Datasheet

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Keeping Your Data Confidential
I don’t describe how Windows-level security works in this book. If you are
already employing Windows-level security, you (or someone in your office)
know how to use that tool to prevent unauthorized access to (or the use of)
program files and data files. To use Windows-level security for QuickBooks,
you can simply apply your existing general knowledge to the QuickBooks
program file or the QuickBooks data file.
If you aren’t already using the Windows-level security, you don’t need to go
to the trouble of learning Windows’ complicated security system. You can
use the simpler QuickBooks security.
Using QuickBooks security
You can protect the confidentiality of your QuickBooks data by assigning
a password to a QuickBooks company data file. You can do this during the
QuickBooks setup process. You can also set up a password by choosing the
Company menu’s Change Your Password command. When you choose this
command, QuickBooks displays the Change Password dialog box, which (I’m
not kidding) QuickBooks doesn’t want people to take a picture of, for secu-
rity reasons. To set up a password, you simply enter the same password into
both the New Password text box and the Confirm New Password text box.
Note that your password is associated with the username Admin (which
stands for administrator). Leave the Enter Old Password box empty. If you
haven’t yet set up a password, you don’t have an old password.
Obviously, you want to set your password so that no one (not even a com-
puter) can possibly guess it. This means that your password shouldn’t be a
word in a dictionary. Your password also shouldn’t be a number. And your
password especially shouldn’t be a word, phrase, or name that some co-
worker can easily figure out. The best passwords (from a security point of
view) are nonsensical combinations of letters and numbers, such as f34t5s
or s3df43x2.
After you set your password, you should periodically change it. To change
your password, you also choose the Company menu’s Change Your
Password command. QuickBooks again displays the Change Password
dialog box. This time you must enter your old password into the Enter Old
Password text box. Then you need to enter your new password into both the
New Password text box and the Confirm New Password text box.
QuickBooks requires a username and password before it will open the
company data file. For example, if you assign a password to your company
data file, whenever QuickBooks starts, it displays the QuickBooks Login
dialog box, where you enter your username and password and then click
OK. QuickBooks then opens the data file. If you can’t supply the password,
QuickBooks doesn’t open the data file.