Accounting & CPA Sector

IT & Cybersecurity for Accounting Firms

Accounting firms and CPAs handle some of the most sensitive financial data in existence — tax returns, financial statements, banking credentials, and Social Security numbers for every client they serve. The FTC Safeguards Rule requires a written information security program, a designated qualified individual, and annual board reporting for any firm that provides tax preparation or financial services. Securafy delivers fully managed IT and compliance programs specifically built for accounting practices.

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Why Accounting Firms Are Targets

Your Data Is Exactly What Attackers Want

Tax preparers and accounting firms hold a complete financial profile on every client — making them high-value targets for credential theft, ransomware, and business email compromise.

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FTC Safeguards Rule Compliance

The FTC Safeguards Rule requires accounting firms to maintain a written ISP, designate a qualified individual, conduct risk assessments, and report annually to leadership. Securafy manages the entire program.

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Client Data Protection

Encryption of all client financial data at rest and in transit, access controls limiting data access to only those who need it, and audit logging of all data access events.

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Tax Season Security

Enhanced monitoring and controls during tax season — when credential theft attacks targeting CPAs spike significantly. Real-time alerts for suspicious access patterns.

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SOC 2 Readiness

SOC 2 Type II certification demonstrates your security commitment to enterprise clients and financial institutions. Securafy builds and maintains the required controls.

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Ransomware Prevention

ThreatLocker Zero Trust prevents ransomware execution — not detection after the fact. Your client data cannot be encrypted by an application that is not on the approved list.

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Ohio Safe Harbor Protection

A documented security program aligned to NIST CSF 2.0 qualifies your firm for Ohio Safe Harbor — providing affirmative legal defense in the event of a breach.

Protect Your Clients and Your Practice

  • ✓FTC Safeguards Rule compliance — fully managed
  • ✓Client financial data protected end-to-end
  • ✓Tax season enhanced monitoring included
  • ✓Ohio Safe Harbor documentation provided

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A Securafy engineer contacts you within 10 minutes.

Who This Is For

Built for the people making the decision.

Ohio accounting firms and CPAs handling sensitive client financial data, IRS-regulated information, and SOC 2-relevant client relationships — needing IT and cybersecurity that satisfies both regulators and the firms whose data you hold.

Managing Partner at an Ohio accounting firm

Your firm holds tax returns, payroll, and financial data for hundreds of clients. One breach affects them all. The reputational damage outlasts the technical recovery.

CPA practice owner

You need cybersecurity controls that satisfy your professional liability insurance, your bank’s vendor risk requirements, and the IRS Publication 4557 standards.

CFO of a multi-office tax practice

You need consistent security across every office, every remote worker, and every seasonal staff member — especially during tax season.

How It Works

How We Protect Accounting Practices

01

Tax-Season Readiness Assessment

Before tax season, document current security posture, identify exposure points (especially seasonal staff access), validate backup recovery, and confirm cyber insurance alignment. Tax season is no time to discover a gap.

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IRS Publication 4557 Alignment

Build your Written Information Security Plan (WISP) to satisfy IRS requirements. Implement and document the safeguards required: data encryption, access controls, vendor management, and incident response.

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Year-Round Operations

24/7 monitoring during the busy season and the slow season. Seasonal account provisioning and offboarding handled cleanly. Client data access logged for forensic and audit needs.

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Client Confidence Documentation

Documentation package you can share with banks, sophisticated clients, and your professional liability insurer: WISP, SOC 2 status, breach response plan, vendor risk management, training records.

Industries Served

Deployed across Ohio’s regulated and growth industries.

CPA FirmsTax PracticesBookkeeping ServicesAudit FirmsForensic AccountingWealth Management Adjacent Practices
Frequently Asked

Questions buyers actually ask about IT & Cybersecurity for Accounting Firms.

What does IRS Publication 4557 require?
A documented Written Information Security Plan (WISP), risk assessments, employee training, vendor management, incident response procedures, and specific technical safeguards including data encryption, access controls, and monitoring. As of 2024, the IRS has been actively auditing WISP compliance. We build and maintain the documentation that satisfies these requirements.
How do you handle seasonal tax preparers?
Seasonal staff present a real risk — they need access during the season and offboarding the day they leave. We implement time-bound access provisioning, automated offboarding workflows, and audit logging specifically for seasonal team members. No leftover accounts from previous tax seasons.
Do CPA firms really get targeted by ransomware?
Yes — CPA firms are high-value targets because attackers know firms hold sensitive financial data for many clients simultaneously. One firm breach exposes hundreds of client tax returns, financial statements, and bank account information. The 2024-2025 ransomware data shows accounting and professional services in the top targeted verticals.
What about Microsoft 365 for accountants?
M365 is the standard productivity stack for most accounting firms. We deliver hardened M365 environments: MFA enforced on every account, conditional access policies, anti-phishing for the tax-themed phishing that surges January through April, backup of all client communications and documents, and document protection for sensitive returns and statements.
How does this support cyber insurance for accounting firms?
Accounting firm cyber insurance underwriters now specifically ask about MFA on all client portals, EDR on all employee devices, security awareness training completion, and WISP documentation. Our service produces the evidence insurers require, and our team supports your application and renewal directly.
Can you support firms using ProConnect, UltraTax, Lacerte, or Drake?
Yes. We support the major tax software platforms used by Ohio firms, including ProConnect, UltraTax CS, Lacerte, Drake, ATX, TaxWise, and CCH ProSystem. Backup, security configuration, and operational continuity for tax software are part of standard onboarding.
Related Services
Cybersecurity Compliance for Accounting →Microsoft 365 & Azure Management →Managed Security →Compliance as a Service →