1. The counter computer is the weak point
A machine holding your entire trading history sits in a public part of the shop, exposed to theft, a failed hard disk, a power surge and ransomware, and is backed up only when somebody remembers. That is the arrangement most shops running installed software actually have. The instinct that local data is safer is understandable and, in practice, backwards — a stolen or failed machine takes the business with it.
2. Backups that happen without you
A backup routine that depends on somebody remembering is not a backup routine. Whatever system you use, the question to ask is whether a copy exists somewhere you do not touch. With cloud records that is automatic; with a local machine it means an external drive or an online sync that runs on a schedule and gets checked occasionally. Untested backups fail more often than people expect.
3. Individual logins, not a shared password
A shared password means nothing is attributable, it keeps working after somebody leaves, and it makes an audit trail meaningless. Give every staff member their own login with only the permissions they need, remove it the day they stop working for you, and tell them the trail exists. Most account compromises in small businesses are not technical — they are a password three people knew.
4. Basic hygiene that actually matters
Do not save the password in a browser on a machine customers can reach across the counter. Use a different password here from your email, because a compromised email leads to everything else. Do not share a login with your accountant — give them a reports-only access instead. None of this costs anything, and it prevents the situations that actually occur.
5. Make sure you can get your data out
Whatever software you use, test the export before you rely on the product rather than after. Parties, items, bills and ledgers should come out to Excel whenever you ask, on whatever plan you are on. A product that will not let you export is a product you cannot leave, and that is a risk to your business regardless of how good it is today.
6. Know what happens if you stop paying
Ask the question before you commit: if a subscription lapses, do the records stay readable? A system that locks a shop's trading history over an unpaid invoice is a risk rather than a supplier. The answer here is that the account drops back to free-plan limits and your records remain readable and exportable — and that is the answer worth insisting on from anyone.