Is your business software backed up?

Why it gets missed

Business software stores data in its own way. A program on a server may keep a database that must be backed up while it is running, or with a special tool, or the copy will be unusable. Cloud software may back up its own systems but not let you restore your data from a particular day.

These gaps usually come to light during a restore, which is the worst time to find them.

Checklist

• List your business software: accounting, payroll, CRM, practice or job management, design, scheduling.
• For each, find out where the data lives: on a server, on one computer, or in the vendor’s cloud.
• For software on your own server, confirm the backup captures the database correctly. The software vendor often has instructions.
• For cloud software, ask the vendor: How long are backups kept? Can you restore a single record or a whole account to a past date? Can you export your data?
• Keep your own export of important cloud data, on a schedule, if the vendor allows it.
• Test a restore of each important system at least once a year, with the vendor if needed.
• Write it down: where each system’s data is and how to get it back. Recovery is slower when that knowledge is in one person’s head.