Do you keep backup copies of important personal documents? Think tax information, car titles, living wills and more. If not, it’s time to start making copies. Tap or click here to learn how to scan photos and documents without buying a scanner.
If you own a small business, it’s also critical to have duplicates of those documents. But don’t just scan important documents for more than one hard copy. You should also digitize them, so you have multiple ways to protect them. If an unthinkable fire happens, all your paper files could go up in smoke.
Don’t know where to begin? Don’t worry. We’re here to help. Here are 15 documents you need to keep a digital copy of now.
Business Blueprints
You assume you’ll only need some documents once, so you save them on your business computer. A computer crash can leave you having to rewrite or hunt them down again. These are some essential documents you should keep a digital copy of:
- Business license
- Business plan
- The deed to your company (if you own the building)
RELATED: Three ways to fax your documents for free
Your financials
Running a business is all about working and processing the correct numbers. You’ll need certain documents regularly to process payroll, pay taxes, and obtain loans. Be sure to keep backups of the following:
- Previous tax records
- Bank account information
- Financial records
- Payroll receipts
- Loan documents
- Insurance documents
Employee Information
If you own a business, there is a high likelihood you have several employees. They trust you to store their information safely and have it securely backed up in case something happens. Be sure to keep digital copies securely stored of the following documents:
- Employee bank/direct deposit information
- Personal Identification documents
- Background checks
- Resumes of current and prospective employees
- Educational documents like diplomas
- Professional Certifications, especially ones that need to be reported in relation to business licenses
Where do I store them?
As you know, computers can fail. Hard drives crash, power surges happen and can fry your electronics and your data is lost.
Even worse, hackers, viruses, or ransomware can compromise you and your employees. Imagine a hacker gaining access to your computer and denying you access to your data until you pay a hefty ransom. Don’t take that risk. Instead, back up your data with a cloud service like our sponsor, IDrive.
With IDrive, you can back up all your PCs, Macs and mobile devices into ONE account for one low cost. Get 50% off 5TB of cloud backup at IDrive.com when you use promo code Kim at checkout.
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