Keeping your QuickBooks file and your computer safe is very important to the success of your business. There are various storage options to back up your computer and QuickBooks files, and always keep a backup offsite in case of any incidents. In addition, if your file is not password protected, you must also encrypt your flash drive, in case it gets into the wrong hands.
QuickBooks now offers a means to keep your files and your computer safe. The program Intuit Data Protect is a subscription service that helps you protect your data from loss or damage due to virus, laptop theft, file corruption, fire, and so on. Your files are automatically backed up online over the Internet once a day, every day, at an automatically selected time to an offsite location. You can choose to back up just your QuickBooks file, or you can back up your entire computer. Intuit Data Protect integrates with QuickBooks versions 2011 and later. The subscription to Intuit Data Protect costs $4.95/month or $49.95 annually for back up of your Quick Books files. If you want to protect your entire computer, the cost is $9.95/month or $99.95 annually.
How To Activate Intuit Data Protect in QuickBooks
1.) Open Intuit Data Protect.
- From QuickBooks, go to File > Back Up Company > Set Up/Activate Online Backup.
- From the Backup Status section (bottom right of QuickBooks Home), select Intuit Data Protect.
- From the System Tray, find and right-click the IDP icon (green padlock) and select Open Intuit Data Protect.
2.) The Intuit Data Protect window appears. Choose Activate Now.
3.) In the Intuit App Center window, sign in using your Intuit Account credentials created when you subscribed to the service.
4.) The Intuit Data Protect Diagnose window automatically runs. Click Continue when all the status shows Complete. A confirmation screen pops up if the IDP service has found some previously backed up files. Click Yes if you wish to recover your files or No to proceed with the setup process.
5.) In the next window, select all the files you want to back up and click Continue. The first window is for selecting QuickBooks files. After you click Continue, you can select the other folders you wish to back up. You will then be asked to set up a schedule to back up the files on the next window. Click Continue again.
6.) The Notification Email settings window opens. Assign an e-mail address to be notified if:
- The backup fails.
- The backup is successful.
- The last good backup is older than X number of days. (You can set the number of days here.)
- Other critical issues.
Note: For first-time setup, the check boxes will not show up. This is working as designed. Click Continue until you reach the home screen of IDP. Go to Change Backup Settings and continue until you reach the Notification Email Settings window again. The check boxes should be available.
7.) A prompt message appears for a successful IDP setup. Click OK.
Please contact us for further information or ask about QuickBooks Intuit Data Protect.
