Secure Your Computers & Your Data
Protecting your data is crucial for running a successful business. Where would you be without your customers’ vehicle histories to help you upsell, and assure them that you care? If you are a wholesaler, your customer and inventory lists - along with tracking your customers’ invoices for assigning the right price levels and terms - are all essential to helping you stay ahead in the industry. Additionally, all businesses need to have complete books to be able to report to government agencies. So what can you do to keep your computers running smoothly and your data secure?
Keep Your Data Safe
Data on a Local Server
Computers are not invulnerable. Every month we get calls from customers who have lost months or years worth of work, because they neglected to do backups and they were not on our cloud subscription plan which includes automatic backups. This is always a big setback for businesses for the reasons listed above, and because of the time, money and stress involved.
Data on the Cloud
If your data is already on our cloud with our subscription service, your data will always be backed up daily, but there are still things you should do to keep your computers healthy. Even if your data is on the cloud, a computer or network crashing at the wrong time can damage transactions or otherwise hurt your data.
Keep Your Computers Healthy
Use an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) with a USB cable.
In the event of a power outage, a UPS battery will protect your computer from suddenly shutting down in the middle of the workday. However, a UPS battery will NOT protect your computer from long power outages unless it is connected to the computer with a USB cable, and the computer runs a program which senses the power outages and turns itself off! Make sure your UPS batteries come with a USB cable and software to automatically turn the computer off in an emergency. Additionally, you need to make sure the software is installed and the cable is attached to your USB port. This helps prevent data corruption and lets you continue providing your customers with the services they need. Be sure you periodically test these batteries according to manufacturer instructions and replace them as needed.
Use Antivirus Software.
Antivirus software protects against malware and threats. The only antivirus software we trust, use and recommend is ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
DO NOT install more than one antivirus program on your computer, because they can prevent each other from functioning, which can actually leave you unprotected, and cause some of your programs to fail.
If you have an expired antivirus program on your computer, you need to uninstall it first. This can be difficult to do (especially with Mcafee's antivirus.) You may need to go to their website for instructions.
Provide Limited Access:
Place passwords on your computer and your software systems. AutoFluent® makes limiting access to your data easier by giving each employee a password and various individual permissions that you can grant per user.
Use a firewall.
Configure your firewall to only allow trusted connections. AutoFluent® uses port 3306 for local connections.
Doing Backups
AutoFluent® has an easy access tool built in to help you perform a backup. Just login, click Backup, then check “Backup to Web” before performing the backup so that we can keep a secure file for you. You can also back up to a flash drive or another computer, but never do a backup on the same computer. This is because if the computer crashes, that backup will be unavailable. If you use flash drives, alternate between multiple flash drives, and be sure to store them offsite, in case of a fire or other disaster. Our AutoFluent® cloud customers enjoy the convenience and security of automatic backups every night!