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Security policy

Security Policy Banner

Last updated 6th December 2017

The security of your data is our top priority


Server security

We take the security of your data very seriously and follow best practise procedures to secure our servers, including:

  • Use of fire-walling on sensitive services such as databases.

  • 256bit SSL data encryption of all data going between You and Clear Books, and when Clear Books backs up Your data.

  • Timely installation of software security patches.

  • Use of strong passwords.


Physical security and hosting facilities

Clear Books is hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in top grade hosting facilities physically located within the EU. AWS employs robust physical security controls including professional security staff, video surveillance, two factor authentication for authorised staff access, with all physical access routinely logged and audited. Clear Books maintains multiple geographically separated data replicas and hosting environments to minimise the risk of data loss or outages.


Security monitoring

The Clear Books team continuously monitors security systems, event logs, notifications and alerts from all systems to identify and manage threats.


Availability of the Service

Clear Books uses multiple redundancy technologies for its hardware, networks, data centres and infrastructure to ensure it maintains uptime of the Service. AWS provides 24x7x365 coverage to detect incidents and to manage the impact and resolution.


Disaster Recovery and backup procedures

Clear Books performs real-time data replication between its geographically diverse, protected facilities, to ensure Your data is available and safely stored. This means that should a worst-case scenario such as entire hosting facility failure take place, Clear Books can quickly switch to a backup site to keep the Service running.

Clear Books takes a snapshot of all customer data on a nightly basis after 6.30pm. Once all data has been dumped it is transferred to a secure off-site AWS facility for archive storage.

Clear Books aims to have a minimum of 7 daily snapshot backups available at all times for disaster recovery purposes.


Access to information

Only Clear Books personnel have access to customer data within the servers. AWS does not have access rights to any such data except for the limited purpose of storing the information. At Clear Books, only the minimum number of people necessary have access to this data, and it is restricted to senior engineering personnel.

In some cases it may be necessary to grant access to external vendors for support purposes, however, all access is monitored by senior engineering personnel.


ICB accreditation

Clear Books, accredited by The Institute of Certified Bookkeepers and registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (reg. no. 843585), delivers valued, comprehensive online accounting software for small businesses in the UK.