Moved my store credit ledger to a free app but not sure if the data is safe

Free desktop tools usually drop a single database file right into the install directory. At the very least, find that folder right now and set up a simple batch script to copy it to an external flash drive at the end of every day. Even if the app dies, you'll still have that day's backup.

Back in 2021, we lost 310 thousand TL in balance records on our wholesale food side using a similar free app. We had to pay a data recovery specialist 8,500 TL back then just to get it back, and we still ended up missing a whole month's worth of receipts. Now we pay 450 TL a month for proper cloud-based software, total peace of mind.

Switching to paid software isn't a guarantee of security on its own, either. Plenty of small software companies charging monthly subscriptions shut down their servers and vanish after two years. What matters isn't whether the software is paid, but whether it lets you export your data in a universal format whenever you want.

Man so glad it wasn't worse you really dodged a bullet there. We complain about the yellow ledger wearing out, but at least it never caught a virus. Don't go back to pen and paper though obviously; a reliable system is a must.

Storing customers' personal data—such as names, phone numbers, and debt balances—on unvetted local software with security vulnerabilities also poses regulatory risks. In the event of a data breach, full liability will fall on your business in its capacity as the data controller.

id say export a csv from that free software and stash it away right now and like windows might update tomorrow and the app wont even launch leaving u stranded. happened to a shopkeeper friend of mine.

Was there a clause in the terms or on the website of that free program stating that data isn't shared with third parties? Sometimes free tools harvest customer lists in the background and sell them to marketing firms.

The takeaway is clear: 1) Immediately export your existing data into a spreadsheet format. 2) Ditch the free tools without delay. 3) Switch to established software that handles regular backups and provides technical support.

My question might sound amateurish, sorry about that. People defend habits, not processes. Resistance comes from there.

Just leaving this note, it might be useful.

I've been dealing with this for a long time. Second-time founders don't make the same mistakes but find new ones.

Exactly like that. Pausing growth to breathe is also a strategy, nobody says that.

Here's how it went for us. If you get three different answers on a topic, the question was asked wrong.

That's all, sorry if I went on too long.

Let me clarify the technical side. When we decide without measuring, we always end up in the same place.

Hope this helps.

You're right.

I'm in the same situation, that's why I'm asking. Looking profitable on paper but having no cash in the bank is very common.

If I were you, I'd go this route.

This approach has a cost, which isn't discussed. Solutions that work at a small scale collapse when you grow; I learned this late.

Of course, it varies if your situation is different.

The discussion got scattered let me summarize. Any unwritten clause becomes a point of disagreement later, as both sides remember it differently.

I'm also curious if anyone does it differently.

Generally correct, but one part is missing. When you try to change everything at once, nothing settles.