While regular backups are an important part of any disaster recovery plan, not every file on your system is mission critical. It’s always good practice to back up your systems daily, but often that isn’t practical or doable. Whether because of financial or time constraints, full backups often have to be done less frequently.
So which files should you backup nightly? Here are five files that every business should be backing up on a daily basis:
1. Credit Card Transactions/Receipts
Bookkeeping and financial transaction records should be backed up daily. Many bookkeeping programs do this automatically, but be double sure. It may seem unnecessary since most transaction providers offer tracking and archiving, but it’s always best to have personal copies, just in case.
2. Updated Client Information Files
Any work performed for clients/customers should also be backed up nightly. Clients might be forgiving of small delays, but losing client information is a sure way to shake their confidence. A reputation as being unreliable with client data can be difficult and costly to undo.
3. Invoicing, Billing, Receivables and Payables
Losing any of these files could easily cause your business to miss a payment you owe, or worse a payment owed you. The former can lead to blemishes on your business credit, while the latter can cause you to lose significant amounts of money owed to your business.
4. Personnel Files and Payroll
Any personnel files that have been changed, updated, added, or removed since the previous backup should be backed up. Doing so is much simpler than having to go back later and adjust payroll on a check that has already gone out, or unfiring someone who was “absent” because their vacation schedule got erased.
5. Communications
Emails, phone calls, voice mails, text messages, and other corporate communications change often, and need to be updated daily. Not doing so can risk losing critical instructions, communications, notes, etc.
