How to Set Up Automated Encrypted Backups for Your Keap Data in 5 Easy Steps

In today’s data-driven world, your Keap CRM isn’t just a contact list; it’s the heartbeat of your sales, marketing, and operational efforts. Losing access to this critical information—whether due to human error, system malfunction, or malicious attack—can cripple your business. Beyond the immediate operational fallout, failing to adequately protect customer data can lead to severe compliance penalties and irreparable damage to your reputation. This guide provides a practical, step-by-step approach to establishing a robust, automated, and encrypted backup solution for your Keap data, ensuring business continuity and peace of mind.

Step 1: Assess Your Keap Data & Define Backup Requirements

Before implementing any solution, you must first understand what data within Keap is critical for your operations and how frequently it changes. This includes contact records, company profiles, opportunities, custom fields, notes, and any uploaded files. Consider data retention policies—how long do you need to keep backups? Daily backups might be essential for frequently updated data, while weekly or monthly might suffice for static records. Documenting these requirements is crucial as it informs your choice of storage, automation frequency, and recovery strategies. A clear understanding here will prevent over-backing up irrelevant data or, worse, missing crucial information.

Step 2: Choose Your Secure & Encrypted Storage Solution

The security and accessibility of your backup storage are paramount. For Keap data, cloud-based storage solutions like Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, or Microsoft Azure Blob Storage offer robust security features, scalability, and regional redundancy. These services inherently provide encryption at rest (server-side encryption) and in transit, which is a non-negotiable for sensitive business data. When selecting, consider factors like cost, compliance certifications (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR, SOC 2), data residency requirements, and ease of integration with automation platforms. Ensure the chosen solution allows for versioning, so you can revert to previous data states if needed.

Step 3: Select an Automation Platform (e.g., Make.com)

Manual backups are prone to human error and inconsistency. An automation platform is essential for creating a reliable, hands-off backup process. Tools like Make.com (formerly Integromat) are ideal for this task due to their powerful integration capabilities and visual workflow builders. Make.com allows you to connect Keap’s API to your chosen cloud storage without extensive coding. This platform acts as the bridge, orchestrating the data extraction from Keap, any necessary transformations, and the secure transfer to your encrypted storage. Its flexibility enables complex scenarios tailored to your specific backup needs.

Step 4: Configure Keap API Access and Automation Workflow

To allow the automation platform to interact with your Keap account, you’ll need to generate an API key within your Keap application. Ensure this key has the necessary permissions to read all the data you intend to back up. Within your chosen automation platform (e.g., Make.com), create a new “scenario” or workflow. This workflow will typically involve a Keap module to retrieve records (e.g., ‘Search Records’ for contacts, companies, etc.), followed by data transformation modules to format the data (e.g., into a CSV or JSON file). The final step in the workflow will be a module to upload this formatted, encrypted data to your selected cloud storage service.

Step 5: Implement Pre-Storage Encryption & Schedule Automation

While most cloud storage providers offer encryption at rest, adding an extra layer of client-side encryption *before* data leaves the automation platform significantly enhances security, ensuring your data is always protected, even in transit. Many automation platforms allow for data encryption modules or custom functions prior to storage. After setting up the encryption, configure the automation scenario to run on a regular schedule (e.g., daily at 2 AM PST). Thoroughly test the entire workflow, verifying that data is correctly extracted, encrypted, and stored. Importantly, also test the *restoration* process to confirm data integrity and accessibility, ensuring your backup strategy is fully functional when you need it most.

If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: Keap Data Protection for HR & Recruiting: Safeguarding Your Future