What are you actually paying for when you hire a managed IT provider?
For many accounting firms, the answer is not entirely clear.
They know someone answers the phone when Outlook stops working. Someone installs new computers. Someone probably manages the server and firewall.
But managed IT for an accounting firm should go significantly further than troubleshooting.
Modern CPA firms depend on technology for almost every part of their work. Tax preparation, document management, client communication, remote access, Microsoft 365, practice management, backups, cybersecurity, printing, scanning, and secure document sharing all depend on a technology environment that works together.
At the same time, accounting firms handle highly sensitive client information and operate under intense deadlines.
That combination changes what firms should expect from an IT company.
Here is what comprehensive managed IT for an accounting firm should include.
Proactive Monitoring and Maintenance
Managed IT begins with prevention.
Traditional break-fix IT waits until something stops working.
Managed IT actively monitors technology and looks for warning signs.
That can include monitoring workstations, servers, network equipment, storage, backup systems, security tools, and other critical infrastructure.
If a server’s storage is approaching capacity, someone should see that before it reaches 100%.
If backup software begins failing, someone should investigate.
If a security agent stops communicating, someone should know.
If a workstation is missing important updates, there should be a process for correcting it.
Good monitoring cannot guarantee that nothing will ever fail. Technology still breaks.
The goal is to reduce avoidable failures and identify issues sooner.
Cybersecurity Protection
Cybersecurity cannot be treated as a separate optional add-on for accounting firms.
It should be integrated into the IT strategy.
Depending on the firm’s environment and risk profile, that may include endpoint protection, threat detection and response, multi-factor authentication, email security, DNS or web filtering, encryption, vulnerability management, secure configurations, access controls, monitoring, and security awareness training.
Your provider should also help eliminate basic security weaknesses.
Are employees local administrators unnecessarily?
Are old accounts still enabled?
Does every important cloud platform use MFA?
Are computers receiving security patches?
Are employees using unsupported systems?
Are remote workers properly protected?
Managed IT for an accounting firm should continuously address these questions rather than waiting for an annual security conversation.
Backup and Disaster Recovery
Backup should be one of the most carefully managed parts of an accounting firm’s technology environment.
Tax information, client documents, accounting databases, and business records can be difficult—or impossible—to recreate after a major loss.
A managed IT provider should understand:
- What information is being backed up
- How frequently backups occur
- Where backups are stored
- Whether they are adequately protected
- Whether backup jobs are succeeding
- How quickly systems could be restored
- Who is responsible for recovery
Backups should also be tested.
Finding out during a ransomware incident that your backup has not completed successfully in two months is unacceptable.
Disaster recovery goes beyond having a copy of your files. It involves determining how the firm would resume operations after a serious outage.
Fast and Accessible Help Desk Support
Employees still need someone to call.
That sounds basic, but help desk quality has a major impact on an accounting firm’s productivity.
A good support process should give employees a clear way to request assistance and provide appropriate escalation when an issue is urgent.
Accounting firms should pay particular attention to support during tax season.
The difference between a minor inconvenience and an operational emergency can depend on the calendar.
One employee experiencing a tax software problem in July is frustrating.
Twenty employees unable to access that same application days before an important deadline is a completely different situation.
Managed IT for an accounting firm should account for that business reality.
The provider needs to understand which applications, systems, people, and deadlines are most important to your operation.
Microsoft 365 and Cloud Management
Microsoft 365 has become an essential platform for many accounting firms.
But simply purchasing licenses does not mean the environment is configured securely or efficiently.
Managed IT should include ongoing management of accounts, permissions, security settings, licensing, email, collaboration platforms, and other Microsoft 365 components used by the firm.
The same principle applies to other cloud applications.
As firms adopt more cloud platforms, identity and access management become increasingly important.
New employees need appropriate access.
Departing employees need access removed.
Employees changing positions may need permissions updated.
Administrative accounts should be tightly controlled.
MFA should be appropriately enforced.
Cloud management should be an intentional process rather than a collection of settings accumulated over several years.
Secure Remote Access
Accounting professionals increasingly expect to work outside the office.
