A modern accounting practice IT footprint covers seven streams: cyber security aligned to TPB expectations and the ATO Operational Security Framework, vCIO and partner-level IT governance, a service desk that handles tax-season and EOFY pressure, integration support for Xero, MYOB, BGL, Class, FYI Docs, Karbon, and APS, Microsoft 365 identity and email security tuned for accounting practices, ATO digital stack management including myID and Online Services for Agents, and AI governance for the tools staff are already using. Most Perth practices are strong in two or three of these and quietly exposed in the rest.

The TPB cyber security expectations and the ATO Operational Security Framework drive how a practice has to protect client information, manage staff access to ATO portals, and report cyber incidents. We configure the practice IT environment to support those obligations: MFA on every account that touches client data or ATO services, conditional access on Online Services for Agents and myID, secure email gateways tuned for tax-season impersonation, DLP on client tax records, immutable audit logs on practice management systems, and tested backup that can survive a ransomware event without losing client work in progress. The vCIO service produces TPB-aligned IT risk reporting that goes into the partner compliance file.

Yes. Our engineers work daily with Xero and MYOB for client ledgers and practice accounting, BGL Simple Fund 360 and CAS 360 for SMSF and corporate compliance, Class Super for SMSF specialists, FYI Docs for practice document management, Karbon and APS for workflow and practice management, NowInfinity for ASIC company registers, and Annature and Ignition for engagement letters. The work is the integration layer: Microsoft 365 identity across the stack, single sign-on, clean document flow into FYI or SharePoint, and the SBR-channelled lodgement workflows. Platform choice advice stays independent because no practice platforms are owned or resold.

Tax season is the highest-risk window for accounting practices. Attackers run impersonation campaigns referencing real ATO deadlines, real SMSF audit dates, and real client-partner relationships. We harden practice Microsoft 365 against the specific attack pattern: MFA on every account, conditional access blocking legacy authentication, BEC-tuned secure email gateways, real-time alerts on mail forwarding rule changes, and DLP rules that flag TFNs and bank account numbers being sent outbound. Staff training is shaped around the exact lure patterns we have seen used against Perth practices, including impersonation of partners, clients, and the ATO itself. For firms hit by BEC, we run forensic review and AUSTRAC-aligned breach reporting where required.

Yes. Financial advisers running under an AFSL or as authorised representatives carry their own compliance overlay: ASIC expectations on data handling, breach reporting under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, Financial Adviser Standards conduct obligations, and recordkeeping obligations on client advice. We configure access controls, audit logging, and document retention to support those obligations, and our vCIO service produces AFSL-aligned IT risk reporting alongside the standard practice reporting. Where the practice runs both accounting and financial advice arms, we segment data and identity properly between the two.

Our practice agreements are priced per active staff member, with a separate fixed cost for the underlying infrastructure (servers, network, identity, practice management system integration, ATO digital stack). That scales cleanly from a 3-partner suburban practice with 12 staff on Xero to a 40-staff mid-tier CBD firm running APS or Karbon, and on to financial planning practices and SMSF specialists. Pricing is locked for the term of the agreement, with a documented true-up at year-end for headcount changes and seasonal contractor onboarding. Book a free assessment for a written proposal scoped to your team size, sites, and current IT stack.