If your firm prepares tax returns or handles client financial data, you are required to have a written security plan. We build it around how your firm actually works and hand you the keys. Here is the requirement, from the FTC and the IRS.
FTC Safeguards Rule, 16 CFR 314.2: "An accountant or other tax preparation service that is in the business of completing income tax returns is a financial institution."
IRS Publication 4557 is just as direct: under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, tax and accounting professionals are treated as financial institutions and must put a written data security plan in place.
That plan is a Written Information Security Plan, or WISP. Most firms know they need one and have not had time to build it. We build it for you, around how your firm runs, and hand you the keys.
Sources: FTC Safeguards Rule (16 CFR Part 314) and IRS Publication 4557. Ocala Cyber builds and documents your security plan. We do not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice, and we do not guarantee compliance with any rule or regulation.The threats aimed at firms that hold Social Security numbers, W-2s, and bank details, and the defense we put in place for each.
A fake client or vendor email arrives during your busiest weeks. We lock down your email so a single click cannot hand over the keys.
Your files hold Social Security numbers and bank details. We make sure access is controlled and that exposure is closed off.
An attacker reroutes a client payment or sends a fake invoice from your address. Strong email authentication stops the impersonation.
A reused or stolen password opens your email or client portal. We set up the logins and controls that keep it shut.
The Safeguards Rule expects specific, documented pieces. We build each one around your firm, in detail.
Detailed documents and real assessments, built around how your firm works and yours to keep. No software to buy, and no per-seat contract.
We build and document the WISP the FTC and IRS expect, specific to how your firm runs. Detailed, genuinely useful, and yours to keep, not a template.
We go past the paperwork and harden the systems you use every day: your computers and phones, your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, your office WiFi, and your email authentication, closing the gaps that let tax-season phishing and account takeover through.
A practical playbook for the first hour of a breach, so the firm responds with a plan instead of guesswork.
We turn your real setup into accurate answers for your cyber insurance application, so coverage holds when you need it.
We work alongside them as your independent security check, confirming the protection you pay for is actually in place. This is a review, not a penetration test.
A local cybersecurity analyst who knows your setup, one call away when a question comes up.
Every engagement is scoped to your firm's size and needs. Ask for a fixed-scope quote on your free consult.
Ocala Cyber provides cybersecurity assessments, documentation, and advisory services. We do not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice, and we do not guarantee compliance with the FTC Safeguards Rule, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, IRS requirements, or any other rule or regulation, or any particular outcome. Citations are provided for context and were verified against the FTC Safeguards Rule (16 CFR Part 314) and IRS Publication 4557.