Accountancy practices, Northern Ireland
IT support for accountants in Northern Ireland
Wilson Computers is a managed IT and cyber security company in Bangor, Co. Down. We provide IT support for accountancy firms across Belfast and Northern Ireland, from sole practitioners to practices with several partners. We keep client data secure, keep your systems steady through every deadline, and answer the phone when you ring.
What is covered
What IT support does an accountancy practice need?
More than a helpdesk. A practice holds years of client financial records and files to fixed deadlines. So it needs IT that is secure, documented and steady when the pressure is on. This is what we cover as standard.
- Helpdesk and remote support. Your team rings or emails, and an engineer in Bangor picks it up.
- Microsoft 365, set up for a practice. Email, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive, with multi-factor authentication on every account.
- Security on every device. Antivirus, threat detection, email filtering and patching, watched around the clock by our monitoring tools.
- Backup kept separately. We back up your Microsoft 365 data and your PCs, apart from Microsoft’s own systems.
- Your practice software. We keep it installed, updated and talking to everything else. When a fault sits with the supplier, we chase them for you.
- Staff security training. Short monthly training and test phishing emails, so your team spots the fake HMRC email.
- Planning and budgeting. A plain list of what you have, what is ageing, and what it will cost to replace.
Practice software
Which accounting and practice software do you support?
We support the systems practices here actually run, on servers, on remote desktop and in the cloud. The packages our engineers work with include the ones below. It is not a complete list.
| Area | Packages we support include |
|---|---|
| Accounts production and tax | IRIS Accountancy Suite, CCH Central, Sage Accounts Production, Sage Corporation Tax, Relate Accounts Production, TaxCalc, Digita, VT Final Accounts |
| Bookkeeping | Sage 50 Accounts, Xero |
| Payroll | Sage 50 Payroll, BrightPay |
| Documents and filing | Relate Drive, SmartVault, SharePoint and OneDrive |
- Upgrades done properly. We install each IRIS, CCH and Sage release on the server and every PC, with a backup taken first.
- Remote desktop for the practice. We run Sage and tax software on remote desktop servers, so staff can work securely from home.
- Vendor fixes applied. When a supplier issues a hotfix, such as for slow Making Tax Digital screens, we apply it for you.
- Server moves with the data intact. We have moved practice databases and licences to new servers, and files into SharePoint.
We are not the software vendor, and we do not pretend to be. We look after everything the software depends on. That means the PCs, the server or cloud host, the network, the logins and the backups.
Most faults sit between two suppliers. We own the problem until it is fixed, so you do not have to referee. If your package is not named here, ask us. We probably support it already.
The practice calendar
How do you keep IT steady through January and the quarterly deadlines?
We plan around your calendar, not ours. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax began on 6th April 2026 for qualifying income over £50,000. The threshold drops to £30,000 from 6th April 2027 and £20,000 from 6th April 2028. For a practice, one annual peak is turning into five.
| Deadline | What it is |
|---|---|
| 7th August | Quarterly update |
| 7th November | Quarterly update |
| 31st January | Self Assessment returns and payment |
| 7th February | Quarterly update |
| 7th May | Quarterly update |
What we do about it
- Big changes timed around your deadlines. We plan server replacements, email moves and new software with you, for the quieter months where we can.
- Problems found early. We monitor your PCs, laptops and licences all year, so issues show up before the busy season rather than during it.
- Seasonal staff handled properly. New starters get a secure login on day one. Leavers lose access the day they go.
- Filing problems first. Anything that stops a return going in is treated as urgent.
Your obligations
What do HMRC, the ICO and your institute expect of your IT?
None of them tells you which product to buy. All of them expect you to keep client information secure and to be able to show how. These are the duties that touch your IT.
| Who | What they expect | What it means for your IT |
|---|---|---|
| HMRC, Standard for Agents | Maintain the security of client information you hold. Keep HMRC account credentials safe from unauthorised use. | Individual logins, multi-factor authentication, and no shared passwords. |
| ICO, UK GDPR | Appropriate technical and organisational measures. A notifiable breach reported within 72 hours of finding it. | Security you can evidence, and a way to spot and report a breach quickly. |
| Your institute’s Code of Ethics | Confidentiality. Chartered Accountants Ireland asks members to take all reasonable steps to preserve it. | Access limited to the people who need it, including in email, document systems and AI tools. |
| Money Laundering Regulations | Customer due diligence records kept for five years after the relationship ends. | Passports and utility bills stored in one secure place, with access logged and deletion on time. |
| Companies House | Since 18th November 2025, directors and people with significant control must verify their identity. | If you verify clients as an authorised agent, those accounts and that evidence need protecting. |
Agent credentials
How do you protect our HMRC and Companies House logins?
