IT and security for bookkeeping and payroll practices
Bookkeepers hold the keys to their clients' bank accounts, payroll systems and QuickBooks files. That makes a bookkeeping practice a direct path to money, and attackers know it.
We help bookkeeping and payroll firms lock down credentials, work securely from anywhere, and meet the same Safeguards Rule obligations as tax preparers.
Problems we hear about every week
Client logins in a spreadsheet
We move shared credentials into a business password manager with MFA and access by role.
A remote team on personal laptops
We standardize and manage the devices that touch client data, wherever your team works.
Payroll change requests by email
We help you put verification steps in place so a spoofed email cannot redirect a direct deposit.
The rules we build around
Every control we put in place maps to the requirements your firm already answers to, so the same work satisfies your clients, your insurer and your regulators.
- The FTC Safeguards Rule, 16 CFR Part 314
- IRS Publication 4557 for practices that touch payroll tax filings
- Client contract and bank security requirements
Sunesis Services builds, runs and proves your WISP
Help Desk NW runs the technology. Our sister firm Sunesis Services writes and maintains the Written Information Security Plan the IRS and the FTC require, with a fixed-price WISP and Security Six Diagnostic.
What we do for bookkeepers
Managed IT
One flat monthly fee for the computers, network, email and support your firm runs on.
Cybersecurity
Layered protection for client data, sized for a small firm and documented for your WISP.
Co-managed IT
Back up the partner or office manager who has been doing IT on the side.
Microsoft 365
Email, Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint set up securely and kept that way.
Questions firms ask us
Does the Safeguards Rule apply to bookkeepers?
In most cases, yes. The FTC treats firms that provide financial services to individuals as financial institutions under the rule. A short conversation with Sunesis can confirm where your practice lands.
We are fully cloud based. Do we still need IT?
Yes. Cloud apps move the servers, not the risk. Laptops, logins, MFA and email are still where most incidents start.
Start with a conversation, not a contract
A 20 minute call to hear how your firm runs today. If we are not the right fit, we will tell you, and point you to who is.