How to Take QuickBooks Cloud Backup?

Cloud Backup

Table of Contents

As we enter further into the months of 2023, many of us must have made plans for the year ahead. The first three months, which also include the beginning of tax season, are quite critical for every accounting professional. The IRS has already announced Jan 23, 2023, to be the onset of the tax season and has started accepting/processing 2022 tax returns. The agency is also expecting more than 168 million returns to be filed this year

For accounting professionals, now is the time to look for ways to be prepared for the workload coming your way. As you do, reflect on the shortcomings you faced in the previous year. Did you achieve your business goals? If not, why? Was the accounting service/data disaster-proof?

For many professionals like you, the task of playing with numbers and business accounts isn’t as easy as it may seem. While working for clients, you also need to ensure that each of their sensitive data is secure and away from the unauthorized breach. Still, the probability of an unfortunate data loss particularly on QuickBooks desktop software cannot be eliminated. However, in the cloud environment, there is one aspect that can release the stress related to data security, and that is QuickBooks cloud backups.

If you are asking about the QuickBooks cloud backup process before deciding to migrate the software to the cloud, you might also want to know what backups in QuickBooks cloud hosting means. Let’s take you through that side first.

What Do Data Backups for Cloud-Hosted QuickBooks Mean?

In simple words, data backup refers to the process of copying data stored in a primary location to one or more secondary locations to protect it in case of a natural disaster, data breach, or cyber attack. With accounting being the lifeblood of every CPA firm, losing it can disrupt operations significantly and lead to massive financial damage. This is why backing up the data becomes critical, irrespective of the size of your business.

In terms of QuickBooks on the cloud, this involves backing up QB data and software files on multiple connected cloud servers. In case any server fails because of some technical glitch, the other will take its place to ensure business continuity. Also, in case you lose data because of an unfortunate occurrence, you can recover the lost data with the help of your QuickBooks hosting provider. The level of data recovery and recovery period generally varies from one cloud hosting provider to another.

5 Benefits of Backups for Cloud-Hosted QuickBooks You Should Know

Automated backups

One way to back up QuickBooks data is to do it manually by investing your time and effort. This is generally not advisable as human intervention leads to copying either wrong files or incomplete versions in the backup folder of the server. This is where automated cloud backups streamlines the process for you.

When the QuickBooks software is hosted on the cloud, it is easy to ask the service provider to deploy automated backup measures. Under these measures, your data will be copied from the main cloud server at a particular time of the day to the backup server. This will happen automatically without affecting the software’s performance. Whenever the need arises, raise a data recovery request under your QuickBooks cloud hosting plan.

Complete security

Your credibility as an accounting professional in the market does not only depend on skills, knowledge, and experience but also on the level of security provided for a client’s data. Step into your client’s shoes who want to hire you for the accounting and tax preparation needs. Losing sensitive business data lead to loss of that client and even more because of the bad reputation. On the flip side, if you can ensure the utmost security of QuickBooks data to different clients, you get positive reviews and recommendations.

The latter aspect is possible when you choose to back up data on cloud servers. This will keep it safe from hardware-related risks, cyber threats, and even unauthorized insider data breaches. Make sure you select a trustworthy QuickBooks hosting provider that stores your data in a multi-redundant hardware setup.

Scalable storage resources

While using a local-hosted QuickBooks software, many users think of setting up local backup servers. But while doing so, one of the biggest concerns is the limited storage space that requires upgrading the same whenever the data size grows significantly. In other words, you would need to add more servers in the backup array locally, investing a considerable amount and effort.

With the help of QuickBooks hosting, the challenge of data storage limitation is out of the picture. It is because you do not need to worry about the on-premise technical upgrades but only ask the cloud provider to do so. As the cloud-hosted data goes beyond a certain predefined threshold, the hosting provider can scale it up with more computing resources automatically and will only charge under the pay-as-you-use model.

Smooth disaster recovery

What is the primary objective of taking data backups irrespective of the environment – local or cloud?

Backups are taken to have the data back in its place in case the system where it is hosted fails. Again, the extent of loss depends on the degree of disaster. In case the entire office falls down or is damaged under fire or earthquake, the complete IT setup will be lost, including the backup systems.

Cloud-hosted QuickBooks offers a solution to help you deal with such circumstances. Automated data backups over the cloud involve the replication of data on servers that are installed in different geographical locations. In case one cloud server becomes non-functional due to a disaster, the other will become active with the cloud-backed data.

Manageable additional expense

As an accounting professional, working on the on-premise IT infrastructure to host QuickBooks and other business applications comes with significant upfront investments. To add the on-premise backup facility as well, add the extra cost of hardware and related maintenance to the business expenses. Technically, any new hardware would require more space, power, and technical staff to keep it up and running, which can make a dent in your overall budget.

Switch to QuickBooks for the cloud and all the backup-server costs become manageable. Since it involves outsourcing the infrastructure and backup process to a third-party service provider, skip worrying about the hardware costs. The money you save this way can be reinvested into the business for even better returns.

A Few Important Statistics Emphasizing the Importance of Cloud Backups

  • Gartner says that the average cost of downtime per minute is $5,600.
  • A study also found that around 6% of companies that are affected by a disaster but did not have a recovery plan in place, survived after the event.
  • The most common cause of loss of data is hardware failure (Source).

Streamline Disaster Recovery Strategy with QuickBooks Cloud Hosting

Data backups for cloud accounting are quite essential. QuickBooks hosting makes it a part of your daily life without causing any financial or technical upheaval. It will also help save time, effort, and revenue for your business. If you want to know more about automated data backups, ask your cloud provider about the same to clear all your doubts. Think of the client’s data is the currency exchanged to support the business. The more secure this currency is, the more business and client growth can be expected.

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