In today’s digital age, the safety of data online is of constant concern. There seem to be new stories about hacked programs or breached databases. It’s only natural that when it comes to accounting for your business, you want to make sure that the software you choose has the proper security measures in place.
Your confidential information should stay exactly that: confidential. When you are working with online accounting software, the amount of information you store can seem concerning with the stories you hear every so often about data security breaches.
Beyond that, worries over potentially losing data gathered over months or years and saved in an online profile is a focus for some users, but one that can quickly be quelled with clear information about how data is backed up online.
How can I be sure my accounting software is secure?
As with most online service providers that store personal information, the privacy and security of this information is a priority for the company providing the software. Most of these companies provide a page dedicated to outlining the measures taken to protect their users’ data.
For Debitoor accounting & invoicing software, our security page gives our users a full overview of how we handle data and ensure that it is secure and backed up. This page address four main aspects of security:
1. Data protection:
This addresses the technical way that we work to keep your data safe. We comply with GDPR as well and legal information on this can be found in the Terms & Conditions.
2. Servers:
Provides information about our servers that store and backup user data: we have two servers that do this based on Amazon Web Services (AWS), located in Dublin, Ireland.
3. Login security:
Informs that Debitoor is up-to-date on security issues and password encryption. All the same, it’s always important to choose complex passwords and to change your passwords regularly.
4. Advice for online security:
We also provide some tips for what you can do to enhance security for your account. More on that below.
What can I do to improve security for my account?
It’s a truth that we all must face: 100% security does not exist in this day and age. Advancements in security technology still come with potential for that security to fail.
However, when it comes to the online sphere, the #1 cause of security breaches is due to user negligence or carelessness. While that may seem harsh, it also means that there are things that you can do to actively improve the security of your data.
It’s arguable that these tips are basic, but worth a quick reminder, as they are also what you hear over and over again for a reason: they work.
What you can do to increase security:
Create secure passwords. This means passwords at least 10 characters in length, with a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, as well as special characters. This greatly reduces the chance of your password being guessed by sophisticated hacking programs. Do not use simple or predictable words.
Change your passwords regularly. The common recommended time frame is every 3 months. Also, if you are using the same password for multiple accounts, change them! Each account should have a unique password.
- Why change your password regularly? A few reasons. If your account has already been hacked without you realizing, it could cut off access to the hacker. Also, if you have logged into that account on other devices, it’s possible you forgot to log out or even that the device stores passwords.
Use Touch ID for mobile apps. While it can seem slightly invasive to supply fingerprint information, it is a security measure that is beyond a password. Read more about using Touch ID in our article: ‘Protect your account with Touch ID’.
