Accounting firms handle confidential data with clients on a daily basis. Unfortunately, all of this information is a prime target for cybercriminals. One data breach can ruin your reputation with clients, and it can also lead to expensive fines against your business. Staying proactive by focusing on ways to improve data security is a necessity for accounting firms. Partnering with an IT service provider can give your firm much-needed protection, and they are always available if you ever need technical assistance.
Here are a few reasons why managed IT services can keep your data safe and secure.
1) Educate Your Staff
The first step in protecting your data against cyber threats is to educate your staff. An IT service provider can take an active role in training your staff on how to recognize phishing scams and tips on how to avoid common mistakes that can lead to data loss. Keeping your staff members up to date on the most recent cyber threats is also important due to the ever-changing nature of these attacks.
2) Establish Strong IT Security Policies
Another key aspect to protecting the data at accounting firms is to establish strong IT security policies. These cybersecurity policies should cover multiple things, such as requiring strong passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication, and keeping software up to date. A managed service provider can also limit access to confidential information to only a few employees to decrease the chance of experiencing a data breach.
3) Back Up Data in the Cloud
Data loss can happen in numerous ways, whether it’s a cybersecurity incident, power surge, or an employee mistake. Creating data backups of all your critical information is key to limiting the impact of these events. An IT service provider can help you create real-time backups in the cloud to ensure your information is easily accessible. These IT professionals will also test your data backups on a regular basis to ensure everything is working correctly.
If you are an Adagio Accounting user, AccSys Solutions can help you set up automated, simple, and easily restorable backup solutions for your Adagio data. We even have a downloadable White Paper on this very topic. Contact us to find out how we can help.
4) Create a Disaster Recovery Plan
Sometimes a disaster can strike your accounting firm and lead to widespread data loss. Staying proactive by creating a disaster recovery plan with an IT service provider is key to helping your business quickly recover from these situations. Practicing a disaster recovery plan on a regular basis can help employees understand how to respond to these situations, whether it’s a ransomware attack, natural disaster, or insider threat.
Final Thoughts
Data loss can derail even the most successful accounting firms. Taking steps to improve data security is critical in today’s work environment. Partnering with IT services can boost cybersecurity for your business by educating your staff and establishing strong IT security protocols. Uploading data backups in the cloud and keeping your disaster recovery plan up to date are also important aspects of data security. Cyber threats will only continue to evolve, as working with a managed IT service provider can give your accounting firm a much greater level of protection against these criminals.
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