How Invoicing Software Protects Your Data

Marcus Carlson - 2020-06-13T21:00:00.000Z

While it is true that e-invoicing protects the environment by eliminating the use of paper, there is another vital reason for adopting invoicing software - its superior protection of confidential data.

The online invoicing process is cocooned with multiple layers of security both on the software and hardware sides to keep your sensitive data safe.

The following article will describe how software uses encryption, data centers, and firewalls to protect the invoicing data of small businesses. Here are six methods:

Authentication with multiway verifications or biometrics
Backups to protect data from loss
Automation to prevent mistakes/errors
Accessibility with restrictions to data from anywhere
Encryption tools used by banks and credit firms
Protection active 24/7

Secure Socket Layer (SSL)

By using data encryption alongside server authentication, SSL protects website data from hackers and malicious attacks. Business websites that record customer information must have SSL encryption, and such a certificate can be domain-validated, organization-validated, or with extended validation.

SSL is a piece of technology that encrypts connections to a website, and once enabled, it works in the backdrop of your site without eating up resources.

While a single-name certificate is best for solopreneurs, wildcard certificates are the best for small-sized businesses that manage several subdomains. For enterprises with multiple domains, multi-domain certificates will work well.

Take a look at three invoicing software platforms that offer standard SSL encryption:

QuickBooks is a VeriSign secured software provider that uses 128-bit SSL certificates.
Xero uses 128-bit SSL and SHA2 for encryption.
FreshBooks offers 256-bit SSL encryption and firewalls.

Secure Data Centers

The security of the server that hosts your data is important when you are using an online application to record and manage confidential documents. Natural disasters like earthquakes, cyclones, and floods, or manmade events like theft, fraud, or security breaches can threaten the life of data centers. This is why businesses need to ensure the physical and virtual security of the data centers used by a software provider.

Take a look at invoicing software brands that offer server security:

[H3] QuickBooks

Data is stored in Tier-4 data centers on QuickBooks software with stringent security access and 24/7 monitoring of the center itself. Moreover, QuickBooks services are run from multiple data centers in two geographically diverse areas to minimize risks.

FreshBooks

In addition to intrusion prevention, FreshBooks uses Rackspace servers with biometric security, redundant power, and monitored climate control to keep your data secure. There are separate data centers in case of hardware failures too.

Zoho

Offering multiple levels of physical security for their data centers, Zoho invoicing software is protected from earthquakes too. In addition to firewall protection and constant monitoring, financial records are kept safe with Zoho.

App-Level Protection

Whether you are making an estimate or paying for a recent purchase, every financial document uploaded to invoicing software must be secure. This means that search engines, bots, and other crawlers cannot access your information.

To prevent this, you can use trustworthy accounting software that encrypts file names. Moreover, you can restrict access for clients and team members on such software to maintain control over your business.

Here are a few invoicing software providers that ensure privacy and invoice app protection:

QuickBooks utilizes RSA technology to maximize the privacy of your online conversations through billing software, by using a privacy slider to edit restrictions for users.
Xero is another software solution that complies with GDPR and offers a wide range of user roles and settings to handle the privacy and security of your invoicing app.
Invoice2Go can be used to set limitations for team members, especially when managing multiple projects, in addition to keeping your confidential data protected.

How To Boost Your Own Security

While 100% security is more of a utopia than a reality, you can strengthen the firewalls and other security elements of your accounting software to ensure your business is protected from all angles.

Take a look at how you can do so below:

Create Strong Passwords

Forget using your childhood pet’s name as your password. Passwords for business invoicing accounts must be newly generated for its purpose, strong, and complex, with a mix of characters.

Change Passwords Regularly

Securing your password is possible through constant resetting. Keeping to a schedule of changing passwords every two to four weeks is optimal.

Restrict Access On The Computer

Do you know if the people you share your computer with have access to your passwords? It is best not to save passwords on devices or browsers if you are sharing them with multiple users.

Close The Application After Every Session

When you are done working for the day, remember to sign out by clicking on the correct button instead of simply closing tabs or pages.

Use Touch-ID For Mobile Apps

With fingerprint scanning, you can keep unwanted people out. When you are using invoicing software via a mobile application, this works even better than a strong password.

Conclusion

Using invoicing software without any security measures in place can lead to loss of control of your financial records. Hence, business owners must verify that their selected software provider is equipped with standard SSL encryption, adheres to privacy procedures, and uses secure servers only.

In addition to choosing the right software solution, you can improve the security of your billing software by using touch-ID or managing passwords correctly.