Use this guide to ensure that — even when the unexpected happens — your important files, identification, and financial paperwork aren’t lost.
Use this guide to ensure that — even when the unexpected happens — your important files, identification, and financial paperwork aren’t lost.
From flash flooding to unexpected housefires, events that can upturn your life in an instant are no fun to think about. That’s why it’s important to have an insurance policy for your files. Electronic backups like external hard drives can only do so much — if they’re in your home when something happens, even they will be lost. Even events that don’t directly affect you can interfere with electronic documentation by damaging power grids and backup servers.
Digital documents and backups are essential in a world where USAA says that nearly 100 percent of disaster claims have gone digital. Use this list to start your digital filing cabinet of key docs.
You can only protect and back up what you keep track of, so the first step of your document contingency plan is taking stock of all your most crucial paperwork. Use these lists to ensure you don’t miss anything vital:
You’ll need to take different precautions depending on how you store your physical and electronic documents. Follow these steps to ensure you have copies and separate storage locations to keep everything safe.
While many documents nowadays are electronic, there are still some (such as Social Security cards) that must be kept as a hard copy. And as paper can be easily lost or damaged during a fire or flooding, redundancies are essential.
While no solution will work for every situation, these potential backup options for hard copies will give you a place to start:
Electronic copies of documents are easy to access, store, and search. In many cases, they are more secure than physical copies. But even electronic copies can be lost in an accident. Server room damage, faulty maintenance, and poor cybersecurity can put these docs at risk.
Consider the following measures to protect your important electronic documents in the event of a disaster:
If it’s not well-organized, it can be easy to lose track of documents over time in even the most secure digital backup. But with Adobe Acrobat tools you can keep your digital file cache neatly organized and easy to use:
With fewer resources compared to larger enterprises, it can be a significant pain for small businesses, freelancers, and entrepreneurs to back up and protect files in a simple-to-use system. But it’s still essential to have a plan to protect your files:
When the best laid plans go awry, it’s good peace of mind to know your most important documents are safe in the cloud. Thankfully, digital backup technology like Adobe Document Cloud is your life preserver in times of trouble. It’s a quick and easy solution for all your digital document needs. And you can sleep easier knowing that key files and documents won’t be lost.
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