Backup

What is a backup?

A backup is a copy of your important data stored separately from the original. If your computer crashes, gets stolen, or is damaged, backups let you recover your financial records, invoices, and business documents. Without backups, losing your data could mean losing years of records permanently.

For small businesses, regular backups are essential protection against disaster.

What to back up

Critical business data to protect includes:

• Invoices and receipts — Your billing history and payment records
• Financial records — Bank statements, tax documents, accounting files
• Contracts — Signed agreements with clients and vendors
• Client information — Contact details and project history
• Business documents — Licenses, insurance policies, important correspondence

Backup best practices

Follow the 3-2-1 rule: keep 3 copies of important data, on 2 different types of storage, with 1 copy off-site (like cloud storage). Cloud-based invoicing software often handles backups automatically, but verify what's protected and maintain your own backups of critical documents.