Security
Before choosing a company, the first thing you’ll need to consider is what type items you’ll need from the company providing data backup and recovery services.
The basic features data backup companies you’ll want to consider include automatic backups, archiving, incremental backups, and file managers. The user interface should also be intuitive and easy to use so you can set up automatic transfers. You may want a company that offers incremental backups with a versioning feature that keeps a record of files each time you save a file and allows you to access any version.
This versioning feature is particularly important with accounting data because it’ll allow you to access previous versions of your accounting records if you’ve accidentally deleted useful data or made significant errors in entering new data
You may want to access your accounting data remotely from any computer, laptop, or other mobile device so you’ll want to check with backup service provider to make sure they have the accessibility features you’ll need. Many backup service providers have mobile applications so you can access your data through a smartphone or tablet.
You’ll want to make sure that your data is being protected, especially if you’ve got customer’s personal information stored within your accounting records. To ensure your accounting data is protected during the transfer and while it’s in storage, you’ll need to check with backup service provide to see if they offer the high levels of data encryption. Data encryption is the process by which your digital accounting data is made secure from unauthorized access.
You’ll also want to see if your online backup data company stores your information on multiple servers and in multiple locations so that they’ve got the appropriate backups in place if one of their servers goes down.
You’ll want to estimate the amount of space you’ll need so you can choose an online data backup company with storage limits that’ll meet your needs. If your company is growing rapidly or your company is in the process of digitizing a large amount of its records, then make sure that that the online data backup service you’re considering has a storage plan that is flexible so you don’t exceed their storage limits.
The best online data backup services offer a demo of their product and services so you can see if the tools are simple, intuitive, and easy to use. If you don’t find a demo on their website, you can ask the sales representative to make a demo version available to you.
Inquire about the help and support options available -- user manuals, FAQs pages, and discussion forums are excellent resources to use if you need help using the program. You’ll also want to ask about the technical support available because you may encounter difficulty with the data recovery process that requires help from a dedicated IT professional.
Price is always an important consideration based on the needs of your business. However, you’ll want to make sure you’re not “penny wise” at the long-term expense of increased costs and lost productivity if you need to rely on these backup services. Most companies charge a monthly subscription fee based on the amount of data you’re storing on their servers, which can range from just a few dollars a month or go into the thousands depending on your needs.
That’s why it’s important to know what features you’ll need and the amount of data you’ll need to have stored so you can choose a storage plan that meets your business needs.