Cloud Guardian provides managed IT services and cybersecurity to accounting firms, tax preparers, bookkeepers, and financial advisory practices in New Jersey. Work covers written information security plan development and technical implementation under the FTC Safeguards Rule at 16 CFR Part 314 and IRS Publication 4557, multi-factor authentication, encryption, secure client file exchange, tax software and hosted-desktop performance during filing season, retention and archiving, and incident response readiness including the FTC's 30-day breach notification requirement.
The four things firms get wrong
From assessments of accounting and advisory practices across Central New Jersey.
A WISP that exists as a PDF and nothing else
Downloaded from a template, dated two years ago, naming a security coordinator who has left. It describes controls that were never configured. Under the FTC Safeguards Rule, a plan you are not executing is worse than no plan, because it documents exactly what you failed to do.
Client documents moving by plain email
W-2s, K-1s, full Social Security numbers, and bank statements arriving as unencrypted attachments, then living in a mailbox forever. Business email compromise in this sector usually starts by watching that mailbox and then sending a very convincing wire instruction.
Tax software that dies in March
Hosted desktops sized for October, network bandwidth shared with everything else, and a server that was adequate two seasons ago. Nobody notices until the week the returns have to go out and every screen takes eight seconds to redraw.
Seven years of records with no retention policy
Client data kept indefinitely because deleting felt risky. Every additional year retained is additional breach scope. Retention is a security control, not just a filing habit.
Safeguards Rule, line by line
Controls, not adjectives. Each of these is something we configure, document, and can show you evidence of.
- Qualified individual and risk assessmentThe rule requires a named responsible individual and a written risk assessment. We produce the technical risk assessment and support the firm's designation.
- Access controls and MFAMulti-factor authentication on all systems holding customer information, least-privilege access, and periodic access review with a record of it.
- Encryption of customer informationAt rest on every endpoint and server, and in transit for every client exchange, with a secure portal replacing email attachments.
- Incident response planA written plan, tested, plus the logging needed to determine scope quickly. The FTC requires notification within 30 days of discovering a breach affecting 500 or more consumers.
Why accounting and finance firms leave their old MSP.
Legacy providers price like it is 2014 because their stack is from 2014. We run a modern, automated, AI-assisted operation, which costs us less to deliver and costs you less to buy. Same room, better outcome, roughly half the invoice.
| Typical legacy MSP | Cloud Guardian | |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | Alerts nobody reads until you call them | AI triage that opens, correlates and often closes the ticket before you notice |
| Response | Tier 1 reading a script, escalation next business day | Senior engineer on the first touch, 24/7, no phone tree |
| Documentation | Lives in one technician's head | Written, versioned, and handed to you, you own it, not us |
| Tooling | The same RMM they bought in 2014 | Current EDR, current identity stack, current automation, reviewed quarterly |
| Billing | Per-seat minimums, 36-month lock-in, surprise project fees | No minimums, no long lock-in, scope and price in writing before work starts |
| AI | Not in the stack, and not in the roadmap | Used to cut ticket volume and audit every action, with logs you can read |
What we actually deliver
The services accounting and finance clients use most. Everything else we offer is available too.
- Managed IT ServicesProactive monitoring, patching, cloud management, and 24/7 support.
- Cybersecurity AuditFull internal and external vulnerability assessment with a prioritized fix list.
- Email & Cloud MigrationsGoogle Workspace, Microsoft 365, Exchange, and tenant to tenant moves.
- IT Cost ConsultingForensic audit of IT, cloud, and software spend to cut waste.
- VoIP Phone SystemsManaged cloud phones that follow your team between office, home, and road.
- Plans & PricingCybersecurity and email protection on the email you already host, support by the hour, quoted per business.
Questions we get from accounting and finance clients
Do you write the WISP or do we?
We write the technical sections and implement every control they describe, then hand you the document and the evidence. The administrative and training portions need firm ownership because they describe what your people do, and we will draft them with you rather than for you.
Which tax and accounting platforms do you work with?
UltraTax, Lacerte, ProSeries, Drake, CCH Axcess, ProSystem fx, TaxAct Professional, QuickBooks Desktop and Online, Sage, Xero, and hosted-desktop environments from Rightworks and similar providers. We manage the environment those run in and the performance of it during season.
Can you get us off email attachments for client documents?
Yes, and it is usually the highest-value single change we make in this sector. A secure client portal with authenticated upload, expiring links, and a record of who accessed what, integrated into how your staff already works so it actually gets used.
What does this cost compared with our current provider?
Our Pay As You Go plan is billed by the 15-minute block during business hours with no monthly fee and no contract, and fully managed IT on Managed User is a flat per-user figure quoted for your firm. Firms switching to us from a legacy MSP typically land near half their prior spend for broader coverage, because our delivery is automated rather than staffed with escalation layers.
Can you handle a peer review or a client due diligence request?
Yes. We produce the technical documentation those requests ask for, including control descriptions, configuration evidence, and backup verification records.
cGuard Security SuiteTM
Twice the quality. Half the price.
Book a free assessment. We audit your accounting and finance environment, show you exactly what is exposed, and quote what it should actually cost.