If you run an accounting firm in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex or London, you already know this:
IT isn’t just infrastructure. It is the bloodstream of your practice.
Every payroll run, submission and deadline.
It all depends on systems that are fast, secure, and reliable.
Yet every year, firms head into busy season with IT risks hiding in plain sight.
Not because they’re careless.
But because they assume their IT provider has it handled.
Here’s the truth: many providers offer IT support, but not the proactive managed IT services an accounting firm actually needs.
Below are five hidden risks we repeatedly uncover when reviewing accounting firms across the Home Counties and London.
1. Cloud Backup Isn’t Working the Way You Think It Is
Many firms assume: “Our cloud backup is running. Our IT provider manages it.”
But in real-world checks, we often find backups that look fine — until the day you need them.
Common backup gaps we uncover
- Backups have never been test-restored
- Online backup files are corrupted
- OneDrive or SharePoint isn’t included
- Backups can be encrypted by ransomware
- No immutable backups are enabled
- Jobs fail silently with no alerting
- Legacy backup systems are active in the background
Why it matters for accounting firms
Accounting firms hold high-value financial and identity data. That makes you a target.
So pre-programmed backups are insufficient.
Rule of thumb: if you haven’t had a successful test restore recently, your cloud backup strategy is incomplete.
2. Microsoft 365 Isn’t Secure if not Properly Configured
Microsoft 365 is essential for most accounting firms – alas it is not secure by default.
Firms across Herts, Bucks and London rely heavily on:
- Outlook
- Teams
- SharePoint
- OneDrive
- Excel
- Email-based document exchange
- Client approval workflows
What we often find in Microsoft 365 audits
- Weak or inconsistent MFA enforcement
- No Conditional Access policies
- External sharing enabled everywhere
- Admin roles assigned incorrectly
- Legacy authentication active
- No Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies
- No alerting and limited audit visibility
- Excessive SharePoint permissions
Bottom line: Microsoft 365 misconfiguration is one of the biggest causes of avoidable breaches in professional services.
This isn’t just “IT helpdesk” work.
It requires specialist Microsoft 365 IT support that understands security, permissions, and compliance.
3. Phishing & Email Compromise Are the Fastest Way to Breach a Firm
Phishing is not “an IT issue.” It’s a business risk.
Accounting firms are prime targets as you handle:
- Payroll data
- Tax filings
- Financial statements
- Client identities
- Sensitive documentation
One compromised mailbox can:
- Expose client data
- Enable fraudulent client communication
- Spread malware internally
- Steal cloud files
- Impersonate your firm
Risk increases with a provider who does not action:
- Regular phishing simulations
- Business-grade email filtering
- Anti-spam protection
- Alerts for unusual activity
- Monitoring for suspicious sign-ins
Reactive support helps after the click.
Proactive IT support helps prevent the click from becoming a breach.
4. Slow Systems Quietly Drain Thousands From Your Firm Every Month
This is the risk most firms underestimate.
A slow laptop. A lagging server. Unstable Wi-Fi.
It doesn’t feel like “downtime,”. Sure. Yet it destroys productivity.
Common causes we see
- Outdated laptops and desktops
- Underpowered or ageing servers
- Overloaded Wi-Fi
- Cloud services that aren’t optimised
- Systems freezing at peak times
- Microsoft 365 not configured for performance
- Staff rebooting and “working around” issues daily
What it really costs
If each staff member loses just 30 minutes per day. That’s 2.5 hours per week.
Across a 20-person firm, that becomes 50 hours of lost time every week.
This isn’t just an IT problem.
It’s a profit-erosion problem.
The fix is not “more tickets.”
It’s proactive monitoring, performance optimisation, and planned upgrades.
5. Your MSP Only Reacts When Things Break — And It Shows During Busy Season
This is what we hear most often from partners:
- “They’re slow to respond.”
- “Tickets sit unresolved.”
- “They disappear after onboarding.”
- “Nothing feels proactive.”
- “Busy season becomes a gamble.”
If your IT provider only communicates when something breaks instead of regularly, then that is not managed IT support.
That’s firefighting.
Here are what accounting firms need to operate at optimum levels:
- Proactive IT support (not just reactive tickets)
- Regular planning and review
- Backup validation and restore testing
- Microsoft 365 security management
- Performance optimisation
- Cyber resilience planning
- Fast response
Many MSPs claim this.
Few deliver it consistently.
The Real Problem: Your Firm May Have Outgrown Your IT Provider
Accounting practices are evolving fast:
- More cloud systems
- More remote work
- More regulatory pressure
- More cyber threat exposure
- More reliance on Microsoft 365
- More digital workflows
Your firm will carry unnecessary risk, if your provider hasn’t evolved with you.
The good news?
These issues are fixable — quickly — with the right approach.
Free 2026 Cyber & IT Health Check for Accounting Firms in Herts, Beds, Bucks, Essex & London
For January and February, Tristar Tech Solutions is offering accounting firms a free, accounting-focused assessment covering:
- Cloud backup and restore validation
- Microsoft 365 security configuration
- Cloud data storage risks
- Ransomware resilience
- Device and network performance
- Permissions and access control
- Email security and anti-phishing setup
- Gaps your current MSP may not have flagged
This is not a generic scan.
It’s designed for accounting firms that depend on uptime and data integrity.
You’ll receive a clear, jargon-free report showing:
- What’s safe
- What’s exposed
- Where your IT support is falling short
- What to fix next (in priority order)
Click here to book your free Cyber & IT Health Check.
Protect your firm, your clients and your reputation.
Call: 01707 378455
Email: sales@tristartechsolutions.co.uk
