Accountancy practices hold some of the most sensitive data any small business can: bank details, payroll, tax records and identity documents. We help North East practices protect it and keep systems running smoothly, especially in the busiest weeks of the year.
Practices hold bank details, payroll, tax records and identity documents for many clients, which makes a single breach serious for everyone involved.
Fake HMRC emails and texts increase around key dates such as the Self Assessment deadline, exactly when staff are busiest.
Cloud accounting, practice management and HMRC services mean many logins per person, and each one needs protecting.
More clients now need digital records and compatible software, so your practice relies on stable systems and connections.
When January, year end or payroll runs come round, a broken laptop or slow system costs time you do not have.
Accountants are trusted with the financial lives of their clients. A typical small practice holds bank details, payroll data, tax returns, passports and driving licences for hundreds of individuals and businesses. That makes practices attractive to criminals, both for the data itself and as a stepping stone to clients: an email from a hacked accountant's account is very convincing.
ICAEW, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, publishes cyber security guidance for its members and has highlighted that small firms are frequent targets. Every practice also has obligations under UK GDPR to keep personal data secure and to report certain breaches to the Information Commissioner's Office. We do not give regulatory advice, but we put in place the technical controls that help you meet those obligations.
Scam emails, texts and calls pretending to be from HMRC are a constant problem, and HMRC regularly warns that they rise around busy points in the tax year, including the 31 January Self Assessment deadline. HMRC has said it will never ask for personal or financial details by email or text. The trouble is that these messages arrive when your team is under the most pressure, and the same tactics are used to impersonate clients, banks and software suppliers.
We reduce the risk in layers. Email security filters out most phishing before it reaches anyone. Multi factor authentication on every account means a stolen password is not enough to get in. Short security awareness training sessions, timed before the busy season, help staff spot the messages that get through.
Making Tax Digital has moved more of your work and your clients' records into software. VAT registered businesses already keep digital records, and Making Tax Digital for Income Tax became mandatory from 6 April 2026 for sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000. GOV.UK says it extends to those over £30,000 from April 2027 and over £20,000 from April 2028.
That means more clients on cloud accounting packages, more logins and more reliance on your own systems working every day. We look after the computers, network, Microsoft 365 and connections your practice software depends on, and we work with your software suppliers when there is a problem, so you are not stuck in the middle.
We know January is not the time to replace laptops or move email systems. We plan upgrades, migrations and hardware replacements for quieter months, and make sure systems are checked and up to date before peak periods, so the busiest weeks are as uneventful as possible from an IT point of view.
Cyber Fits is a family run IT company based in Sunderland, supporting businesses of around 5 to 100 staff across Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Teesside. We work with accountants and other professional firms, and we understand that client trust is everything. You get a small team who know your systems, plain English advice and one fixed monthly cost. Book a free IT review to find out where your practice stands.
Yes. Email filtering stops most of them, multi factor authentication limits the damage if a password is stolen, and short training sessions help staff recognise the rest. We can also set up a simple way for staff to report suspicious messages.
Yes. We look after the devices, network, Microsoft 365 and connections that your software relies on, and we liaise with your software suppliers when something goes wrong.
Rather than sending tax returns and payroll reports as ordinary email attachments, we can set up secure sharing through Microsoft 365 or encrypted email, or help you make the most of the client portal in your practice software.
Yes. We plan larger changes, such as migrations and hardware replacements, for quieter months and focus on stability and support during your peak periods.
Yes. We support accountants, bookkeepers, payroll bureaux, financial advisers and other financial services firms, typically with around 5 to 100 staff.
Backup and continuity
Microsoft keeps its service running, but protecting your emails and files is your job. Here is what the built in retention really covers, where it falls short and what a proper Microsoft 365 backup adds.
Cyber security
Multi factor authentication is one of the most effective security steps a small business can take. Here is how the different methods compare and how to roll MFA out across Microsoft 365 without upsetting your team.
Cyber security
Cyber Essentials is the UK Government backed scheme that shows your business has the basic security controls in place. Here is how it works, what it costs and how to prepare.
Book a free, no obligation IT review. We will look at your setup, tell you honestly what needs attention and give you a clear fixed monthly price.
