IT built for the way CPA practices actually work.
8 years supporting Los Angeles CPA and accounting firms — tax-season continuity, WISP and cyber-compliance support, client data segregation, audit-ready document retention. Founder-led, Sherman Oaks based. You talk to George directly.
The IT problems we hear about most
CPA firms operate under a unique threat profile — sensitive financial data, hard IRS deadlines, peak-load tax season. These are the patterns we see at firms in the 5-25 staff range.
"Our tax software locked us out before a filing deadline"
Translation: a critical system failed at the worst possible time and there was no clear path to recovery. The fix: a documented Tax Season Continuity Plan + tested backups + after-hours support arrangement that understands tax-season criticality.
"The compliance questions on our cyber insurance renewal stumped us"
Most firms don't have a written Information Security Plan (WISP) on file even though regulatory and underwriter expectations require it. We help build the WISP, document the safeguards, and align the controls to the requirements.
"Someone almost wired client tax refunds to a fake email"
Business Email Compromise (BEC) targeting CPA firms doubled during tax season 2025. Defense: email authentication (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), anti-phishing controls, MFA on every account, and a written wire-transfer verification policy.
"Our junior staff can see every client in the system"
Role-based access controls are required for cyber-insurance compliance, defensible data security in the event of breach, and professional ethics. Most accounting platforms support this — most firms haven't configured it.
10-Point IT Risk Checklist for LA CPA Firms
10 questions every managing partner should be able to answer about their firm's IT and security posture. Tax-season continuity, BEC defense, MFA coverage, audit-ready retention, and more. Use it as a self-assessment before the next tax season ramp.
No signup required to read. Email for the PDF version: george@vertait.com with subject "CPA IT Checklist" and I'll send it back within 24 hours.
What's in a typical engagement
Specifics vary by package (see Packages), but here's what most CPA clients get in a Professional or Premium engagement:
Tax-season reliability
- Documented Tax Season Continuity Plan reviewed annually in December
- Backup of tax software, M365, accounting platforms (Axcient x360Cloud)
- Tested restore process — not just "the green light is on"
- After-hours support arrangement aware of February-April criticality
- Vendor coordination for tax software updates and patches
WISP and cyber-compliance alignment
- Written Information Security Plan (WISP) drafting support
- Annual risk assessment
- Designated security officer documentation
- Service provider oversight documentation
- Incident response procedures aligned to cyber-insurance requirements
Client data protection
- Full-disk encryption enforced on every workstation
- Multi-factor authentication on tax software + e-filing portals + M365
- Role-based access controls in accounting platforms
- SentinelOne Complete EDR on every endpoint
- Document retention policies aligned with IRS records-retention requirements (typically 7 years)
Day-to-day support
- Unlimited remote helpdesk during business hours (Essential+)
- Microsoft 365 user administration
- QuickBooks, Lacerte, ProSeries, UltraTax — we know the stack
- Continuous automated monitoring (24/7)
- On-site visits when needed — Sherman Oaks based, reaches most of LA in under an hour
- After-hours emergency response available pay-per-incident
Let's see where your firm sits — before next tax season
Every engagement starts with a no-cost IT assessment. 30-60 minutes. You'll get a written findings report including compliance and cyber-insurance gaps, if any. No sales pressure — most firms learn something useful regardless.