IT support for accountants in Camberley and Surrey
Circuit Minds is a Camberley-based managed IT and Microsoft 365 security provider for accountancy and bookkeeping practices with 5 to 50 staff, across Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire. We look after your computers, Microsoft 365 and client data for a published £45, £55 or £75 per user per month, and we start with a free 76-check security audit.
Free for practices with 5 or more Microsoft 365 users. You keep the written report whether you work with us or not.
What we sort out for accountancy practices
Client files that stay where you put them
Tax returns and payroll files are labelled confidential, so they stay protected wherever they go. Staff get a warning before emailing out a file containing National Insurance numbers.
Sign-ins that can't be phished with one click
Everyone signs in with a code from their phone as well as a password, so a stolen password alone isn't enough. On Secure+Secure+Security-first, built for regulated firms. £75 per user per month, minimum 10 users.Tap or click the name to compare plans, stricter rules too, such as blocking sign-ins from computers we don't manage or from countries you don't work in.
Payment diversion and fake invoices
Scam email filtering and the right settings on your email address make it much harder for someone to pretend to be you, your staff or a client.
Laptops that can go home safely
Every laptop is centrally managed and kept secure: encrypted, kept up to date and protected by antivirus. If one is left on a train, we lock and wipe it remotely.
Your practice software, properly looked after
IRIS, CCH, TaxCalc, Sage and Xero each have their own support desk for the software itself. We look after what they run on: the computers, servers, Microsoft 365 accounts and updates, plus access for your team, including setting up new starters and removing leavers. The software itself stays with the vendor, and we speak to them so you don't have to.
Answers for the insurance questionnaire
Cyber insurers ask about things like two-step sign-in (often called MFA), backups, antivirus and keeping software up to date. We give you the answers in writing, with the evidence behind them.
Who provides IT support for accountants in Camberley?
Circuit Minds does. We're a Camberley-based managed IT provider and we publish our prices. Our clients are firms of 5 to 50 people without their own IT person, and Microsoft 365 security is our main specialism. Accountancy practices are a good fit because client data protection is already part of how you're regulated.
Remote support covers the whole UK. For Guildford, Woking and further afield, we plan visits in advance and quote the travel upfront. See our Camberley IT support page for the local detail.
What do ICAEW, AAT and UK GDPR expect from a practice's IT?
None of them sets a technical checklist. Between them, they expect you to protect client data, notice when something goes wrong and be able to show what you did.
UK GDPR
You're responsible for keeping client personal data secure. If a breach is likely to put people at risk, you must report it to the ICO within 72 hours of becoming aware of it. That's much easier when there's a record of who signed in and opened what, and someone is keeping an eye on it.
ICAEW
Publishes cyber security guidance and data protection helpsheets for firms, including on sending documents to clients securely.
AAT
Licensed members pay the ICO data protection fee, need anti-money laundering controls in place and are subject to AAT practice assurance reviews.
Money Laundering Regulations 2017
You keep client due diligence records, passports and utility bills included, for five years after the business relationship ends. Then you should delete them.
We set up Microsoft 365 so those duties are workable: one secure place for ID documents, access limited to the people who need it, and a record of who opened what. Our setup is aligned with these expectations. Compliance itself stays with your practice and your supervisory body.
How do you keep ID documents and client files secure?
Common habits in busy practices
- Passport scans sitting in Downloads folders
- Tax returns sent as email attachments
- A shared drive anyone can open
What we can put in place instead
- A secure shared folder for each purpose (AML, payroll, client correspondence), opened only by the people whose job needs it
- Links for sending files to clients that expire, and only work for that client's email address
- Confidential labels on sensitive files, so they stay protected even if they're forwarded
Not sure how your practice compares? Book the free security audit
How much does IT support cost for an accountancy practice?
Per user, per month, ex VAT. Published, the same price for every practice.
Essentials
Min. 5 users£45/user/month
Remote support 9am-5pm (fair use), Microsoft 365 and laptops looked after, security updates, antivirus, spam and scam email filtering, two-step sign-in for everyone
Complete
Min. 5 users£55/user/month
Unlimited remote support, stronger email protection, backup of your Microsoft 365 email and files, staff security training, IT reviews every quarter
Secure+
Min. 10 users£75/user/month
Attacks spotted and stopped 24/7, alerts if your staff's details turn up in data leaks, monthly checks for security weak spots, stricter sign-in rules, priority support, a yearly security review
As a regulated practice holding client financial and ID data, we'd suggest Secure+Secure+Security-first, built for regulated firms. £75 per user per month, minimum 10 users.Tap or click the name to compare plans, for the 24/7 monitoring and yearly security review. It starts at 10 users. Smaller practices are best on CompleteCompleteRight for most growing businesses. £55 per user per month, minimum 5 users.Tap or click the name to compare plans, which includes backup and staff training. Full detail on the pricing page.
