An outsourced bookkeeping service is a fantastic way to reduce your business costs. Outsourced bookkeeping services increase compliance, lower overhead, and improve productivity. However, you might be concerned about transferring your confidential files to a bookkeeping service in a safe and secure way. Here are a few tips.

Transferring Information in Person

Occasionally, a bookkeeping service may require passwords, such as information regarding your banking accounts. These items are often best delivered in person or over the phone; it's safer to tell them verbally than it is to write them down. Make sure this isn't a password you've used anywhere else. 

Transferring Information on USB

A USB can be picked up and used by anyone. When using a USB to transfer data, all of the data should be encrypted, and only a single copy of the USB should be provided. You should get the USB returned to you once the data is returned, but remember: data can be copied. Not only should the USB itself be encrypted, but each individual file should be, too.

Transferring Information through Email

Email is notoriously open to intrusion. You should never transfer confidential information via plain text in email. There are two options: you can use a secured, encrypted email service (your bookkeeper may already have one), or you can send the files in an encrypted format. A popular way is to add a password-protected .ZIP file to an email. The password must be delivered in another way, not along with the file.

Transferring Information through Portal

A bookkeeping portal will often let you upload your files directly to a website, rather than transferring it at all. This is usually a safe route to take, but you should make sure that you are using a secured connection to transmit this data. Don't transfer any data if you're connected to a public Wi-Fi account, and make sure that the URL of the website reads "HTTPS" rather than "HTTP." HTTPS is a secured protocol that encrypts your data as it's sent, while HTTP transmits data in plain text.

Your bookkeeper can advise you on their normal protocols. If their protocols don't seem to be methods as safe as those above, you may be right to be concerned about the safety and security of their service. However, some bookkeepers do use proprietary portals and secured systems for their own data transfers, rather than relying on the methods above.

To learn more about bookkeeping services, such as Deltek outsourced bookkeeping services, get in touch with an accounting company today.