Backup Strategy
Desktop · Written guide Content date 3 min read
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Why back up Tax Processors Plus Desktop?
A good backup of your Tax Processors Plus Desktop programs and data is critical to your business security.
Tax Processors Plus Desktop recommends using an external storage device that can be removed from the business location for safety. Most of the malware and viruses today will search out all connected drives and attempt to infect them, thus it is important that the backup be disconnected from the computer after the backup is complete.
Disconnecting the backup and removing it also protects your data from natural disasters such as fire, flood, or earthquake. A backup is of no use if it is destroyed by the same disaster as the computer.
Only by having your backup offline (not connected to your computer or network) and stored away from your office will you be truly protected from these threats. Many Tax Processors Plus Desktop customers use external hard drives or USB flash drives for their backups. USB flash drives work great since they are small, easily transported, and inexpensive.
A backup strategy
Many experts recommend a backup strategy referred to as the 3-2-1 method:
- There must be at least 3 copies of any file.
- These copies should be on at least 2 different types of media.
- At least 1 of these copies of the files should be off site.
A backup strategy that follows the 3-2-1 strategy might be as follows:
- Purchase 3 (or more) USB flash drives of sufficient size. Label the drives A, B and C. Take the USB drives out of the office to a safe location sufficiently far enough from the office that the same disaster that destroys the office data will not destroy the backups. This might be your home.
- On the first day bring USB drive A to work.
- At the end of the day, plug the USB drive into the computer and run the backup.
- When the backup is complete, remove the USB drive and take it to the safe storage location.
- Each day repeat steps 2-4 using the next drive in the series.
If you are using Tax Processors Plus Desktop in a networked environment, backups must be run on the computer designated as the File Server. Running it on a Workstation computer will not save return data since the returns are stored on the File Server.
Backup options in Tax Processors Plus Desktop
Tax Processors Plus Desktop includes options for backing up and restoring return data year-by-year and for backing up the entire program installation for all years.
- For information on how to back up or restore just the return data in each year, see the knowledgebase article on backing up and recalling individual tax returns here.
- For information on how to back up or restore the entire Tax Processors Plus Desktop folder for all years including return data and configurations, and for Premium subscribers saved PDFs and images, see the knowledgebase article on the Program Backup Utility here.
If you need assistance in restoring files from your backup to a new computer, please call Tax Processors Plus Desktop Support at (855) 698-0691.
Note: When restoring the entire Tax Processors Plus Desktop folder to a new PC, you will still need to have all years of the program downloaded and installed before our tech support team can complete the process.
We recommend that you use the Program Backup Utility for a more complete backup of all your Tax Processors Plus Desktop years, in the most current year. Use this link for more information: Program Backup Utility
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