Plans require Microsoft 365 Business Premium (or equivalent), billed separately at Microsoft's list price. We manage and right-size your licences. That licence is what includes the security features mentioned on this page. On-site visits are quoted per visit. In the first three months you can leave with 30 days' notice.
What does the free Microsoft 365 security audit check?
We run 76 checks on your Microsoft 365. We can only look, not change anything, and we send a written, prioritised report. It's free for practices with 5 or more users; the full 108-check audit is £99. Checks that matter most to accountants include:
- whether every account, admin accounts included, needs a phone code as well as a password
- whether old ways of signing in that skip the phone code are still switched on
- whether people from outside the practice you've invited in can only see what they should
- whether staff can share files with "anyone with the link", no sign-in needed
- whether your email settings stop scammers sending emails that look like they come from you
- whether Microsoft 365 keeps a record of activity, so you could investigate a breach within the ICO's 72 hours
What might an audit find?
Illustrative example, not a real client. It shows the kind of finding the audit reports, written up the way the report does.
- Finding
- Staff can share files and folders with "anyone with the link", so no sign-in is needed to open them.
- Why it matters
- If a member of staff shares a folder of client ID documents that way, anyone who gets hold of the link can open it without signing in. Under UK GDPR that's personal data the practice no longer controls.
- Fix
- Limit sharing to people in the practice and named clients, then replace any open links already sent.
Can you help an accountancy practice get Cyber Essentials?
Yes. Cyber Essentials is a government-backed certificate that shows your business has the basic protections in place against common online attacks. Some clients, lenders and insurers now ask for it.
We prepare you. We put the protections in place, check your answers against how things are actually set up, and stay with you through the assessment. The certificate itself comes from an approved certification body, which charges its own fee (from £320 + VAT for Cyber Essentials). On our Secure+Secure+Security-first, built for regulated firms. £75 per user per month, minimum 10 users.Tap or click the name to compare plans plan, much of that groundwork is already part of the service. Anything else you need to pass is quoted before we start. More on our cyber security page.
How do we get started?
It starts with the free audit and a call to go through the report. If you decide to work with us, we agree a written plan for what gets done first, usually sign-in security and laptops, and pace the rest around your practice. We connect through Microsoft's secure partner access, so you never have to share an admin password with us.
Moving from another provider? Our guide to switching IT support provider covers the handover.
Common questions
Do you support IRIS, CCH, TaxCalc, Sage and Xero?+
We support the computers, Microsoft 365 accounts, updates and access they run on, and we deal with the software vendor's support desk for you when something breaks. Xero and most cloud packages need nothing installed. Desktop or server products such as IRIS or CCH need updates planned around your deadlines. We also handle access: adding users, removing leavers and keeping permissions tidy.
Is Microsoft 365 secure enough for client data?+
It can be, once it's set up properly. The right Microsoft 365 plan already includes strong sign-in protection, confidential file labels and laptop management, but most of it is switched off or loosely set when a practice first signs up. The free audit shows where yours stands.
How long must we keep AML client ID documents?+
Under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, five years after the business relationship ends, then delete them unless another law requires you to keep them. We set up one secure place for them, so they're easy to find when the time comes.
What happens if a client's data is breached?+
If the breach is likely to put people at risk, UK GDPR requires you to tell the ICO within 72 hours of becoming aware of it. On every plan, we contain it straight away in support hours: locking accounts, isolating devices and stopping it spreading. Working out what was accessed, from Microsoft 365's record of sign-ins and file activity, and putting things right are charged at our hourly rate or quoted upfront. Secure+ includes up to 8 hours a year of that work.
Can our staff work from home safely?+
Yes. Laptops are centrally managed and kept secure: encrypted and kept up to date, and every sign-in needs a code from the person's phone as well as their password. On Secure+, client files can be limited to company computers we manage. If a laptop is lost, we wipe it remotely.
Do we need Cyber Essentials?+
It isn't a legal requirement for accountants, but some clients, lenders and insurers ask for it. We prepare you for it. The certificate itself comes from an approved certification body.
We're a practice of three. Can you help?+
Our managed plans start at 5 users. For smaller practices we offer the full 108-check Microsoft 365 audit for £99 and one-off projects at a fixed, written quote.
Can you visit our office?+
Yes. Around Camberley visits are quick to arrange, and we cover Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire. Further afield we plan them in advance and quote travel upfront. Visits are charged per visit, and most support is done remotely.
What if we already have an IT provider?+
You can still have the free audit as an independent second opinion. If you decide to move, our switching guide explains how the handover works.
Find out where your practice's Microsoft 365 stands, before the January rush.
Free for 5 or more Microsoft 365 users. You keep the written report.