IT support for CPA firms and financial services in Tulsa that keeps client data protected and busy season on track
Running a CPA firm means client data you’re legally required to protect, a busy season where nothing can be down, and an FTC Safeguards Rule, an IRS checklist, and a cyber-insurance application that all want the same thing: proof. You shouldn’t have to become a security expert to run your practice.
What running your business looks like — and what gets in the way
Your firm holds the most sensitive data your clients own — returns, statements, Social Security numbers, bank details. From January to April everything runs hot: extended hours, seasonal staff, files moving in and out all day, and no tolerance for a server that’s down or an email that won’t send. Then there are the letters. The FTC Safeguards Rule wants a written information security plan and someone accountable for it, the IRS asks about your WISP at PTIN renewal, and your cyber-insurance carrier wants MFA, endpoint protection, and tested backups before they’ll quote. Reactive IT can’t help with any of that — it only shows up after the breach or the outage.
NSN Management works with CPA and financial services firms across the Tulsa metro as the guide who has done this before. We put the required controls in place, write them down in a WISP you can hand to a regulator or a carrier, keep the environment monitored and patched, plan support capacity for busy season, and make client file exchange secure and simple. You get to run the practice; the security and the paperwork stay handled.
What’s different about IT in a CPA or financial firm
You aren’t just running an office. You’re a regulated custodian of other people’s financial lives.
- You’re regulated whether you feel like it or not — Under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, tax preparers and many financial businesses are “financial institutions.” The FTC Safeguards Rule requires a written information security program, a qualified individual responsible for it, risk assessments, MFA, encryption, monitoring, staff training, vendor oversight, an incident response plan, and — since 2024 — FTC notification of qualifying breaches. IRS Publication 4557 and the PTIN renewal point at the same WISP.
- Busy season has no room for downtime — A server outage in March isn’t an inconvenience; it’s a lost day for every preparer in the building and a missed deadline for clients. Capacity, redundancy, and same-day support matter most exactly when your team is most stretched.
- Client files move constantly — Documents arrive by portal, by email, and — still — on thumb drives. How they move, where they land, and who can see them is a security decision made dozens of times a day. Portals, encryption, and email security have to be designed, not hoped for.
- Cyber insurance is asking hard questions — Carriers now require MFA, endpoint detection and response, backups that are tested and separated from the network, and security awareness training before they quote — and they check after a claim.
- Your name is your business — A breach at a CPA firm is a letter to every client and a story your competitors don’t need to tell. Security is a reputation issue before it’s an IT issue.
The tools you run — and what we do with them
Tax and practice software is your call. We make sure the environment underneath it is fast, secure, and documented.
Tax, practice & document management
- CCH Axcess and ProSystem fx, Thomson Reuters UltraTax and CS Professional Suite, Drake, Lacerte, ProSeries — hosting, workstation performance, updates, and vendor coordination
- QuickBooks Desktop and Online, Sage, and client-accounting workflows
- Secure client portals (SafeSend, ShareFile, SmartVault, TaxDome, and others) and e-signature
- Document management, scanning, and retention that hold up under review
Security & compliance
- Written information security plan (WISP) aligned to the FTC Safeguards Rule and IRS Publication 4557 — written with you, kept current
- Multi-factor authentication, conditional access, and encryption of client data at rest and in transit
- Endpoint detection and response, email security, and monitoring
- Security awareness training and phishing simulation for staff and seasonal hires
- Incident response plan and cyber-insurance questionnaire support
Availability & busy season
- Backups that are tested and separated from your network, with restore times you know in advance
- Capacity planning before January — workstations, remote access, and seasonal accounts ready ahead of time
- Business VoIP with call queues so client calls are answered during peak weeks
- Microsoft 365 configured for a firm that handles sensitive data
Three steps to IT you don’t have to think about
Book a Discovery Call
A focused conversation about your environment, risks, and priorities — no obligation, no hard sell.
Get a clear plan
You leave with practical next steps and timeline options for your environment — in plain language.
Work with a team that answers
Your people stay working, IT stays handled, and you hear from us before you have to ask.
What this looks like in practice
A representative engagement — details generalized to protect the client.
The situation
A Tulsa CPA firm’s insurance renewal came back with a list of requirements — MFA everywhere, endpoint detection and response, tested offline backups, a written security plan — and a deadline. At the same time, the partners knew the FTC Safeguards Rule applied to them but had never put the program in writing.
What we did
We ran the risk assessment, turned on MFA and conditional access across Microsoft 365 and remote access, deployed endpoint detection and response, moved backups to a tested, isolated setup, rolled out security awareness training, and wrote the WISP with the partners — naming the qualified individual, documenting the controls, and setting a review cadence.
What changed
The renewal went through, the firm had a Safeguards program it could actually show a regulator, and busy season ran on an environment that had been planned for it rather than survived.
