IT Services for Accounting Companies and Finance Firms in Illinois

It’s no longer a secret that, by now, digitalization is more than just a trend: It’s the way the whole world is heading. The purpose of digitalization is to enable automation, increase data quality, then collect and structure all that data so we can apply advanced technology, such as better and smarter software.

The entire finance & accounting domain had undergone major transformations over the last years, and the level of IT support for accounting firms had scaled along with it. One of the most noteworthy of these changes is the introduction and development of accounting digitalization. Cloud computing has also brought considerable advantages regarding the way accountants are carrying out their work.

So what type of IT services for accounting companies does AlavancaSystems provide?

By implementing IT services and cybersecurity management within your IT environment, we provide you, your accountants, and your support staff the ability to leverage your computers, cloud assets, data, and applications without worries about technology outages, slowdowns, or security problems. We have been providing top-notch IT support, cybersecurity management, Data backup, Consulting and managed IT services in Illinois for more than 25 years.

IT CONSULTING

Technology surrounds us, and keeping up with it is no longer a matter of convenience: it’s a matter of survival. However, new technologies come with their own challenges and inevitably raise questions such as:

What hardware or software should we choose?

What do we need to secure our data AND be able to securely access it on our mobile devices?

What communications and collaboration system would work best for our team?

or

How do we stay protected from ransomware and hacking?

Alavanca Systems IT consultants approach these questions and more in all ongoing engagements with our clients. But it’s not just the big questions of business that our IT consultants are here to answer. It’s in answering the smaller, daily questions of your employees (as they call in or send us an email) that we prove our worth.

In answering the day-to-day questions of staff, we help them stay on task and enable them to be more effective with their time.

MANAGED IT SERVICES IN ILLINOIS

Managed IT Services is not an individual service, but instead a range of IT services that are grouped together to give an accounting firm the IT maintenance, management, monitoring, and cybersecurity needed to work without distraction and worry.

There are dozens of other IT services that can be included, depending on the situation and your specific needs. Alavanca Systems provides managed IT services in Illinois that include but are not limited to:

We’re able to provide round-the-clock IT support for accounting firms across most parts of Illinois. We use our 25+ years of experience in providing IT services for accounting firms to make sure your company stays on top of the technological game.

HELP DESK SERVICES

Remote helpdesk support is an IT support model where your staff can seek and receive support for IT issues you cannot resolve internally. Technicians communicate with your team through remote access software, chat, emails, and telephone.

Among the benefits of the Help Desk Services, we should mention the cost-effectiveness and the convenience provided with the round-the-clock assistance.

Cost-effectiveness

Helpdesk support for CPAs is more cost-effective compared to onsite support. Remote desktop support tends to be more affordable for the following reasons:

• Your organization only pays for the services rendered.
• Technicians incur fewer travel costs coming to your premises, further minimizing costs.
• Onsite support requires fewer human resources and hardware resources.

Round-the-clock assistance

With help desk support, your organization receives around the clock support. While onsite personnel may be unavailable during some hours of the day/night, remote help desks operate 24/7 or close, offering better coverage.

Unlike onsite support, where technicians develop relationships with end-users, helpdesk personnel are sometimes far off and serve different clients. As such, users typically speak to different helpdesk personnel each time they call, further diluting relationships.

It’s important for us to note here that Alavanca IT professionals are located right here in Chicagoland and do work hard to develop win-win relationships while providing IT support for accounting firms. Even when deploying our remote helpdesk support, we are careful to bring a personal touch to our relationship with you, your firm, and your staff.

Opt-in for managed IT services in Illinois and surrounding areas and take your accounting company to the next level of technological development. We use our 25+ years of experience in providing IT services for accounting companies to make sure your company stays on top of the technological game.

CYBERSECURITY MANAGEMENT

While the concept of digitalization brings a range of benefits we haven’t even considered before, it also comes with its own set of challenges. The number of threats in the digital medium is increasing, and cybersecurity is no longer a matter that can be treated superficially.

Cybersecurity management is the continuous, comprehensive protection of in-house, cloud, and mobile data/workflow, protecting an accounting firm while doing business online. Under a cybersecurity management agreement, the IT security team undertakes a multi-layered strategic approach to the ongoing maintenance and monitoring of the CPA firm’s cybersecurity and legislative compliance posture.

We had put together The Essential Guide for CyberSecurity, a guide regarding the best practices for Accounting/Tax and Financial Firms. You can access it here.

Because every accounting organization has a unique IT footprint, every cybersecurity management strategy must be customized to the individual firm’s IT environment. Having said that, these are the common cybersecurity solutions and protocols that are most often leveraged to provide security for the firm and client data.

✔ Encrypted Email

✔ Double Authentication Protocol

✔ Role-based Access Protocols

✔ Email Spam Protection

✔ DNS Filtering

✔ Employee Cybersecurity Awareness Training

CLOUD CONSULTING & SERVICES

Whether we’re consulting, managing your cloud or working alongside your team on a hands-on project, we blend security with usability to make sure your technology is always moving swiftly and safely.

When you apply a technical mindset to board-level problems, the cloud conversation becomes far more profound. It’s no longer about making one application or part of your business more efficient, but how entire enterprises can transform to move faster and more effectively than the competition.

