IT Services & Cybersecurity For Accounting & Financial Firms
Protect client financial data, satisfy IRS and GLBA requirements, and keep your systems running at full capacity during tax season with managed IT built for accounting professionals.
Managed IT Built for Accounting Firms
Cybersecurity-first IT services designed around the seasonal demands, compliance obligations, and software platforms accounting professionals depend on.
IT Management & Infrastructure
- 24/7 monitoring, patch management, and help desk support for your entire technology stack
- Cloud hosting optimized for QuickBooks, Drake Tax, Lacerte, and CCH Axcess
- Tax season capacity planning with infrastructure scaling before January
- Encrypted cloud hosting and backup with rapid disaster recovery
Security & Compliance
- IRS Publication 4557 and FTC Safeguards Rule compliance programs
- Multi-layered endpoint detection, email filtering, and threat monitoring
- Written Information Security Plan (WISP) development and maintenance
- SOC 2 readiness and GLBA compliance documentation
What Accounting Firms Get
Every service is built around the workflows, software, and regulatory obligations CPAs and financial professionals face daily.
Client Data Protection
Full-disk encryption, AES-256 for stored files, TLS 1.3 in transit, and IRS-compliant email encryption. Every device, every connection, every file -- protected automatically.
Secure Client Portals
Encrypted document exchange replaces insecure email attachments. Clients upload tax returns and statements through portals with audit trails and automatic encryption.
Tax Season Surge Support
Infrastructure scaling, temporary staff provisioning, extended-hours IT support, and stress testing -- all prepared months before the first W-2 arrives.
Security Awareness Training
Staff training on phishing identification, secure document handling, and IRS-required security procedures to prevent the human errors that cause most breaches.
Virtual CISO Services
Executive-level security leadership without the full-time salary. Strategic guidance on compliance, risk management, and security program maturity for growing firms.
Backup & Disaster Recovery
Automated encrypted backups with offsite replication, point-in-time recovery, and tested restoration. During tax season, backup frequency increases to capture every hour of work.
What Changes with Petronella
Reactive Break-Fix IT
Systems fail during tax season and you wait hours for a generic help desk that does not understand accounting software.
Compliance Gaps
No documented WISP, no encryption policies, and no evidence of security training -- risking IRS penalties and PTIN loss.
Vulnerable Client Data
Tax returns sent via unencrypted email, no access controls, and no monitoring for unauthorized data access.
Proactive Managed IT
24/7 monitoring catches problems before they cause outages. Tax season infrastructure is stress-tested months in advance.
Audit-Ready Compliance
Complete WISP, documented controls, and evidence packages ready for IRS field agents and FTC Safeguards Rule auditors.
Encrypted and Controlled
Every file encrypted, every access logged, and secure portals replace email for all sensitive client documents.
How We Work with Your Firm
Discovery and risk assessment against IRS and FTC requirements
Security remediation and WISP development within 30 days
Infrastructure optimization and cloud migration
Staff security training and policy deployment
Ongoing monitoring, maintenance, and quarterly reviews
Annual tax season capacity planning and stress testing
Accounting & Financial Firms We Serve
Frequently Asked Questions
What IT compliance requirements apply to accounting firms?
Accounting firms must comply with IRS Publication 4557 (requiring a Written Information Security Plan), the FTC Safeguards Rule under GLBA, and applicable state accountancy board requirements. Firms handling payment card data may also need PCI DSS compliance. Our compliance services help firms navigate all of these requirements.
How do you protect firms from ransomware during tax season?
We deploy multi-layered defense including endpoint detection and response, email filtering, network segmentation, and continuous monitoring. We also implement immutable backups that cannot be encrypted by ransomware, so your data can be restored quickly even in a worst-case scenario.
Can you support QuickBooks, Drake Tax, and other accounting software?
Yes. We support all major accounting platforms including QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, Sage 50, Drake Tax, Lacerte, ProSeries, CCH Axcess, and Thomson Reuters UltraTax. We handle installation, multi-user configuration, updates, and cloud hosting.
What is a WISP and does my firm need one?
A Written Information Security Plan describes how your firm protects client data. IRS Publication 4557 requires every tax preparer to have one. Your WISP must cover risk assessment, access controls, encryption, employee training, and incident response. We build these programs and maintain them through our cybersecurity services.
How do you handle tax season IT scaling?
We begin preparation in November -- provisioning cloud resources, configuring temporary employee accounts, testing backups, verifying software licensing, and establishing extended-hours support. By January 1, your infrastructure is stress-tested and ready for peak workloads.
Do you support remote and hybrid accounting teams?
Yes. We implement secure remote access through enterprise VPN, cloud-hosted desktops, and zero-trust architecture. Remote staff get the same performance, software access, and security protections as in-office employees.
Ready to Secure Your Firm's IT?
Get a free assessment of your IT infrastructure, cybersecurity posture, and compliance readiness.