IT for accounting & tax firms
IT support for accounting and tax firms
You hold Social Security numbers, bank accounts and years of returns for every client. Smartkinect helps you protect that data, meet your security-plan requirements and stay up and running through tax season, with one local person who knows your office.
Book a free IT check-upCall (847) 242-1160What keeps firm owners up during tax season
Small accounting and tax offices face the same threats as big firms, with a fraction of the IT help.
The security plan requirement
Federal rules require tax professionals to have a written information security plan (WISP). Many small firms don’t have one, or wrote one once and never updated it.
Phishing aimed at preparers
Fake “new client” emails, spoofed IRS messages and stolen e-file logins spike every January through April.
A crashed PC in March
When a workstation or the tax software fails mid-season, every hour of downtime is returns not filed.
Client files everywhere
Returns, W-2s and bank statements end up in email, desktops, USB drives and personal cloud accounts.
Seasonal staff
Temporary preparers need logins, licenses and laptops in January, and need them shut off cleanly in April.
Working from home
Partners and staff need safe access to client files and tax software from home without risking the data.
How Smartkinect helps
Practical protections sized for a 2- to 30-person firm.
- Help writing and updating your WISP, using the IRS’s own template
- Multi-factor sign-in on email, tax software and client portals
- Encrypted laptops and secure, organized client file storage
- Daily backups with tested restores, so a dead PC isn’t a lost season
- Email filtering, phishing training and fake-client-email checks
- Secure client portals instead of emailing tax documents
- Fast setup and shutdown for seasonal staff
- Tax software installs, updates and yearly rollovers
- Secure remote access for working from home
- One local contact who answers the phone, even in April
Software we work with
The top tools we support in each area. These are the most common; we work with many more.
1Tax preparation
- Drake Tax
- Lacerte
- UltraTax CS
- ProSeries
- CCH Axcess Tax
2Accounting & bookkeeping
- QuickBooks Online
- QuickBooks Desktop
- Xero
- Bill.com
- Gusto
3Portals & workflow
- SmartVault
- TaxDome
- Karbon
- ShareFile
- Canopy
4Documents & e-signatures
- Adobe Acrobat Pro
- DocuSign
- SharePoint & OneDrive
- Fujitsu ScanSnap
- Dropbox
5Office & communication
- Microsoft 365
- Outlook
- Excel
- Microsoft Teams
- Zoom
6Security
- Microsoft Authenticator
- Duo
- ESET
- Bitwarden
- IDrive backup
Product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Smartkinect is an independent IT provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by these companies.
Simple, flat pricing
One flat monthly price per person. No surprise hourly bills in the middle of tax season.
Common questions
Do we really need a written information security plan?
Yes. Under the FTC Safeguards Rule, tax and accounting professionals who handle client financial data must have one, and the IRS reminds preparers of this every year. The IRS publishes a free template (Publication 5708) that we can help you fill in and keep current.
Can you help us write our WISP?
Yes. We review your office, fill in the IRS template with what you actually have in place, fix the gaps we find, such as missing MFA or untested backups, and update it each year.
Can you support our tax software?
Yes. We work with Drake, Lacerte, UltraTax CS, ProSeries, CCH Axcess and others. We handle installs, updates and yearly rollovers, and work with the vendor’s support line when something breaks.
What about seasonal preparers?
We set up their accounts, licenses and laptops before the season starts and shut everything off cleanly when they leave, so former staff never keep access to client data.
What does it cost?
Plans are $100 per user per month for Basic and $175 per user per month for Complete, with a 2-user minimum. The first security check-up is free.
Get ready before tax season
Start with a free one-hour security check-up. You’ll get a written summary, a review of your WISP and a flat monthly price.
Book a free IT check-upContact Mike