Back up the whole dealership data set, which for Dealer Garage is one file, after every busy day, and keep copies in at least two places, one of them away from the building. Test a restore occasionally. Customer data in a backup is sensitive, so store it privately.
A 3-2-1 style plan
- Three copies of your data: the live data and two backups.
- On two different kinds of storage, such as the computer and an external drive.
- One copy kept off site, such as in encrypted cloud storage.
A simple routine
- End of each day with a sale: create a Dealer Garage backup.
- Copy it to the external drive.
- Weekly: copy one to off-site storage.
- Monthly: restore a backup on another computer to prove it works.
In Dealer Garage
Settings, Backup saves the database, photos and documents to one zip file. See backup and restore.
A backup log
Keep a simple log of when each backup was taken and where it went. If something goes wrong, you will know which copy to restore from.
Questions people ask
Is cloud storage safe for backups?
It can be if the account is protected with a strong password and two-step verification. Remember the data includes customer details.
Try Dealer Garage
Dealer Garage is installable dealer management software for independent used-car dealers in the US and Canada: inventory, leads, deals, dealer paperwork, Facebook Marketplace posting and email campaigns, with records stored on the dealership's own computer..