What changes for you
- A Safeguards program you can show — A WISP that matches what’s actually deployed, kept current, reviewed on a schedule.
- Busy season on solid ground — Capacity, backups, and support planned before January — not patched in March.
- Client files move securely — Portals, encryption, and email security designed so the safe way is the easy way.
- Insurance answers ready — MFA, EDR, tested backups, and training in place before the questionnaire arrives.
What reactive IT costs you
- A breach that triggers client notification, an FTC report, and the loss of clients who trusted you with everything
- A server or portal down in March, with every preparer idle and deadlines slipping
- An insurance renewal declined — or a claim denied — because a required control wasn’t actually in place
- A WISP that exists on paper but not in practice, discovered at the worst possible time
Timely response
Issues get handled before they stall your team.
Truly local
Tulsa-owned and Tulsa-run since 2012; the people who answer your call live and work here, and they show up in person when it counts.
Regular communication
Regular meetings and monthly reporting — you always know where things stand.
- 4.8★ Google · 31 reviews
- Kaseya/Datto MSP of the Year 2025
- Inc. 5000 2026
- Tulsa-owned since 2012
The services that matter most for your firm
Most clients get all of this inside one managed IT relationship. These are the pieces that carry the most weight for a business like yours.
FTC Safeguards Rule compliance
The WISP, risk assessment, and safeguards the Rule and IRS Publication 4557 ask for — implemented and written down
FTC Safeguards Rule compliance →Cybersecurity services
The controls the Safeguards Rule and your carrier require — deployed and documented
Cybersecurity services →Backup & disaster recovery
Tested, isolated backups with restore times you know before you need them
Backup & disaster recovery →Microsoft 365 management
Identity, MFA, and data protection for a firm that handles client data
Microsoft 365 management →Managed IT services
Help desk, monitoring, patching, and planning — including busy-season capacity
Managed IT services →PCI compliance
If you take card payments: scope reduction, segmentation, and the questionnaire you can sign
PCI compliance →Truly local: NSN Management is Tulsa-owned and Tulsa-run since 2012, with on-site support across the metro — see IT support in Tulsa and managed IT services in Tulsa, or how we work in Protect · Empower · Support.
Your questions, answered
Does the FTC Safeguards Rule apply to my CPA firm?
If your firm prepares tax returns or otherwise handles consumer financial information, it is very likely a “financial institution” under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and subject to the FTC Safeguards Rule. The Rule requires a written information security program with a designated qualified individual, risk assessments, access controls, encryption, multi-factor authentication, monitoring, staff training, service-provider oversight, an incident response plan, and periodic reporting; since May 2024 it also requires notifying the FTC of breaches involving 500 or more consumers. NSN Management helps firms put those controls in place and document them; confirm applicability with your attorney or professional association.
What is a WISP, and do I really need one?
A written information security plan describes how your firm protects client data: who is responsible, what the risks are, what controls are in place, how staff are trained, how vendors are vetted, and what happens in an incident. The FTC Safeguards Rule requires it, IRS Publication 4557 describes it, and the PTIN renewal asks about it. NSN Management writes the WISP with you and — more importantly — makes sure the environment actually matches what it says.
Can you help us pass a cyber-insurance application?
Yes. Carriers typically require MFA on email, remote access, and admin accounts; endpoint detection and response; backups that are tested and separated from the production network; security awareness training; and an incident response plan. NSN Management deploys those controls, documents them, and helps you answer the questionnaire accurately — so a claim isn’t denied later because an answer didn’t match reality.
How do you support us during tax season?
Capacity is planned before January: workstations, remote access, seasonal accounts, and phone queues are ready ahead of time; monitoring is tuned to catch problems before they stall preparers; and support is staffed for the volume and the hours. If something does break during peak weeks, it is handled under agreed response standards by a Tulsa-based team, not a queue.
Do you support our tax and accounting software?
NSN Management supports the environment your tax, practice, and accounting software runs on — hosted or on-premises servers, workstations, remote access, updates, and coordination with the vendor — for CCH, Thomson Reuters, Drake, Lacerte, ProSeries, QuickBooks, Sage, and the client portals and document tools that connect to them.
Is client data safe if we use email and cloud portals?
It can be, when the pieces are configured deliberately: a secure client portal for documents, encryption for sensitive email, multi-factor authentication on every account that touches client data, and Microsoft 365 policies that keep files from leaving in ways you didn’t intend. NSN Management sets that up so the secure path is also the convenient one for your staff and your clients.
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Read the guide →Ready for IT that protects your clients and your busy season?
Start with a Discovery Call — a focused conversation about your Safeguards program, your insurance requirements, and what needs to be ready before January. Or call 918-770-9150.
Also serving AEC firms, HVAC, plumbing & electrical contractors, Professional services, Healthcare practices, Manufacturers, and Oil & gas companies — see everyone we serve.