Industries
Accounting Firm IT Services in Pittsburgh
Accounting firm IT services in Pittsburgh that keep client data secure and your team running through tax season.
Accounting firms hold some of the most valuable data there is: Social Security numbers, bank accounts, payroll and complete tax returns for every client. Criminals know it, which is why the IRS and the FTC both set rules for how firms like yours protect it.
PGH Networks helps accounting and CPA firms meet those rules and keep working through the busiest weeks of the year, with 24/7 monitoring of every device, server and firewall we manage, on-call technicians after hours and on weekends, and a help desk you reach by phone, email or portal.
Serving accounting firms across Pittsburgh, including Downtown, the North Hills, the South Hills, Cranberry Township, Robinson and Monroeville, plus Allegheny, Butler, Beaver, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
What accounting firms need from IT
Owner-operated since 2013, PGH Networks provides accounting firm IT services in Pittsburgh from our office at 400 Holiday Drive.
Taxpayer data protection
Returns, workpapers and source documents carry everything an identity thief needs. They have to be encrypted, access-controlled and backed up.
Uptime when it counts
A server or tax software failure in March or April costs hours you can’t get back. Systems have to hold up through the deadline crunch.
Secure file exchange
Clients will email W-2s, 1099s and bank statements if you let them. Your firm needs a secure, simple way to collect and deliver documents.
Written safeguards
The FTC Safeguards Rule and IRS guidance expect a written information security plan, MFA and an incident response plan, not just good intentions.
WISP, IRS Publication 4557 and the FTC Safeguards Rule
Tax and accounting firms count as financial institutions under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, so the FTC Safeguards Rule applies to you. It requires a written information security program (WISP), a named person responsible for it, a written risk assessment, MFA, encryption of customer information and an incident response plan, and it requires you to notify the FTC of a breach that affects 500 or more people. IRS Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer Data, walks tax professionals through the same safeguards, and paid preparers confirm they have a written security plan when they renew their PTIN.
We help you put all of that in place and keep it current: we draft the WISP with you, run the risk assessment, enforce MFA and encryption across your devices and Microsoft 365, and write an incident response plan your team will actually follow. More on our compliance support.
Software we support
We work with the platforms your team already relies on, and coordinate directly with your vendors when issues come up.
Tax preparation
- The tax and accounting software your firm already runs
Accounting & bookkeeping
- QuickBooks Online
- QuickBooks Desktop
Productivity & file exchange
- Microsoft 365
- SharePoint / OneDrive
- Teams
Don’t see your software? We support far more than this. Just ask.
Secure client portals
Email is the wrong way to move a tax return. We set up and secure the way clients send and receive documents, whether that’s the portal built into your tax or practice software or secure file sharing in Microsoft 365:
- MFA for staff on every portal and file share, and links that expire for files sent to clients.
- Mimecast email security to stop phishing that impersonates your firm or the IRS, plus encrypted email through Microsoft 365 for the times a document has to go by email.
- Clear permissions, so each client’s folder is visible only to the staff working on it.
Tax season support
The weeks before the filing and extension deadlines are the wrong time for a server to fail. All of our managed services are covered after hours and on weekends by on-call technicians, all year, so the late nights and weekends of tax season are covered the same way as a weekday.
Before the season starts, we check what can be checked: tax software updates, workstation health, backups of your tax data through Cove Backup, and licenses. Every device, server and firewall we manage is monitored around the clock through NinjaOne RMM, so a full disk or a failing drive is flagged before it stops your preparers. We schedule planned changes around your deadlines, not through them.
SOC 2 for advisory practices
If your firm offers advisory, outsourced accounting or bookkeeping services, larger clients may ask for a SOC 2 report covering the systems that hold their data. We work inside SOC 2 requirements regularly: we map your controls, collect the evidence and close the gaps before the auditor arrives, and we work directly with your audit firm.
Services for Accounting Firms
Guides for Accounting Firms
Frequently asked questions
Do you write our WISP?
Yes. We draft your written information security program with you, mapped to the FTC Safeguards Rule and IRS Publication 4557, and keep the technical sections current as your systems change. Your firm owns the plan and names the person responsible for it, which the rule requires.
Which tax software do you support?
We support the tax and accounting software your firm already runs, plus QuickBooks and Microsoft 365, by looking after the workstations, servers, network and backups they run on. When the issue is inside the software itself, we work with the vendor so you don’t have to.
Do you offer extended hours during tax season?
All of our managed services are covered after hours and on weekends by on-call technicians, all year round, so tax season nights and weekends are covered. Every device, server and firewall we manage is also monitored 24/7, so many problems are caught early.
How do clients send us documents securely?
Through a secure portal or file share instead of email: the portal in your tax or practice software, or secure sharing in Microsoft 365. Staff sign in with MFA, client links expire, and each client’s files are visible only to the people working on them. We set it up and keep it secure.
Can you help us with SOC 2?
Yes. We work inside SOC 2 requirements regularly. We map your controls, collect the evidence, fix the gaps and work directly with your audit firm. The SOC 2 report itself is issued by an independent CPA firm; our job is to have your systems ready for it.
Owner-operated in Pittsburgh since 2013
- Locally owned and operated, with the same owners since 2013.
- Our office: 400 Holiday Dr, Suite 220, Pittsburgh, PA 15220.
- A local team that answers the phone: 724.888.7007.
Let’s talk about your firm’s IT.
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