Backing Up QuickBooks Isn't Enough
A Vancouver contractor called me one Monday morning after an office computer failed. The owner wasn’t overly concerned: “Our QuickBooks backup runs every night.”
Well, that’s cool. The accounting file was safe. Unfortunately, the estimates, signed contracts, customer emails, job photos, payroll documents, and scheduling spreadsheet stored elsewhere were not. That data wasn’t backed up and was subject to loss. Now, I was able to take the drive, mount it using a SATA-USB kit, and scrape the data off of the disk with its BitLocker Key. Also cool, but we got lucky. There are plenty of things that could have gone wrong with that strategy.
Folks tend to have a myopic perspective about their information system. “All that matters in Quickbooks” isn’t the right mantra here. QuickBooks may contain the financial heart of your company, but it does not contain everything your business needs to operate.
What Else Does Your Business Depend On?
Try to think about what your staff uses during a normal workday. Important files may be spread across employee computers, Microsoft 365 or Google Drive, shared folders, email, and industry-specific applications.
Losing those files can delay billing, stop projects, create compliance concerns, and leave employees unable to help customers. Even a few days of disruption can be expensive for a small business.
Back Up More Than the Company File
Take an inventory. Start by identifying every place where important business information is stored. Include desktops, laptops, servers, email accounts, OneDrive or SharePoint folders, and any software used for scheduling, customer management, payroll, or project documentation.
If a file would be difficult, costly, or embarrassing to lose, it belongs in the conversation. Having a list of where critical information system content can be found is the first step to protecting it.
Keep a Separate, Protected Copy
After extending backups to those locations, think about your backup strategy. A backup stored on the same computer—or on a drive permanently connected to it—can disappear during hardware failure, theft, fire, or a ransomware attack. So why would you back up anything locally like that unless it was structurally massive: too big to rely on remote data recovery.
Broadly, backups should be protected from everyday users, be remotely accessible, and automated. For many businesses, this means a properly managed cloud backup solution.
Back Up Google Drive and Microsoft 365 Data
Microsoft keeps its services running, but that does not mean every deleted email or overwritten document can always be recovered when you need it. A separate Microsoft 365 backup using a 3rd party can provide additional protection for Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams data, but in a pinch, Microsoft’s own 365 Backup Service is a great way to hedge against loss.
Google Drive content is just as much at risk. Sure, there are ways to recover that data with native features, but isn’t it always best to carry a copy, just in case? A good 3rd party solution for Google Drive and M365 is Backupify.
Test the Recovery Process
A successful backup notification is reassuring but it is not proof that your business can recover. Periodically restore a QuickBooks file, document folder, and email account to confirm that the data is complete and usable.
A Complete Backup Plan Protects the Business
Sure, we were able to recover the accounting records and project information, but like I was saying, we got lucky. A broader, tested backup plan would have reduced that disruption from days to hours.
If you run a small business in Vancouver, WA, or Portland, OR, Mickler & Associates, Inc. can review your backups and help protect QuickBooks, Microsoft 365, computers, and other essential systems. Contact us for friendly, practical help with cybersecurity, cloud services, managed IT, and professional IT support.
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