IT Services for Accountants

The accountancy sector is built on the bedrock of trust, accuracy, and confidentiality. However, this sector faces a unique set of cyber challenges that threaten its very foundation.

Accountants are the trusted custodians of highly sensitive personal and financial data, making them prime targets for malicious actors. Phishing attacks, designed to trick employees into revealing credentials or installing malware, are a constant threat, sometimes leading to devastating data breaches.

The repercussions of such breaches extend beyond financial loss, encompassing severe reputational damage and the erosion of client trust. Moreover, the sector is heavily regulated, requiring strict compliance with data protection laws and regulations such as GDPR. A single data breach can trigger hefty fines and legal ramifications.

Beyond prevention, the ability to rapidly recover from incidents, minimising downtime and data loss, is paramount for maintaining business continuity and client service. That’s why we offer a robust and reliable suite of IT services for accountants, designed to help you protect data, maintain continuity, and recover swiftly from incidents.

The importance of data backup and data loss recovery

In the digital age, data is the lifeblood of any organisation, and for accountants, it is the core of their operations. The ability to access IT and communication systems and information is non-negotiable for seamless business continuity.

Data loss, unfortunately, can stem from a multitude of sources, from sophisticated cyber attacks like ransomware to unforeseen natural disasters such as fires or floods, and even malicious damage. Your capacity to recover from such incidents hinges entirely on the quality and frequency of your data backup strategy.

We understand that your data is invaluable. Therefore, making sure your backup is timely, accurate and, crucially, tested for actual recovery, is paramount. Recognising that each organisation has unique requirements, we have designed a comprehensive range of data backup and recovery options to meet your specific needs.

Physical and virtual server backup options for accountants

Our backup packages are built to safeguard the diverse range of data central to your accounting operations, so you can always access what you need, when you need it.

Virtual server package (including bespoke options)

Many modern accountancy firms leverage virtual environments to host their core applications like Xero, QuickBooks and Sage, and other management software. Our virtual server package offers extensive protection for these operation-critical applications. Here are some of the key benefits for accountants:

• It includes 2000GB (or 2TB) of storage as standard – ample space for years of client financial data, audit trails and internal records, with additional capacity readily available as your firm grows.
• Daily off-site backup ensures that, even if your main office is compromised, your client data and application configurations are securely stored elsewhere. This is a true lifeline in the event of a ransomware attack, as attackers won’t be able to get their hands on data that is stored in a separate location.
• A 30-day retention period allows you to revert to earlier versions of data, which is essential when recovering from internal errors or targeted attacks that may go unnoticed for a short period.
• A monthly backup archive provides a long-term historical record, invaluable for regulatory audits or complicated data recovery scenarios stretching back further than 30 days.

For firms requiring even higher levels of protection and rapid recovery, our bespoke options are perfectly suited. Hourly to four-hourly offsite backups deliver complete peace of mind, as this translates to less than four hours of data loss, even during peak tax season.

Monthly restoration tests of offsite backups simulate a real incident, proving that your client data and applications can be successfully restored, not just backed up.

Physical server package for traditional setups

While many firms are moving to the cloud, some still maintain physical servers for specific applications, legacy systems, or large on-premises databases. Our physical server package provides robust protection for these vital assets.

• As with our virtual offering, this includes 2000GB (2TB) of storage as standard with expansion options, ensuring all your physical server data, including file shares, database backups and specific application data is completely covered.
• Daily offsite backup and 30-day retention offer the same foundational security and recovery capabilities, protecting your physical infrastructure from both cyber threats and physical disasters.
• The monthly backup archive ensures that your historical financial records and operational data are preserved for compliance and long-term analysis.

M365 server package for collaborative accounting

Microsoft 365 (M365) has become indispensable for communication and collaboration in many accountancy firms, housing critical client communications in Exchange Online, collaborative documents in SharePoint Online, project files in Teams, and individual work in OneDrive.

However, Microsoft’s native retention policies are often not sufficient for the rigorous compliance and long-term archival needs of accountancy firms. Our M365 Server Package addresses this directly:

• It offers granular control over retention and recoverability, allowing your firm to set specific retention periods for emails, documents and chat histories that align with industry regulations.
• It also makes sure fully individual mailbox are backed up and restored, so if a critical email from a client is accidentally deleted or corrupted, it can be recovered instantly, rather than losing important correspondence.
• Crucially, it provides comprehensive backup for Exchange (for all client email communications), Teams (for collaborative project discussions and file sharing), SharePoint (for shared client portals and internal documentation), and OneDrive (for individual accountant’s working files), providing an exhaustive safety net for all your cloud-based productivity data.

Secure server hosting for accountancy firms

When evaluating IT services for accountants, the confidentiality, integrity and availability of your client data and critical applications form the very foundation of your professional reputation and legal compliance and must be prioritised as such.

Whether your firm is running sophisticated financial modelling software, hosting secure client portals, or managing large datasets of sensitive financial records, a genuinely secure and reliable hosting environment is absolutely essential to mitigate risks and maintain client trust.

We offer robust secure server hosting solutions specifically designed to provide the protected and high-performance infrastructure necessary for your demanding accounting operations.

Cloud hosting for a scalable and secure future for your firm

Embracing cloud hosting with industry leaders like AWS and Azure offers immense advantages for modern accountancy firms, particularly those looking for scalability, global reach, and cutting-edge security for their financial workloads.

• Seamless migration: Our cloud hosting solutions are meticulously designed for easy migration of your firm’s existing on-premises infrastructure and applications – including your accounting software, client management systems and proprietary financial tools – to the secure cloud environment, minimising disruption and complexity for your team.
• Flexibility to suit your firm’s needs: You retain the freedom to select the specific functionality and setup that matches your firm’s requirements. This means you can scale up computing power during busy periods, then scale back down again, paying only for what you use, without large upfront hardware investments.
• Cost-effective for predictable budgeting: With our secure server room hosting, you only pay for the services you require. This offers a predictable and efficient cost structure, allowing your firm to budget IT expenses without the hidden costs associated with managing your own data centre.

How Net-Defence can help

IT services for accountants need to be proactive, highly specialised, and comprehensive. We are uniquely positioned to provide tailored solutions that directly address the specific challenges faced by professionals in this important sector.

From ensuring your client data and financial records are consistently backed up, rigorously tested for recoverability and readily available in the face of any incident, to providing secure and high-performance server hosting environments that safeguard your most sensitive information and critical accounting applications, we empower your firm to operate with unwavering confidence and resilience.

Plus, if you’re interested in combining our core services like IT infrastructure support with more specific services such as telecommunications, licensing and hardware, our recently launched Business Resilience as a Service solution offers unparalleled flexibility and customisability for accountancy firms.

Our team understands the nuances of data protection laws like GDPR, the imperative of business continuity during peak periods, and the critical need to safeguard client trust at all times.