IT security for tax consultants in Austria
Client data, receipts and authority access flow through your tax office's IT every day. We look after that IT in the background, so confidentiality and availability hold even in peak season. For tax consultants and accountants, from our base in Berndorf, Lower Austria.
A tax consultant's office pulls a lot together. Receipts, accounting software, interfaces to banks and tax authorities, on top of a peak season. The IT should carry all of that without anyone having to look over its shoulder.
For tax consultants and accountants this is about more than technology. Client data is among the most confidential information there is and it is protected twice over: by the GDPR and by the professional confidentiality duty under section 80 WTBG 2017. If that data is lost or falls into the wrong hands, it becomes a matter for your office, your clients and the supervisory authority.
We secure the environment your office software runs in: servers and workstations, access and permissions, network and tested backups of your client files. The application itself, such as BMD or DATEV, stays with your software partner. We make sure it stands on secure ground. If you first want to know where your office stands, the IT Check is the clear first step.
Why an IT Check
Why an IT Check matters especially in a tax office
Client data is subject to the duty of confidentiality under section 80 WTBG 2017. It also covers assistants and trainees, meaning everyone in your office who has access. Your IT is part of what decides who actually has that access.
The IT Check looks at who can reach client data, how access to FinanzOnline and to your accounting software is protected, what is reachable from outside and whether your backups hold, especially in peak season.
Section 80 WTBG 2017, Article 32 GDPR. This is not legal advice. We assess the technical and organisational measures of your IT only. What applies in your case is best clarified with your professional body or a legal partner. To the IT CheckWhat is different in your field
The topics we keep in view at tax consultant and accounting firms.
Sensitive financial data
Accounts, payroll, balance sheets. This is some of the most confidential information clients share. Access and transmission should be cleanly defined.
Accounting software and interfaces
The software you use every day usually hangs off banks, authorities and client portals. Those connections should run reliably and securely.
Authority access and submissions
Access to authorities and platforms is sensitive and tied to individuals. We set up devices and logins so this access stays protected.
Seasons with peaks
Before submission deadlines the office runs hot. Outages would be especially badly timed then. We schedule maintenance and updates so you barely notice them.
The most common IT risks in a tax office
Where tax consulting and accounting are exposed and what the IT Check looks at.
Email as the main way in
Attackers often reach an office through email: a forged attachment, a convincing fake invoice or a link to a rebuilt sign in page. Such messages rely on phishing and forged payment instructions and target the daily work with receipts and payments. The IT Check reviews your email protection, from SPF, DKIM and DMARC to how quickly suspicious messages are noticed.
The environment around your accounting software
Programs such as BMD or DATEV are the heart of the office and hang off banks, client portals and authorities. The application itself is looked after by your software partner. We take care of the environment around it: clean access rights, protection of the accounts the software signs in with, and whether updates arrive reliably. The IT Check looks at exactly these points.
FinanzOnline and authority access
Access to FinanzOnline and other authority platforms is tied to individuals and especially worth protecting. Sign in with a second factor and separate accounts per member of staff lower the risk that a single hijacked password causes damage. The IT Check looks at how this access is assigned, protected and documented.
Backup and retention duties
Tax retention duties and the value of client files make a reliable backup the foundation. What decides its value is the restore: a backup is only worth something when the data can actually be brought back when it counts. How a sound backup is built is explained in our article on backup and recovery. The IT Check reviews whether your backups are complete and whether the restore has been tested.
Home office and remote access
When work also happens from home or on the road, the path into the office runs through remote access. That access belongs encrypted, on maintained devices and separated from the rest of the network. The IT Check looks at how home office access is set up and whether private and business use are cleanly kept apart.
Confidentiality of client data
Client data is subject to the GDPR and to the confidentiality duty under section 80 WTBG 2017. Encrypted devices, a clear permissions concept and protected transmission keep this data confidential. The IT Check reviews encryption, access rights and the routes on which data leaves your office.
How we help
Building blocks that fit together for a tax consultant's office.
Secure devices and access
Endpoint protection, secure sign in with a second factor and an eye on anything unusual.
Learn moreSecure storage and backup
Client files and receipts stored encrypted in an Austrian data centre, with backups we actually test.
Learn moreWorkstations for the office
Computers with encryption and clean profiles that carry your accounting software well.
Learn moreNetwork and VPN
Secure remote access for home office and travel, kept separate from guest Wi Fi in the waiting area.
Learn moreOngoing care
Updates and maintenance, scheduled around your filing deadlines.
Learn moreMonitoring and logging
We see it when a disk fails, a backup aborts or someone signs in who should not.
Learn moreThe IT Check for your tax office
If you want to know how your office is doing on IT security, the IT Check gives you a clear picture. It covers over 100 test points in 8 areas and includes a light penetration test that checks, from an attacker's point of view, what is reachable from outside.
Before we begin we sign a confidentiality agreement, because we work with the same sensitive data your confidentiality duty protects. Data capture on site is done in a single appointment, is read-only and runs without interruption. Your work carries on as normal. You receive the documented findings with prioritised measures within two weeks. The IT Check starts at 1,299 € excl. VAT.
How the findings connect to topics such as GDPR and NIS2 is shown in our compliance overview.
Common questions from tax consultants
What IT obligations do I have as a tax consultant under GDPR and professional law?
How do I secure client data in the office?
What does an IT check cost for a tax office?
Am I affected by NIS2 as a tax consultant?
How often should an office's IT be reviewed?
How does a tax office protect itself against phishing and ransomware?
Terms such as GDPR, phishing or backup explained in brief are in our IT security knowledge base.
First call
We are happy to look at your office's IT
Tell us briefly how your office works today. We come back with clear, traceable next steps for your tax office's IT security.