The ease of the cloud makes it rather tempting to rush in and start provisioning technology, but it can quickly become unwieldy and chaotic alongside traditional systems and processes. Our cloud enablement service helps enterprises understand how departments can become more agile and flexible through automating governance and speeding up the long-winded process.

The 25+ years of experience in providing IT Services for Accounting Companies and Finance firms offer us the opportunity to design and implement custom solutions perfectly adapted to various business needs.

BUSINESS TELEPHONE SYSTEMS – VOIP PHONES

Is your firm ready for a phone system that works the way you do?

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is not a new and buzzing technology. Companies l across the globe have been successfully harnessing the benefits of internet-based communications systems for several decades. In fact, all the wildly popular voice chat platforms that people use every day are built upon this stable, inexpensive technology.

What are the benefits of VoIP Technology?

Flexibility

Because of the modular nature of VoIP systems, Alavanva Systems is able to tailor a business telephone system to the unique needs of an accounting firm. We always take our time to learn about your firm’s operations in order to customize a system that works the way that you do. 

Scalability

We’ve worked with accounting firms long enough to understand that your business has seasonal cycles. VoIP systems are perfect for the scale-up/scale-down ebb and flow of your operations. We set up a user-friendly online control panel that allows you to set up new employees with their own line (or to remove that line) with just a few clicks.

Transparency and Analytics

Sometimes, keeping track of telephone calls for hourly billing can be a hassle. Fortunately, VoIP telephone systems give accounting firms granular analytics that enables you to be accurate in your billing while discovering any waste and inefficiencies in time used in telephone conversations.

Business Continuity

VoIP telephone systems are a critical component of a robust business continuity plan. Internet-based communications allow you to move your operations to any WiFi-connected location in the event that a power outage, natural disaster, storm, human error, or cybercriminal action makes it impossible for you to use the computers and phone system at your main office.

*Legislative compliance and archiving also count as one of the benefits of this technology. As legislation tightens up on accounting firms across the country, these features are becoming more and more essential.

DATA BACKUP AND BUSINESS CONTINUITY SERVICES

The amount of data that is utilized by CPA firms has multiplied in the past few years. Big data (and the need to back up and secure that data) is and will continue to be a challenge for accounting organizations for the foreseeable future.

Alavanca Systems works with accounting firms to ensure that workflow and client data is securely backed up using the latest cloud-based accounting software and is accessible no matter what negative circumstances impact the firm’s local facility. We’d be happy to have a no-obligation conversation with you about your data backup, cloud computing, and business continuity needs. Just reach out to our team.

Accounting firms in the Chicagoland area choose secure backup and business continuity strategies to avoid the data and productivity loss associated with:

• Human Error
• Internal Sabotage
• Vandalism

How Does the Alavanca Systems Secure Data Backup Work?

Because every accounting firm is at a different stage of operational maturity, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all data backup, cloud computing, and business continuity strategy. However, these are the solutions that are most commonly employed.

✔ Automatic, encrypted backup to a local device.

✔ Automatic, encrypted backup to an offsite (cloud) data center.

✔ Duplication of data in multiple geographically secure remote data centers.

Ready to Avail Cloud Managed Services for your Accounting Firm?

Let’s Connect!

Why is IT support for accounting firms necessary?

Accounting and finance firms often face the challenge of raising the productivity levels while maintaining the functionality and security intact on the way.

Your firm’s employees should spend their time on the job by completing tasks related to their position such as filing tax returns or consulting with clients. Wasting time trying to fix technological gaps and communication errors can have a huge impact on productivity levels. At the end of the month, or year, all the cumulated coordination and technological faults can have a much bigger impact on your business well-being than you might expect.

Due to the massive technological advancements in the last decade, customers now expect businesses to anticipate their needs, instead of just reacting to them. From ensuring punctual service delivery to attenuating the risk of a data breach and compliance issues, the customer expectations developed along with industry standards.

Outsourcing the IT support for accounting firms takes care of most of the problems listed above while having a relatively low impact on your company budget.

About Alavanca Systems

Alavanca is a Portuguese word that means “leverage.” As a lifelong student of the martial arts, including jujitsu, the concept of leverage is a key cornerstone. Leverage is a concept that’s so simple to comprehend, yet it can take a lifetime to master the subtle things necessary to take advantage of its full potential power. The same is true with technology.

All accounting firms understand they need to utilize technology to remain competitive, but few firms actually utilize technology to its full potential. Leveraging the right technology to its full potential can help you grow and get more out of your accounting firm. That’s exactly what Alavanca Systems provides for our CPA clients – the knowledge and experience to leverage technology to support your ongoing success and growth.

By implementing IT services and cybersecurity management within your IT environment, we provide you, your accountants, and your support staff the ability to leverage your computers, cloud assets, data, and applications without worries about technology outages, slowdowns, or security problems.

Why work with us?

• We have a laser-like focus on the IT support needs of accounting firms.
• We have the accounting technology experience needed to provide you with customized service.
• We provide easily budgeted transparent billing.
• We care about you and about solving the IT issues that are holding your team back.

We’re happy to provide round-the-clock IT support for accounting firms. By now, we have been providing top-notch, cybersecurity management, data back-up, consulting and managed IT services in Illinois for more than 25 years. Employing our IT services for accounting companies opens up a door to new growth opportunities.

Opt-in, improve, and help your business stay on top of the digital trend.

Feel free to connect with us, and let’s have a no-pressure discussion regarding your firm’s opportunities.

Let’s connect!