Page 10 May 2017
WHEN BACKING UP YOUR DATA IS NOT A GOOD SOLUTION
There are two types of people in this world : those who never back up anything and those who have lost everything and are now fanatical about backups . Until you have lost all of your data and your business comes to a grinding halt , most folks do not pay a lot of attention to backups .
We know from the experiences of our customers that data loss always seems to occur at the worst times . This can be the day before payroll . It can be in January just before you start to close and prepare for the tax season - no W2s this year . Monitored Backups A backup that is not monitored isn ’ t actually a backup at all . Its just gives you a false sense of security . There is nothing quite as disheartening as to have a customer say “ We do have a backup ,” only to discover that the backup stopped working 6 months ago . Daily monitoring to make sure that the backup is happening on schedule is essential . Retention Retention is the number of days you keep your backed up data . If you are backing up , but need a Quickbooks company file from last year or the year before , you probably don ’ t have it .
If you run the same backup every night you probably don ’ t have anything from the day before . If this is your plan , a virus like Ransomware will wipe your business off the map and you may never recover . It ’ s important to have a plan that gives you the right retention for your business needs . Archives Some data you only need to keep for thirty days . Some data may have to be kept for years or forever . It is important to have a backup strategy that separates this data out so that its not gone in thirty days . Business Continuity I attended a talk on Managing a Business Crisis . The speaker was the Chairman of the board of the institution in San Bernardino that was attacked by two terrorists that killed 14 people . What you didn ’ t know is the FBI shut down the building as a crime scene and
TAXES TIMELY FILED — NOW WHAT ?
by Angelia White
The April 18th tax filing deadline has finally passed . Many managed to successfully beat the clock , even if that meant filing an extension . For some , the stress to get 2016 ( and perhaps earlier years ) is still a struggle .
If getting the tax return filed timely isn ’ t stressful enough , receiving Internal Revenue Service ( IRS ) notices adds an additional layer of anxiety and pressure that many taxpayers simply don ’ t have the time , energy , or know-how to deal with .
Here are some things to keep in mind should you be one of the “ lucky ” taxpayers who receives an IRS notice . allowed no one into the building for 6 weeks . Think about that for a minute . No access to your network , your computers , your data , your files , or even your phone system - for 6 weeks .
They had 750 employees who were expecting paychecks the next day . Vendors expected to get paid at the end of the week . Utilities needed to be paid . 35,000 people depended on their services . Think about the difficulties you would face if you lost access to your building and offices for 6 weeks .
Fortunately they had a Business Continuity Plan in Place .
Within 9 hours they had office space and cellular internet setup . A vendor delivered 650 iPads in 2 hours . They were able to virtualize all of their important servers and workstations in the cloud and opened the next day to meet payroll and the needs of the 35,000 people that depended on their services . An amazing story .
What ’ s your Business Continuity Plan ? You may not get shut down by the FBI , but if your building burned
First , don ’ t panic . The IRS sends letters for many reasons . For instance , it could be to inform a taxpayer about a simple correction to the tax return . For instance , they may have updated the street address on the return . If prior year returns filed generally show an address of 21 Jump Street , but the current return now has 21 Jump St ., the IRS may correct the information and send a letter referencing the change . In this example , the key is staying consistent in reporting tax demographics .
The IRS could also make changes to other areas such as the adjusted gross income , which could potentially lead to more taxes due . If you agree with the correction , there is no need to reply - just pay
By Selective Solutions
down or all of your computers were stolen in a burglary how do you intend to meet payroll and handle your receivables to keep money coming in to keep your business afloat ?
The loss of a server or a workstation that stores your business ’ critical data due to a hardware failure may take days to repair . Even if you have a data backup where you can restore the data , you still have to install all of the software that was on it , provided you still have all of the keys , licenses and disks .
It can be a mess . What if you
the balance if a payment is due . If you disagree with the correction , make sure you respond in writing to explain why you disagree and include documents to support your position . Allow at least 30 days to receive a response from the IRS .
