How accounting firms can stay safe and secure?

​The modern-day world is totally technology driven and most of the business and industries are now totally dependent upon technological solutions in order to get expected results from their business. 

Survival of any business without the use of the modern technological solution is now becoming almost near to impossible and accounting firms are no exception to this change. The accounting firms have changed a lot during the past decade and all the operations which were done with pen and paper have now moved to the modern-day accounting solutions like the cloud.

But with the evolution of accounting solutions, the dangers and risk related with the accounting firm have also increased as technological evolution has forced hackers and evil-minded people to use more advanced technologies to breach into your data and misuse it. As an accounting firm, you should always be prepared for any uncertain situation. Those days are long gone when accounting firms used their local hard disk for storing the sensitive financial data of their clients as nowadays; using the local computer for storage is like inviting hackers to get their hands on your data.
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In the modern day world, accounting firms need to use the latest security and safety measures in order to stay a step ahead from the hackers and other evil-minded people who are always looking for loopholes in the security measures of accounting firms. So, in this blog post, we will be looking at some of the important tips which accounting firms can use in order to stay safe and secure. 

Use of secure remote access 

Accessing the books of your clients remotely can be a very helpful and convenient option for you as it allows you and your accountants to work on the books of your clients from anywhere and at anytime, whether they are on the go or sitting at their home. But you should know that remote access also makes your data vulnerable to various safety and security risk and creates a golden opportunity for hackers as well.

In order to make sure that your remote access is safe and secure, you should always use cloud computing instead of using local remote access application as you are not dealing with any normal data of your client’s business, you are dealing with the most sensitive data of your client’s business in the form of financial data. There are various layers of security deployed on the cloud platform which makes remote access completely secure. Security measures like two-factor authentication make sure that only authorized people have access to your software solution as even with the login credentials, you will need a second authentication level pass in order to get access to your data.
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Along with this, the amazing cloud computing platform is deployed with anti-virus, firewall protection, anti-malware and encrypted data as well. So, if you will be accessing your accounting software remotely for your accounting firm through cloud computing, even the smartest hacker will find it difficult to breach into your data. 

Learn the art of staying safe in public hotspots

 If you will have remote access then there are maximum chances that you will use the public hotspot for accessing the data of your clients and for working on their books. But you should know that public hotspots are becoming a major tool of hacking for evil-minded people. It is very difficult to know that whether the public hotspot which you are using in the park, on the railway station or at any other public place is safe or not and therefore, it is very important to take some important precautionary measures.

You should never enter a password for any web service or login credit card or debit card information while using the public hotspot. If you have to make any payment for your accounting firm, then instead of using the public hotspot, you should rather wait for a private connection because delaying the payment process is always a better idea than leaking your sensitive banking information.
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It is always a better option to switch on tethering from your mobile which will allow you to access internet on your laptop without allowing any hacker or other evil-minded people to get their hands on the sensitive financial information of your client. 

Lock-down your network with firewall 

If you want to work in an ultra-secure environment then it is always a better idea to have firewalls on your PCs, cable modems and servers. You can also have a dedicated firewall device which will make your network 360 degree secure from all the possible threats. On the other side, an improperly configured firewall will offer no defense at all and in order to make firewall a strong security layer in your business, you should have the required IT management skill and that’s why you should either hire an IT team or get services from a third party.
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Security is one of the most important things when it comes to accounting firms as most of the clients look at the safety and security system adopted by accounting firm because, in the end, they will be sharing the most sensitive data of their business with a third party. Therefore, as an accounting firm, it is very much necessary for you to focus on your safety measures and keep them updated by using the latest technology and trends.