One breach doesn't just cost money — it destroys client trust built over decades. Generic providers don't understand tax deadlines, multi-entity access controls, or what happens when QuickBooks goes down on April 14th. We do — and we build your entire environment around it.
IRS 4557 / WISP
When systems go down during busy season, every hour costs thousands in missed filings and penalties. You need guaranteed uptime exactly when everyone else's IT is straining.
Attackers know your inbox holds W-2s, bank details, and Social Security numbers. One convincing email is all it takes — and accountants are a favorite target every spring.
IRS Publication 4557, the FTC Safeguards Rule, WISP requirements, and state privacy laws create obligations most MSPs can't even name — let alone implement.
Staff touch dozens of client environments daily without cross-contamination. Managing permissions across QuickBooks, tax software, and portals is a security nightmare done by hand.
You're required to keep client records for 7+ years. Without proper backup, archiving, and tested disaster recovery, you're one hardware failure from losing irreplaceable data.
CPAs working from home during busy season need full access to client files — without sensitive data ever touching a personal laptop or home network.
Compliance isn't a PDF on a shelf — it's a set of enforced technical controls. Here's what we actually implement:
WISP mapped control-by-control to IRS Pub 4557, with an annual review cycle and named security officer.MFA enforced across email, tax software, portals, and all remote access — no exceptions for partners.AES-256 at rest, TLS 1.2+ in transit, automated certificate lifecycle management.3-2-1 scheme with quarterly restore tests and a written RTO under 4 hours.During our busiest tax season ever, Xaccel's infrastructure didn't blink. Zero downtime, zero incidents — and their WISP implementation helped us pass our first IRS compliance review without a single finding.Managing Partner — Regional CPA Firm (45 employees)
IRS Publication 4557 and the FTC Safeguards Rule require tax and accounting firms to maintain a Written Information Security Plan (WISP) backed by real technical controls. Xaccel documents a WISP mapped control-by-control to Pub 4557 with a named security officer and annual review, then enforces it: phishing-resistant MFA on email, tax software, portals and remote access; AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.2+ in transit; network segmentation for client financial data; and an audit-ready evidence pack.
Infrastructure scales up for busy season and back down afterward, so you don't pay for idle capacity the rest of the year. Systems are monitored 24/7, and backups are immutable and air-gapped with quarterly restore tests and a written recovery time objective under 4 hours.
Xaccel supports QuickBooks, Lacerte, ProSeries, Drake, UltraTax and CCH Axcess, alongside Microsoft 365, client portals and the access controls staff need when working across many client entities.
Yes. Secure virtual desktops (VDI) let CPAs work from anywhere while client data stays inside the firm's secure environment — nothing is stored on personal laptops or home networks. Client records are retained, encrypted and recoverable for the 7+ years required.