In conclusion , if you receive an IRS notice , make sure to review it carefully , don ’ t panic , and follow proper steps according to nature of the letter . Remember , seek the help
GEORGIA CONGRESSMAN JODY HICE TOURS NEWTON COUNTY BUSINESSES
The Newton / Covington Office of Economic Development ( NCOED ) hosted Georgia Congressman Jody Hice this week on a tour of the area ’ s biggest business residents . The OED sought to give Hice , who represents Georgia ’ s 10th district , a picture of the economic opportunities presented by the current businesses located in the Newton / Covington / Walton area , as well as by some of the newer businesses just now breaking ground there .
“ Almost 100,000 people moved to metro Atlanta last year , many in search of job opportunities ,” said David Bernd , vice president of economic development , NCOED . “ Our job is to continue to build a quality talent pool and recruit residents within the Metro Atlanta region to make Newton County their home , which increases our potential workforce . That will in turn attract more businesses to relocate to Newton and continue to encourage our existing businesses to expand operations .”
The Atlanta area is the ninthlargest metropolitan statistical area in the country . The region grew by 1.6 percent from 2015 to 2016 , boosting its population to 5,789,700 . Metro Atlanta also added 77,000 jobs last year , the third-highest total among the nation ’ s 12 largest metro areas , according to the U . S . Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Atlanta Regional Commission .
The 29-county Atlanta area trailed only Dallas and Phoenix . 1,144 of those new jobs were in the Newton / Covington / Walton area .
Hice visited three businesses on his tour of the region , which took place on Tuesday , April 11 . Bard Medical , a division of C . R . Bard , Inc ., and Bridgestone Golf are both long-term business residents of Covington ; the two together employ about 1,000 . The third site on Hice ’ s visit was the future location of Three Ring Studios , a film , TV , music and video game production site scheduled to be operational by December 2017 with a potential for up to 3,000 new jobs , 2,000 in the county .
“ Newton County has done a
remarkable job of building a thriving community that includes quality of life , good schools and just enough distance from metro Atlanta to retain that sense of ‘ small town ’ community ,” added Bernd . “ People are encouraged to settle here , to build a long-term future with a job and a family . I predict we will continue to see significant growth here over the next decade .”
About The Newton / Covington Office of Economic Development
The Newton / Covington Office Of Economic Development ( NCOED ) is a public partnership funded by City of Covington and Newton County Chamber of Commerce , City of Covington and Newton County to act as a single point of could get that workstation backup and running in less than thirty minutes ? What would that be worth ?
This is why simply backing up your data is not a good solution . You have to think your backup strategy through and design a strategy that fits your needs . There is no “ one size fits all ” solution , but there is a solution that fits your needs .
Contact Selective Solutions LLC for more information at 770-929-1155 and visit www . selectivesolutions . com .
of your local Enrolled Agent , Tax Attorney , or CPA should your tax situation become too overwhelming to manage on your own .
Angelia White , MBA , EA is a tax advisor and financial management consultant with AcctPier Business Solutions LLC . For more helpful tips and information , visit www . acctpier . com . Follow them on facebook . com / acctpier and twitter . com / AcctPier .
contact for economic development projects within Newton County and serve as a true regional partner with the Newton / Walton County area . NCOED is responsible for recruiting new business and industry ; working with existing business and industry on expansions and retention ; developing a workforce that is “ second to none ” in the nation ; and driving development to become the Northeast Georgia Regional Retail Hub .
Find out more at selectnewton . com , and follow us on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn , YouTube and Instagram .
Georgia Congressman Jody Hice and NCOED Vice President of Economic Development David Bernd visit the future home of Three Ring Studios in Covington . ( Photo credit : Eric Goldstein )
Adam Rehberg , Bridgestone Golf , prepares Georgia Congressman Jody Hice for a demonstration of the golf balls manufactured in the Covington Bridgestone plant . ( Photo credit : Eric Goldstein )