Cyber Security for Accountants — UK Accountancy & Bookkeeping Firms
UK accountancy firms handle hundreds of client tax files, monthly payroll, and HMRC submissions, making email-based fraud the #1 attack vector. Accountants are top-tier ransomware targets because their payment data, client lists, and HMRC credentials are all in one mailbox. We deliver monitoring + MFA + ICO awareness to prevent the predictable next breach.
400+
average active client files per UK accountancy firm — concentrated risk exposure
30 days+
average time a mailbox compromise goes undetected without monitoring
24/7
Gridisys managed SOC for UK accountants — no contract
72 hrs
ICO Article 33 notification window from awareness
Cybersecurity Consulting + 24/7 SOC Monitoring
Every Gridisys engagement is built on two pillars — strategic consulting to design the right controls, and managed SOC monitoring to keep them effective.
Cybersecurity Consulting
UK consulting engagements: risk assessment, security architecture, conditional access design, compliance (Cyber Essentials, UK GDPR, FCA PS21/3, NIS2), incident-response planning. Board-ready documentation, no jargon, no surprise invoices.
- Risk assessment + security architecture review
- Conditional access + Entra ID hardening design
- Cyber Essentials / UK GDPR / FCA / NIS2 compliance support
- Incident response planning + tabletop exercises
- Vendor + supply-chain security assessment
- Board / DPO reporting + evidence pack
Managed SOC Monitoring · 24/7
AI-augmented Security Operations Centre — continuous monitoring across Microsoft 365 / Entra ID, Defender, on-prem, and cloud. UK-based analysts, sub-hour triage on critical alerts. No long contract required.
- 24/7 SIEM monitoring — Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Defender, Azure, on-prem logs
- BEC + mailbox-compromise + OAuth grant abuse detection
- Suspicious sign-in + conditional access drift alerting
- Ransomware + lateral-movement detection from EDR + Defender
- Sub-hour triage on critical alerts, monthly ops report
- Optional + integrated with consulting engagements
Most engagements start with consulting (1-2 weeks), then SOC monitoring (ongoing ) keeps the controls effective.
Pricing tailored to your needs
Every engagement is scoped to your environment and requirements. Book a free consultation for a tailored quote — no obligation.
What we cover
Practical, board-ready consulting — no jargon, no surprise invoices.
Managed SOC for M365 / Entra
24/7 monitoring of partner + staff mailboxes, conditional access policy drift, malicious Inbox rule creation, OAuth consent grants — the patterns of mailbox takeover and BEC adaptation.
Supplier / HMRC bank-detail fraud prevention
Accountants get ATED payment letters, PAYE notifications, and VAT remittances. Phishing imitates HMRC to redirect these into 'the new HMRC account'. We help configure email security + staff training to identify HMRC-brand impersonation patterns.
Client trust fund controls
Where firms hold client money, ICAEW / ACCA own compliance rules apply. We document the access controls, MFA coverage, and segregated mailbox arrangement that evidences your client money segregation.
Making Tax Digital data protection
MTD forced accountants into cloud accounting (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage) — these accounts hold sensitive client finance data. We document OAuth-jacking risk on accounting-superuser integrations and recommend least-privilege design.
ICO notification readiness
An accountant's mailbox compromise is almost always a personal data breach (clients' tax files, addresses, UTR numbers in mail headers). We pre-prepare the Article 33 risk-assessment template so a live incident only becomes a 1-hour decision, not a 24-hour crisis.
Phishing awareness for accountancy staff
Accountants receive HMRC-branded, client-impersonated, and supplier bank-change phishing on a daily basis. We provide quarterly staff training specifically targeting accountancy threat patterns — not generic phishing.
How we work
Scoping (Week 1)
Confirm client count, ICAEW/ACCA membership, MTD-vendor integrations, and current M365 / Entra posture.
Deploy (Week 1-2)
Connect M365 / Entra to Gridisys SOC. Configure conditional access: MFA everywhere, partner-only access to client files, geo-restrictions for sign-in.
Email security hardening (Week 2-3)
Configure Defender for Office 365 anti-phishing policies, Safe Links, Safe Attachments. Add external-domain warning banners. Set up monitoring for new OAuth grants to accounting vendor apps.
Operate (ongoing)
24/7 monitoring + quarterly partner-level reporting + staff phishing training + on-call for incident triage after a suspected mailbox compromise.
Sectors we protect
Accountancy-grade cybersecurity for your firm
Free 30-minute consultation. We'll review your M365/Entra posture, ICAEW/ACCA compliance gaps, and the specific phishing patterns your staff see daily.
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