Your agent services account can act for every client you have. It is the most valuable thing on your network, and criminals know it. HMRC says agents need one to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
- One login per person. No shared credentials, so you can see who did what.
- Multi-factor authentication everywhere. On Microsoft 365, on HMRC, and on your practice software where it is offered.
- Recovery routes checked. A login is only as safe as the mailbox and phone that can reset it.
- Leavers removed the same day. From HMRC, Companies House, your software and your email.
- Admin rights kept small. Few people hold them, and nobody uses an admin account for daily work.
Server or cloud
Should we move off the server in the office?
Often, but not always, and never in a hurry. Many practices here still run IRIS, Sage or TaxCalc on a server in a cupboard. That server is usually the oldest and least protected machine in the building. There are three honest routes.
| Route | Suits | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Keep the server and secure it properly | Software with no good cloud version yet | It still needs patching, backup and replacing every five to seven years |
| Move to the supplier’s hosted version | Practices happy with their current software | Hosted does not mean backed up. Ask what you can restore, and how fast |
| Move to cloud software, with files in SharePoint | Practices already changing software | Archive data and old client files need a home too |
We will tell you which route fits, what it costs, and when in the year to do it. Read more about our managed IT services.
Want a straight view of your own setup?
Book a discovery sessionAI in the practice
Can our staff use AI on client data?
Not in public AI tools. When staff paste client figures into a public chatbot, that data leaves your control. ICAEW’s July 2026 guidance asks firms to review how confidential information is protected in AI tools.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is different. It works inside your own Microsoft 365, under your own permissions. But it can show a user anything that user is already allowed to open. So we check who can see what before anyone switches it on.
We set up approved tools and fix the permissions first. Then we give you a one-page AI policy your team will actually read. See how AI can save your practice time.
Out of the office
What about laptops at client sites and working from home?
A laptop full of client records will be left on a train one day. Plan for it now.
- Every laptop encrypted, so a lost device is a nuisance and not a breach.
- Sign-in allowed only from devices we manage.
- A lost laptop wiped remotely.
- Files kept in Microsoft 365, not on USB sticks or personal email.
- Safe working on client and public Wi-Fi.
Cyber Essentials
Does an accountancy practice need Cyber Essentials?
Nobody forces you to hold it. More and more people ask for it. Clients send security questionnaires. Public sector and charity work often requires it. Cyber insurers may ask about your security controls, and some offer discounts for it.
The assessment fee is set by IASME. It is £320 plus VAT for a practice of up to nine staff. For 10 to 49 staff it is £440 plus VAT. Eligible UK organisations under £20 million turnover also get £25,000 of cyber liability cover, when the whole organisation is certified. That cover does not include money stolen by fraud.
We take practices through Cyber Essentials from gap check to certificate. See how Cyber Essentials works, and what it costs. If a client asks for the audited version, see Cyber Essentials Plus. For the detail, read Cyber Essentials and UK GDPR: the baseline for NI accountants.
The evidence
Are accounting firms really a target for cyber crime?
Yes, and the evidence is public. ACCA describes accountancy firms as “undeniably attractive targets for cyber criminals”. You hold bank details, identity documents and tax records, and your clients trust an email from you.
| Finding | Source | Read it with care |
|---|---|---|
| 43% of UK businesses identified a cyber breach or attack in twelve months | UK Government Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026 | Self-reported. Includes phishing attempts received |
| 54% of professional, scientific and technical firms did | Same survey | 217 firms. The group includes lawyers and architects as well as accountants |
| 16% of firms had suffered a cyber attack | ICAEW Practice Assurance Monitoring Report 2026 | 121 larger firms that ICAEW spoke to in 2025 |
| 88% of those firms required multi-factor authentication. 54% held Cyber Essentials | Same ICAEW report | Larger firms. Smaller practices are likely to be behind |
The NCSC says small businesses are just as likely to experience online crime as larger ones.
