January Is for Prevention, Not Panic
In Salt Lake City, January is the season of checkups.
Dental. Financial. Compliance. Everyone is prepping for tax season, and CPA firms are locking in Q1 workflows.
But there’s one critical checkup that most Salt Lake accounting firms skip: an annual IT health assessment.
Not "we updated QuickBooks."
Not "Jim rebooted the Wi-Fi."
We’re talking about a full-scale network assessment by a local managed IT services provider who understands the specific tech needs and compliance pressures of CPA firms in Utah.
Because "no one’s complaining" doesn’t mean your system is healthy. It just means the issue hasn’t exploded — yet.
Why Most CPA Firms in Salt Lake Skip the Tech Physical
It’s understandable:
- Your client portal is up
- Emails are going through
- No major breakdowns
But just like a firm with zero write-offs doesn’t mean it’s running efficiently, a quiet IT environment doesn’t mean it's secure or compliant.
At Qual IT, we find critical failures every week during "routine" assessments for Salt Lake CPA firms:
- Backups running incomplete (or not at all)
- End-of-life servers that haven’t been patched
- Former employees still able to log into systems
- No tested disaster recovery plan
- Non-compliance with AICPA or IRS cybersecurity guidance
What a CPA-Focused IT Checkup Looks Like (Salt Lake Edition)
When we run a tech physical for accounting firms, we don’t just run virus scans. We evaluate your entire tech ecosystem against real CPA workflows and regulatory obligations.
Backup & Recovery: Your System's Heartbeat
- Are backups completing daily, offsite, and tested?
- Have you successfully restored from a backup in the last 90 days?
- If your file server dies at 8:00 a.m. on April 1st, how fast can you recover?
Many Salt Lake firms assume backups are fine—until tax season proves otherwise.
Hardware & Infrastructure: Aging Tech = Silent Risk
- Are your workstations and servers past end-of-life?
- Are firmware and OS patches applied regularly?
- Do you have a refresh strategy, or just wait for failure?
Legacy hardware = slower workflows, higher failure rates, and non-compliance risk.
Access & Credential Management: Who Can Log In (and Shouldn't)?
- Are former staff or seasonal contractors still in the system?
- Are logins shared among accounting staff?
- Do you know who has access to client financials?
For Salt Lake CPAs, access management is a data integrity and client trust issue.
Cybersecurity & Business Continuity: Ransomware Isn’t Theoretical
- Do you have a documented, tested incident response plan?
- Is endpoint detection actively running across your network?
- Are you meeting IRS and AICPA guidance for data protection?
CPA firms are increasingly targeted in Salt Lake due to sensitive financial data and strict regulatory exposure. Proactive security isn't optional anymore.
Compliance Auditing: Know Before You’re Asked
Whether you're handling IRS forms, retirement planning, or financial audits, your firm is bound by data compliance laws. That includes:
- AICPA cybersecurity framework
- FTC Safeguards Rule (if you do tax prep)
- State of Utah data privacy laws
Failing an audit isn’t just embarrassing—it’s expensive. Let us help you fix gaps before they become liabilities.
Signs Your CPA Firm Is Overdue for an IT Physical
- "We think our backups work."
- "The server’s old, but it runs."
- "We had a temp last year... maybe still in the system?"
- "The disaster recovery plan? I think it’s in a binder."
- "If our admin left, no one else knows how the portal works."
If these sound familiar, you’re not alone. These are real quotes from Salt Lake firms before they partnered with Qual IT.
Preventive IT Maintenance Saves More Than Money
Sure, you’ll save on avoidable downtime, data loss, and regulatory fines. But more importantly:
You get time back.
You sleep better.
You protect your clients’ trust.
You avoid embarrassing tech issues in front of high-value clients.
And when busy season hits, your firm runs smoothly instead of scrambling.
Why Qual IT Is the Right Fit for Salt Lake CPA Firms
You don’t need generic tech support. You need a local IT provider who:
- Knows your software stack (Thomson Reuters, QuickBooks, CCH)
- Understands CPA workflows
- Can audit for AICPA compliance
- Automates backups, patches, and access controls
At Qual IT, we’re not here to "sell you software."
We’re here to make sure your systems are invisible because they just work — securely, reliably, and compliantly.
Book Your Free Network Assessment
It’s January. You’re prepping everything else. Let us help you make sure your IT is ready, too.
Click here to book your free network assessment.
15 minutes. No pressure. No jargon.
Just a clear, CPA-specific health check that can save you months of headaches.
