Is Method reliable, secure, and confidential? Is our data safe? Read through the sections below to learn about how your data is stored, how it is protected, how it is transmitted between QuickBooks and the hosted server, as well as how you can password-protect specific areas of Method by setting up user-level permissions.

Is our data backed up in case of an emergency?
Data is backed up daily and written to a second backup hard drive instantly (using "RAID" technology). We can perform full backup recovery in the event of a system-wide emergency, or individual company account recovery in the case of isolated data loss. Our hardware is also fully redundant so even if one disk or server fails nothing should be lost and the system should not go down. Our uptime is over 99%.

Where is the data hosted?
We take all reasonable precautions to keep your information safe and secure. Our state-of-the-art redundant server cluster is hosted and professionally managed by Rackspace, a recognized leader in high-end hosting. You can read about their Zero-Downtime network and data center and what makes Rackspace the best place to host mission-critical websites.

How is data transmitted to and from QuickBooks?
Your QuickBooks data is transferred back and forth from the hosted server using secure 256-bit SSL encryption. The Method Integration Engine sits on your desktop computer and communicates with QuickBooks using the QuickBooks SDK (Software Developers Kit), and with the hosted database using "Web Services" connected over an https path. Therefore, any data transmitted is encrypted, and secure.

Which Method screens are secure?
The Method Sign In screen, QuickBooks Tab Links, as well as the My Account and Users Tab Links are secure pages. By default, screens you use and create are using http paths, rather than https paths, as there is a performance trade off for encrypting screens unnecessarily. You can set any screen to be secured using https by customizing your screen, clicking Advanced, and selecting Is a https secure page?.

How do I setup user-level permissions?

• QuickBooks Transactions - Under QuickBooks > Synchronize you can determine which type of transactions get synchronized with Method, and how many days of history you wish to store.
• Tab Groups / Roles - Under Customize > Users, you can determine which Tabs each user is allowed to see. If they can't see a Tab, they can't see the Tab Links or the screens under that Tab, and therefore cannot interact with the data on those screens. This is the easiest way to protect data on a user-level.
• Power User Permissions - If your users are allowed to see the QuickBooks Tab or Customize Tab, it would be fair to consider them power users. However, you don't have to give them full permissions under those Tabs. By going to Customize > Users, and editing each user, you can specify which Tab Links they are allowed to see, which Tables they are allowed to modify, and which screens they are allowed to customize.
• Password-protect screens - If you like, you can even put a unique password on a screen that most be known if it is to be customized. This is an excellent feature for consultants and developers who wish to protect their work.
• User password strength - Under Customize > My Account you can specify the minimum strength of passwords for your users. You can specify the minimum password length, the minimum number of numeric characters, and the minimum number of characters that are symbols.
• Method API - If you have advanced needs, you can allow third party developers to read, and write to your Company Account's data. To do this they must have your Company Account, a valid User Name and Password, and must be logging in as a user that has MethodAPI permission. To set this permission, go to Customize > Users, edit the user, and select Is Allowed To Connect To Method API.

What is the Audit Trail?
Under QuickBooks > Audit Trail you will find a log of every addtion, edit, deletion and sync that has been performed on your Company Account. You can see which table and record was affected, when the change was done, and which user performed the entry.