Key-person risk
What if the one person who looks after our IT leaves?
This is the risk most practices carry without noticing. One person, or one small supplier, holds every password, the admin account and the domain name. When they go, the practice is locked out of its own systems.
With us, the practice owns what matters. Your Microsoft 365 is in your name. Your domain is in your name. Your contracts with software suppliers are yours.
We document every system, so nothing lives in one person’s head. If you ever leave us, you leave with all of it.
Our four-step approach
How does switching to you work?
In four steps, timed around your deadlines.
Discovery
We map your systems, data and logins before we change anything.
Secure and document
We control access and close the gaps that matter first.
Improve
We modernise where it cuts real risk or cost, then add automation and AI where it earns its place.
Keep it running
We monitor, patch, review and plan, so the system keeps performing.
You can keep your current supplier for a specific system if that suits you. We are happy to work alongside them.
Why Wilson Computers
Why Wilson Computers
A local team that knows how a practice works, and treats security as part of the job.
Local to you
We are based in Bangor, Co. Down, and support practices across Belfast and Northern Ireland.
We know the practice calendar
We work with several accountancy practices. We are also running a practice transformation programme for a Northern Ireland accountancy firm.
Security as standard
We rolled out email security to every managed client, covering around 540 inboxes.
Common questions
Common questions about IT support for accountants
Short answers to what partners and practice managers ask us most.
What does IT support for an accountancy firm cost?
A fixed monthly fee, based on the number of people and PCs, agreed up front. It includes the helpdesk, monitoring, patching, security and backup. Projects, such as a server move, are quoted as a fixed price.
Do we have to change our accounting software?
No. We secure and support what you run today. We only suggest a change where it cuts real risk or cost.
Is Microsoft 365 enough of a backup for client records?
No. Microsoft keeps the service running. It does not keep your records for you. We add a separate backup of email, SharePoint and OneDrive.
What happens if we have a breach?
We contain it, find out what was reached, and preserve the evidence. A notifiable breach must be reported to the ICO within 72 hours of finding it. We give you the facts you need to make that call, and to tell your insurer and your institute.
Can you fill in our insurer’s security questionnaire?
Yes. We complete the technical sections with evidence, so you are not left guessing. A wrong answer on a proposal form can void a claim.
Do you cover practices outside Belfast?
Yes. We support practices across Northern Ireland.
Can IT work be grant-funded?
Ongoing IT support is not grant-funded in Northern Ireland. One-off automation or AI projects sometimes are. See our funding page for what is open now.
How quickly can you take over?
Most practices move across in a few weeks. We agree the timing with you, so the move stays clear of your busiest weeks.
Book a discovery session
A 30-minute conversation about your practice, your systems and your deadlines. No obligation.
Wilson Computers, Unit 2B, Enterprise House, 2-4 Balloo Avenue, Bangor, Co. Down, BT19 7QT. Call 028 9146 9751.
Last reviewed: 18th September 2026. Reviewed by Scott Wilson, Wilson Computers, Bangor, Co. Down.
Sources
Every regulatory fact on this page was checked against its primary source on the review date. Dates and thresholds change, so we re-check them each quarter.
- HMRC, Check if you’re eligible for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
- HMRC, Send quarterly updates.
- HMRC, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax as an agent.
- HMRC, The HMRC Standard for Agents.
- Companies House, Identity verification rollout.
- Companies House, Outline transition plan.
- Companies House, Being an authorised corporate service provider.
- Information Commissioner’s Office, Personal data breaches: a guide.
- Information Commissioner’s Office, A guide to data security.
- legislation.gov.uk, Money Laundering Regulations 2017, regulation 40.
- Chartered Accountants Ireland, Code of Ethics.
- ICAEW, Protecting client confidentiality, July 2026.
- ICAEW, Practice Assurance Monitoring Report 2026.
- ACCA, Introducing Cyber Essentials, June 2022.
- Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026.
- National Cyber Security Centre, Small Business Guide.
- National Cyber Security Centre, Cyber insurance guidance.
- IASME, Cyber Essentials fees and included insurance.
- Microsoft, Windows 10 end of support.