{"id":1175,"date":"2017-03-28T19:59:16","date_gmt":"2017-03-28T19:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myquickbookkeeping.com\/?p=1175"},"modified":"2017-05-30T18:29:31","modified_gmt":"2017-05-30T18:29:31","slug":"data-security-and-cloud-accounting-is-it-safe-to-store-my-financial-data-in-the-cloud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myquickbookkeeping.com\/tailwind\/?p=1175","title":{"rendered":"Data Security and Cloud Accounting \u2013 is it safe to store my financial data in the cloud?"},"content":{"rendered":"<style type=\"text\/css\"><\/style><p><strong>What you need to know about online data security<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A question I get a lot from potential clients and their accountants (we\u2019re a cautious bunch!) is how safe is data that is stored online or \u201cin the cloud\u201d?<\/p>\n<p>In this edition I thought I would address data security across the platforms that I use, and define some common terms and acronyms.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Physical security \u2013 much easier for most of us to understand!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The QuickBooks and Hubdoc servers have 24 \u2013 7 security with full time security staff, video surveillance, and alarms to prevent high-tech breaches.\u00a0 Secure power supplies and back up generators, as well as complex smoke and flood detection and fire suppression systems protect your information.\u00a0 Hubdoc also has a military-grade passcard system that complies with national and international industry standards.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is SSL and TLS Security<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In order to communicate financial data using QuickBooks or Hubdoc, SSL or TLS security is used.\u00a0 SSL is an acronym for \u201cSecure Sockets Layer\u201d, a standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a server and a client.\u00a0 It allows sensitive information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and login credentials to be transmitted securely.\u00a0 If this data was sent in plain text it could be vulnerable to eavesdropping, an attacker may be able to intercept and use that information.\u00a0 TLS \u201cTransport Layer Security\u201d, is an even stronger version of SSL which comprises two layers of security.<\/p>\n<p>When two sites have SSL or TLS certification there is a key pair \u2013 both public and private.\u00a0 These keys work together to establish an encrypted connection, and when the identification is confirmed the encrypted data is communicated to the web server.\u00a0 You can identify a site with SSL security as the url will begin with\u00a0 https, as opposed to http.<\/p>\n<p><strong>PCI compliant credit card transactions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>PCI compliant refers to \u201cpayment card industry data security standard\u201d; a set of security standards designed to ensure that all companies that accept, process, store or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment.\u00a0 This takes certification a step further than SSL or TLS by also ensuring the website operators are a legitimate, legally accountable organization.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Your data is safe with us!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>MyQuickBookKeeping.com has an SSL certificate, and all payment processing is done through stripe.\u00a0 Stripe is PCI compliant and uses TLS.\u00a0 None of your payment information is collected or stored on the site.\u00a0 It is sent in encrypted form to Stripe.\u00a0 If you sign up for a QuickBooks subscription, and want to take advantage of the special Hubdoc offer, you have to enter your information all over again!\u00a0 It is annoying, but keeps your information safe.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What can YOU do to ensure your data is safe at home and in the office?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Having established that your data is both safe while stored in the cloud, and safe during communication we can now consider the advantages to you, and your business, and the additional steps you can take to ensure all of your information is safe.<\/p>\n<p>The number one piece of advice \u2013 always back up the data on your computer \u2013 is completely taken care of with QuickBooks online!\u00a0 You can cross this one off your list.\u00a0 If anything happens to your system, you can instantly access your data from any computer connected to the internet.\u00a0 One less thing to worry about should you encounter a natural disaster, the inconvenience of theft, or a hard drive crash!<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Be sure your antivirus software is up to date.<\/li>\n<li>Disable automatic login or autofilled passwords in your browser so a thief will be unable to access your information.<\/li>\n<li>Use a strong password. This link has great guidelines:\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/accounts\/answer\/32040?hl=en\">https:\/\/support.google.com\/accounts\/answer\/32040?hl=en<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Be aware of phishing practices \u2013 do not respond to a request for personal information without being absolutely certain that it is legitimate.<\/li>\n<li>Log off when you are finished using any site that contains personal information.<\/li>\n<li>Within QuickBooks Online be sure to define the permission levels that limit the access privileges of each user. You control who accesses your data and what they can see and do.<\/li>\n<li>QuickBooks Online also has a complete record of all activities carried out. You can track all changes using the Activity Log and Audit Trail.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>With the added bonus of complete backups and secure storage communication you can rest assured that your data is safe, and available should there be a fire or flood in your home or office, or if you are the victim of theft.<\/p>\n<p>Visit MyQuickBookKeeping.com to sign up for QuickBooks Online or Hubdoc today.\u00a0 You will have access to how to videos, information blogs, and for a limited time, a 6 month trial of Hubdoc.<\/p>\n<p>If you have questions you can schedule a free consultation to determine if QuickBooks online is a good fit for you and your business.<\/p>\n<p>What steps do you take to maintain data security \u2013 which are you weakest links?\u00a0 I would love to hear \u2013 comment below<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>References:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/quickbooks.intuit.ca\/about-intuit-canada\/info\/security\/\">https:\/\/quickbooks.intuit.ca\/about-intuit-canada\/info\/security\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/hubdoc.com\/security-policy\">http:\/\/hubdoc.com\/security-policy<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digicert.com\/ssl.htm\">https:\/\/www.digicert.com\/ssl.htm<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/stripe.com\/docs\/security\">https:\/\/stripe.com\/docs\/security<\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What you need to know about online data security A question I get a lot from potential clients and their accountants (we\u2019re a cautious bunch!) is how safe is data that is stored online or \u201cin the cloud\u201d? In this edition I thought I would address data security across the platforms that I use, and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myquickbookkeeping.com\/tailwind\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1175"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myquickbookkeeping.com\/tailwind\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myquickbookkeeping.com\/tailwind\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myquickbookkeeping.com\/tailwind\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myquickbookkeeping.com\/tailwind\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1175"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/myquickbookkeeping.com\/tailwind\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1175\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1492,"href":"https:\/\/myquickbookkeeping.com\/tailwind\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1175\/revisions\/1492"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myquickbookkeeping.com\/tailwind\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myquickbookkeeping.com\/tailwind\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myquickbookkeeping.com\/tailwind\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myquickbookkeeping.com\/tailwind\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}