 minutes after the first failure.
Counting the time until the next scheduled check, you’ll usually hear about a disconnection within 30 to 50 minutes of it happening.
The following don’t count as failures:
- Temporary errors, such as timeouts, network errors or server errors on the vendor’s side. These say nothing about your credentials, so Backup Radar ignores them and checks again later.
- Rate limiting. If the vendor’s API asks Backup Radar to slow down, that check is skipped.
- A successful check. Any successful check resets the failure count to zero.
3. Protection against vendor-wide outages
Sometimes the vendor’s own API goes down, or there’s a wider service problem. In that case, many integrations fail at the same time, even though nothing is wrong with your credentials.
Backup Radar watches for this pattern. While it looks like a vendor-wide or platform-wide outage, it holds off on marking integrations as disconnected, so you don’t get flooded with false alarms.
The failed checks are still counted. If your integration is still failing once the outage clears, it’s marked Disconnected on its next failed check and you’re alerted as usual.
4. Integrations the vendor deactivates
Some integrations are switched off automatically when the vendor reports that the API key is invalid. Slide is currently the only one that does this. Because the key is known to be bad, this is reported as a disconnection right away, without waiting for 5 failed checks.
Email Notifications
When a connection is lost
An email goes to every account administrator on your Backup Radar account.
Subject: Action needed: your [Integration – Profile] integration is disconnected
The email includes:
- Which integration and profile lost its connection.
- What this means: Backup Radar can’t receive results from that vendor, so affected backups may show as “No Results” or missed.
- A Reconnect link that opens that integration’s settings page.
- Common causes: expired or revoked API credentials, permission changes in the vendor’s portal, or the vendor’s API being temporarily unavailable.
- How to contact support.
When a connection is restored
As soon as a check succeeds on an integration that was disconnected, administrators get a confirmation email.
Subject: Your [Integration – Profile] integration is connected again
This email confirms that new results should start arriving shortly. It also recommends reviewing the affected backups, either on your dashboard or by running an Escalation Report under Reports > Scheduled Reports.
When no email is sent
- The first successful check of a new integration. This isn’t a recovery, so no “connected again” email is sent.
- You disable an integration yourself. Monitoring stops for that integration. No disconnection email is sent, and it’s removed from the banner.
- You get one email per disconnection. If the integration stays disconnected, you won’t receive repeat emails. The next email you get is the “connected again” message.
In-App Banner
Whenever at least one API integration on your account is disconnected, a warning banner appears in Backup Radar. It reads:
Backup integration disconnected: [list of disconnected integrations]. Backup results from it are not being received until it is reconnected. Reconnect →
Some details about the banner:
- Admin and Standard users can see it.
- It lists every disconnected integration by name, with a link to each one.
- It can’t be dismissed. It disappears automatically once every listed integration is reconnected or disabled.
- It updates live. Users who already have Backup Radar open will see it appear or clear without refreshing the page.
What to Do When You Receive a Disconnection Alert
- Click Reconnect in the email or the banner. Or go to Integrations > Backup and open the affected profile.
-
Check your credentials. The most common causes are:
- Expired or revoked API keys or tokens. Generate new credentials in the vendor’s portal and update them in Backup Radar.
- Permission changes. Make sure the API user or service account still has the access it needs in the vendor’s portal.
- A vendor-side outage. Check the vendor’s status page. If they’re having an outage, the connection will usually recover by itself once it’s resolved.
- Save and re-enable the integration if it was deactivated. Backup Radar checks it right away. If the check succeeds, you’ll get the “connected again” email.
- Review recent backup activity. Run an Escalation Report to find any backups that were missed while the connection was down.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who receives the emails?
All account administrators on your Backup Radar account. Standard users don’t get emails, but they do see the in-app banner.
How quickly will I be notified?
Usually within 30 to 50 minutes of the connection dropping. Backup Radar waits for 5 failed checks in a row so that short vendor issues don’t set off false alarms. If the vendor deactivates the integration itself (for example, Slide with an invalid key), you’re notified right away.
My vendor had a brief outage. Why didn’t I get an alert?
Timeouts, network errors and vendor server errors don’t count as failures, because they don’t mean your credentials stopped working. And when many integrations from the same vendor fail at once, across many accounts, Backup Radar treats it as an outage rather than a problem with your setup. In both cases, you’ll only be alerted if your integration is still failing after things settle down.
I disabled an integration on purpose. Will I get alerts?
No. Disabled integrations aren’t monitored, and they won’t appear in the banner.
Does this cover email-based (parser) backup sources?
No. This feature only covers API integrations, where Backup Radar connects directly to the vendor. Email-based backup results are tracked through your normal backup statuses.
Do I need to turn this on?
No. It’s on automatically for every enabled API backup integration.
Need help? If you’re having trouble reconnecting an integration, reach out to our support team at support@scalepad.com or submit a support ticket.
