How to Step Up Cybersecurity in Your Accounting Firm

Protecting your personal and business data is essential in today’s technology-driven world. It does not come as a surprise that most of the products and services we utilize today are embedded with high-end security measures. Therefore, cybersecurity companies constantly work behind the scenes on security patches to improve protection of confidential and otherwise sensitive information.

It’s highly recommended that you regularly update your products and solutions to the latest version  to stay secure. This is also true for your accounting firm. If your accounting firm utilizes customized products and solutions like servers, network devices, and custom firewalls, you should monitor them continuously. Constantly monitoring your traffic and firewalls allows you to prevent cyberattacks, which helps you keep your business online 24/7 and protect essential business data.

Steps To Ramp Up Cybersecurity in Your Accounting Firm

Accounting firms are as vulnerable to cyber-attacks as other businesses are. In fact, they can be even more susceptible to these attacks because of the sensitive nature of the business and the kind of data they handle. Follow these steps to improve your cybersecurity plan and protect your firm from cyber-attacks:

Upgrade Accounting Software: Hackers are always looking for a way to get into your system and take control of your business data. Outdated technology can give them easy access because such technology is off the grid once upgrades are announced.

To stop hackers and protect your data, be sure to consistently implement and integrate your business with the latest products. Solutions providers often send updates to improve software features and fix security endpoints. Upgrade your existing accounting software and technology to prevent malware and ransomware attacks. Also, remember to upgrade accounting and bookkeeping software to identify and eliminate balance sheet errors such as incorrectly listed assets or liabilities. Automated bank reconciliation helps improve cybersecurity and also helps accountants reduce their workload, thereby allowing them to focus on strategic solutions.

Cloud Solutions: Cloud computing allows you to move business operations online and lets you and your team access information from your comfort zone. In addition, cloud solutions providers continuously monitor servers, firewalls, and network pings to keep your online business secure and live 24/7. Additionally, the system auto-updates your applications so you can enjoy new features and tools to optimize your productivity.

Access Control and Audits: Grant access to files and business functions based explicitly on employee roles and responsibilities to control the flow of information. Conduct regular network audits to ensure optimal business performance and analyze traffic. This will allow you to quickly identify and eliminate unknown users. Review your IT infrastructure and products and services and evaluate vulnerabilities by performing penetration testing. This will allow your engineers to detect threats, weak links, and security risks before they have the opportunity to harm your business.

Cybersecurity Awareness: Online phishing, malware, and ransomware attacks have become increasingly common; therefore, staying ahead of hackers is our responsibility. Educate your employees and clients on how to identify random or suspicious links and always ask them to verify the domain before exploring a link. Also, ask your team to regularly report network-related problems and monitor email servers to block spammers.

Data and Transaction Encryption and Backup: Data loss can negatively impact business functions and stop business operations altogether, including client-related duties. It’s highly recommended that you create a backup of all the files, emails, and data to recover them when you lose original documents. These services allow businesses like yours to automatically create a backup of all the files you manage and create remote servers. Remote servers and backup features ensure that business operations are always live, even if your primary servers fail.

Any financial transaction should be end-to-end encrypted to initiate and complete the transaction. Protecting transaction details is critical to mitigating bank fraud. Upgrading your current technology can help eliminate these issues.

Tip—Take additional precautions when migrating from one platform to another to prevent data loss. Migration is a tedious task, and unplanned events can erase your business data.

Customized Products and Solutions: One of the easiest ways to protect your business and improve your cybersecurity is to have your own IT products and solutions with custom configurations. Solutions architects and engineers can design a perfect solution that allows you to protect your business data while optimizing the latest technology to push automation and optimize productivity.

A Profound Solution for Accounting Firms

Accounting firms often handle confidential information about the business. It’s always crucial to protect this data at any cost. We always advise our clients to upgrade their existing technology to the latest products and solutions to minimize the risk of data theft and loss. In addition to leveraging the latest technology, you can also utilize cloud technology to access your business from your comfort zone and prevent ransomware attacks.

Cloud infrastructure moves your business online and allows a dedicated team and community to monitor servers, firewalls, and attacks. Cloud solutions providers automatically update your backend software and technology to improve business operations.

They use automation techniques to eliminate bugs and errors. Moreover, they continuously work on security patches and upgrade security endpoints to prevent hackers from infiltrating and compromising systems.

Best Ways to Prevent Phishing, Malware, And Ransomware Attacks

• Cybersecurity awareness
• 24/7 Monitoring
• Encrypt communication channels
• On-demand IT Support and maintenance
• Outsource IT Support and maintenance

Next Steps

• Do you want to gain access to the latest technology to optimize your accounting firm’s business operations and productivity? Get in touch with our outsourcing specialist to learn more about cost-effective modern accounting solutions.
• Please email us at sales@analytix.com or call us at 781.503.9002 today.
• Read our blog for industry trends and the latest updates.
• Engage with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Written by

Analytix Editorial Team