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 licenseBusiness planThe deed to your company (if you own the building)

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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 recordsBank account informationFinancial recordsPayroll receiptsLoan documentsInsurance 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 informationPersonal Identification documentsBackground checksResumes of current and prospective employeesEducational documents like diplomasProfessional 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. You may also like: Before you sign a document online, look for these signs it’s a scam