Goldenseal Small Business Software Topics-- Backups

How Often Should I Back Up?

How often should I back up my Goldenseal company file?

Your data created with Goldenseal accounting software is extreeemely valuable, and the best way to take care of it is to make frequent backups.

Backup Frequency

We suggest a daily backup-- you can burn a CD, use a Zip disk, or put it on a different hard drive.

If you are importing data, customizing layouts or making other large changes to Goldenseal, consider even more frequent backups. That way you can "undo" if you do something you regret.

HINT-- Burning a backup copy? Costs a a few cents. Having a backup copy save your ass? Priceless!

Sequential Backups

It may sometimes take days or weeks before you notice corrupted data or extremely stupid mistakes, so you should definitely have more than one backup copy, to fall back on. We suggest that you make a separate backup each date, and date each backup file so you can go back to any previous setup.

After a few months, you can start throwing out some of your older archive files, but it's still a good idea to keep a few of them around "just in case".

Separate Media

Hard drives sometimes die, so it's a good idea to put your daily backup in a different place than your main file. Any of the following options will work:

Burn a CD or DVD
Put it on a flash disk
Install a second hard drive on your computer, and store backups there
Install a network, and store backups on a different computer
Email the file to a different location
Use an internet storage system, and store your data on a remote hard drive

Off Premises Backups

Computers sometimes get stolen, and data can also die because of flooding, fires or other disasters. So it's a good idea to make a weekly back that you store off-premises. You can use any of the following options:

Burn a CD and take it home with you, or store it in your truck
Put it on a Zip disk and take it home with you, or store it in your truck
Use a tape backup and take it home with you, or store it in your truck
Email the file to a different location
Use an internet storage system, and store your data on a remote hard drive

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