Backing Up Your QuickBooks: Basic But So Important
How many times have you heard the horror stories about people who lose a hard drive and spend months digging out? We hear it at least once a month. We have people every year that walk through our door and tell us they or their bookkeeper never backed up and they lost the file. People never seem to learn. An ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure every time. Here are a few tips to help you avoid the dreaded loss of your QuickBooks file.
1. Consider hosting your file in “The Cloud”. Sounds really fancy huh? It isn’t really. Services like Right Networks provide great services where you log onto a virtual desktop via an icon on your desktop or the net. The remote desktop connection is safe and dependable. When your files are hosted by Right Networks they are constantly backed up and stored off site for you. Be sure to choose a server set up that is secure, backs up regularly and provides good support or;
2. Back up regularly and store your back up files on a service like Carbonite. Inexpensive especially when you compare it to the cost of file reconstruction or;
3. Back up on an encrypted external hard drive and store it offsite.
Do not pay to use Intuit’s Online backup service. There are lots more easier to use less expensive options out there.
To Create a QuickBooks backup file:
1. Click on the file drop down menu.
2. Select “Save Copy or Backup”
3. Select “Backup Copy” and Next
4. Select Local Backup and Next
5. Select “Save it now and schedule future backups”
6. Check the box for “Save backup copy automatically when I close company” and set the number of times so you are saving every week or so and click Finish.
If you are using an offsite service like Carbonite or an external hard drive you should then move the backup copy to that location.
Backing up your QuickBooks file also cleans up the data on the back end preventing data corruption and loss.
Meghan Blair-Valero
www.foggedinbookkeeping.com