Better Safe Than Sorry: Your Guide to Safeguarding Your QuickBooks Data

Quickbooks is the MVP when it comes to managing your payroll, inventory and sales. It is also a multi-functional toolbox that contains sensitive information connected to your clients and employees.

This fragile information can fall into the wrong hands without any form of protection. Therefore, protecting your QuickBooks company files, especially your payroll and client data, is the first line of defense against hackers, fraud or future technical glitches.

Keep Your Guard Up

Restricting access to certain areas and actions on Quickbooks is the first step in keeping your information on lockdown.

You can follow the directions below to block access to sensitive information and limit the number of QuickBooks users as well:

1. Select Set Up Users and Passwords from the Company
2. Click on Set Up Users .You should be able to see the word Admin on the list.
3. Click on Add User. A new window will appear. Enter the employee’s name and password then click
4. Selected Areas of QuickBooks will appear on the new page. Click on the button dedicated to permissions. You can use this feature to deny employees access to areas such as accounts receivable, inventory and sales.
5. Once you have finished editing permissions, you can review the summary on display and click Finish once your mission is complete. Your employee will now be able to gain access only to the areas specified by you.

Update Your Operating System

If a dialog box appears asking you to update your system, do not ignore it. Updates offer you more than just new features and bug fixes.

They also breathe new life into your QuickBooks and provide you with new weapons to use against any dangerous malware that may attempt to invade your data. Making sure that your anti-virus is also up to date will help strengthen this shield even more.

Prevention is Key

A data breach can cause a destructive avalanche of epic proportions. Therefore, taking the necessary steps to prevent it from happening can make a world of difference to your business.

• Download an application to monitor your system and scan it regularly for problems.
• Smartphones used by employees should have a minimum number of applications. Practicing caution when it comes to downloading email attachments and internet browsing plays a major part in reducing the risk of a data breach.
• Company issued equipment including tablets and smartphones need to be used in accordance with a list of rules to ensure the safety and security of your data.
• Using public networks when it comes to company laptops and phones should be prohibited. This rule must be tied to your employees’ performance evaluations. This will prevent them from breaking it.

At the end of the day, focusing on prevention is an important lesson for any business owner. Creating backups for your data needs to be handled with the same level of care and caution:

• Upload your data onto a portable device.
• Use internet-based solutions which are available on-demand. These solutions involve using a remote server hosted on the internet to manage, store and process your data.
• Papers with sensitive information printed on them must be shredded.
• Logging out of Quickbooks once you are done for the day is also a smart move when it comes to keeping your data under lock and key at the office.

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References

How to Keep Your QuickBooks Data Safe

http://www.rodmancpa.com/how-to-keep-your-quickbooks-data-safe