That could mean working from home, traveling between client locations, supporting multiple offices, or simply needing secure access after normal business hours.
Remote work should be both convenient and secure.
A managed provider should evaluate how employees connect to firm resources and determine whether appropriate safeguards are in place.
Depending on the environment, that could involve secure cloud applications, VPN technology, remote desktop infrastructure, managed devices, MFA, endpoint security, or other controls.
Employees should not have to invent their own workarounds to access information remotely.
If they do, those workarounds can quickly become security problems.
Security and Compliance Support
Accounting firms often know they are responsible for protecting client information but are less certain about how their technology controls support that responsibility.
IT providers should not pretend to be attorneys or replace qualified compliance advisors.
However, a provider serving CPA firms should understand the technical side of protecting sensitive information.
The FTC’s Safeguards Rule requires covered financial institutions to maintain safeguards designed to protect customer information, and FTC guidance includes tax preparation firms among its examples of financial institutions.
That guidance addresses areas including risk assessments, access controls, encryption, monitoring, security testing, training, and service-provider oversight.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology also maintains the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0, which gives organizations of different sizes and sectors a framework for understanding and managing cybersecurity risk.
Your managed IT provider should be able to explain how your technology and cybersecurity controls fit into your firm’s broader risk-management program.
Hardware and Technology Lifecycle Management
Computers do not last forever.
Neither do servers, firewalls, wireless access points, switches, or other infrastructure.
One important part of managed IT for an accounting firm is knowing what equipment the firm owns, how old it is, when warranties expire, and when replacement should be considered.
Without lifecycle planning, equipment tends to be replaced only after it fails.
That creates unnecessary emergencies.
A mature managed IT relationship should allow leadership to anticipate larger technology expenses and budget for them.
Instead of finding out in February that eight computers desperately need replacement, the firm should know months in advance.
Vendor Management
Accounting firms often depend on numerous technology vendors.
Tax software.
Practice management software.
Document management.
Internet service.
Phones.
Copiers.
Microsoft.
Cloud providers.
Cybersecurity platforms.
When something breaks, employees may not know which vendor is responsible.
Your managed IT provider should help coordinate these relationships when technology problems overlap.
For example, if a tax software vendor says the problem is the network and the network appears healthy, your managing partner should not have to spend three hours going back and forth between vendors.
The MSP should help troubleshoot the problem and communicate technical information.
That ownership can save leadership significant time and frustration.
You can learn more about Iler Networking & Computing’s broader managed IT and cybersecurity services.
Strategic Technology Planning
Perhaps the biggest difference between managed IT and basic IT support is planning.
A firm should have some idea of where its technology environment is headed.
What equipment needs replacement next year?
How will the technology environment support growth?
Could a new office be added?
Should an aging server be replaced or moved to a different architecture?
Are software costs increasing unnecessarily?
Are cybersecurity controls keeping up?
What should the firm budget for?
What projects should happen before the next tax season?
Your MSP should help answer those questions.
The goal is to turn IT from a collection of surprise expenses into a managed business function.
Your Accounting Firm Needs More Than Someone Who Fixes Computers
Ultimately, managed IT for an accounting firm should provide responsibility and accountability.
Someone should be thinking about the environment when you are not.
Someone should be checking backups.
Someone should be watching cybersecurity alerts.
Someone should be planning upgrades.
Someone should be maintaining systems.
Someone should be preparing for tax season.
Someone should be helping employees when problems arise.
And someone should be able to sit down with firm leadership and explain—in understandable terms—where the firm’s technology is strong and where additional attention is needed.
That is the difference between having an IT vendor and having an IT partner.
Your accountants should be spending their time serving clients, preparing returns, advising businesses, and growing the firm.
They should not be troubleshooting networks or wondering whether last night’s backup worked.
If you are unsure whether your current provider is delivering everything managed IT for an accounting firm should include, a good first step is simply evaluating what you have today.
Schedule a CPA IT Analysis with Iler Networking & Computing.
We can review your current IT environment, identify potential technology and cybersecurity concerns, and help you understand where your firm may have opportunities to improve reliability, security, and long-term planning.
