Data Backup & Restore
eSecured ERP automatically backs up all your tenant data every night. Backups are stored securely in Google Cloud Storage and kept for 14 days.
Automatic nightly backup
Every night at 02:00 EAT the platform creates a full snapshot of your production environment — jobs, invoices, fleet records, customers, vendors, settings, and everything else in your account.
You do not need to do anything. The backup runs automatically and you will always have at least 14 nightly snapshots available.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Schedule | Daily at 02:00 EAT (23:00 UTC) |
| Retention | 14 most-recent nightly backups |
| Storage | Google Cloud Storage (Africa region) |
| Scope | Full production environment snapshot |
Automatic backups are labelled ⚡ Auto in the backup list. Only the 14 most recent auto-backups are kept; older ones are deleted automatically. Manual backups are never auto-deleted.
Where to find backups
Go to Settings → System and click the Data Fortress & Backup card. The panel has two parts:
- Cloud Backups — the list of nightly and manual backups stored by the platform, with Create, Download and Restore. This is the main way to back up and restore.
- Export Business Backup / Restore Operations — two buttons above the list that save the current data straight to a file on your computer, or restore from such a file. Restore Operations only appears if you're allowed to restore (see Permissions).
The Cloud Backups list shows each backup's date, who created it (nightly ones say system/scheduler), its type, size and status, and when it was last restored. It shows the 50 most recent backups.
Create a manual backup
You can take a snapshot at any time — before a major data import, before a configuration change, or whenever you want a named restore point.
- Open Settings → System → Data Fortress & Backup.
- Under Cloud Backups, click ☁ Create Backup.
- The backup appears in the list, labelled 👤 Manual.
Manual backups are never auto-pruned like the 14-backup auto-backup rotation — there is currently no way to delete a manual backup from within the product, so they accumulate indefinitely.
Download a backup
- Open Settings → System → Data Fortress & Backup.
- Find the backup you want in the Cloud Backups list.
- Click ⬇ Download.
The download is a .json file containing the full snapshot in structured format.
Export Business Backup does the same for your data as it is right now, without storing a copy in the cloud list.
Restore from a backup
Restoring overwrites your current production data. This action cannot be undone. Create a manual backup first if you want to preserve the current state.
- Open Settings → System → Data Fortress & Backup.
- Click ↩ Restore on the backup you want to roll back to in the Cloud Backups list.
- Check the date in the Confirm Restore dialog and confirm.
The platform checks the backup's checksum, restores all records from the selected snapshot — including vehicles and drivers — and reloads the page. Anyone else who has the app open will be asked to reload before they can save again.
Restoring from a file
Restore Operations restores from a .json backup file on your computer instead — one downloaded from the Cloud Backups list, or made with Export Business Backup. Click it, pick the file, and confirm. It works exactly like a cloud restore and needs the same permission. A file is refused if it belongs to another company, if it has been edited since it was downloaded (its checksum no longer matches), or if it isn't a backup at all.
What a restore doesn't change
Your subscription stays as it is now: your plan, licensed modules, expiry date and the features switched on for your company are kept, not taken from the backup. That way an old backup can't undo a renewal or a change made by eSecured. Everything else comes from the backup.
Storage and security
Backups are stored in Google Cloud Storage in the Africa region. They are:
- Private — not accessible without authentication
- Encrypted — at rest using Google-managed encryption keys
- Checksummed — each backup includes a SHA-256 checksum verified on restore
Permissions
Backup access looks like four ordinary permissions in the Roles & Permission Matrix, but it isn't enforced that way on the backend — backup access is effectively locked to the Tenant Admin role, not to whatever the matrix shows. The Restore Operations button follows the same rule as cloud Restore. (Export Business Backup is available to anyone who can open Settings.)
| Permission | Who can actually use it | What it allows |
|---|---|---|
backup.view | Tenant Admin only | See the backup list |
backup.create | Tenant Admin only | Create a manual backup |
backup.download | Tenant Admin only | Download a backup file |
backup.restore | Tenant Admin only, and only if backup.restore is also explicitly granted to the Tenant Admin role | Restore data from a cloud backup or a backup file |
The backend checks the calling user's role (must literally be Tenant Admin) before it ever looks at the permissions array — backup.view/backup.create/backup.download aren't checked against the matrix at all, and backup.restore requires both being Tenant Admin and having the permission granted. Ticking backup.restore for an Accountant or Operations role in the matrix will show the button in the UI but every request will be rejected server-side with a 403. If you need someone other than a Tenant Admin to handle backups, give them the Tenant Admin role — there is currently no way to delegate backup/restore access to a lesser role.
By default, backup.restore is not enabled even for Tenant Admin — a Tenant Admin must first grant it to the Tenant Admin role via Settings → Users & Access → Roles & Permission Matrix before anyone (including themselves) can restore.
Restore overwrites all production data. This action cannot be undone from within the product.
Frequently asked questions
Can I restore to a specific date? Yes. Each backup is timestamped. Pick any of the 14 nightly auto-backups, or any manual backup, by its creation date.
What happens if I exceed 14 nightly backups? The oldest auto-backup is automatically deleted when a new one is created. Manual backups are never deleted automatically.
Does backup include attachments and photos? The backup snapshot covers all structured data (jobs, invoices, drivers, vehicles, customers, etc.). File attachments uploaded to tenant storage are held separately in Google Cloud Storage under your tenant's folder — see Storage usage to check how much of that you're using.
Is there a cost for backups? Backup storage is included in your subscription at no extra charge.