IT That Protects Your Clients' Data and Keeps Your Firm Running
Accounting firms and insurance agencies across Central Illinois trust Facet Technologies for managed IT, cybersecurity, and compliance support built around the realities of professional services work.
At a Glance
- Facet Technologies provides managed IT, cybersecurity, and compliance support for accounting firms and insurance agencies in Peoria and Central Illinois.
- Professional services firms hold concentrated client financial, tax, and personal data, making them high-value targets for ransomware and business email compromise attacks.
- Most state and federal regulations now require documented written information security plans (WISPs) for firms handling client tax or financial data.
- Facet's in-house Peoria team includes helpdesk, security engineers, and compliance specialists who understand the software your firm runs on.
- Cyber insurance carriers increasingly require multi-factor authentication, endpoint detection and response, and tested backups before issuing or renewing policies.
Why Professional Services Firms Need a Specialized IT Partner
Accounting firms and insurance agencies do not run on the same IT setup as a manufacturer or a medical practice. Your work is concentrated in client data, document management, and software platforms that demand uptime during your busiest weeks of the year. A slow workstation in March is not an inconvenience for a CPA firm. It is lost billable hours during the only window the work can get done.
The risk side of the equation has shifted, too. The IRS, the FTC Safeguards Rule, state insurance commissioners, and your own E&O carrier now expect documented security controls in writing. Generic IT support that worked five years ago does not meet the standard your clients, your regulators, and your insurers expect today.
A managed service provider, or MSP, is a company that serves as your outsourced IT department on a flat monthly fee. The right MSP for a professional services firm is one that knows your software, understands your compliance obligations, and can be reached by phone when something goes wrong on a Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Client Data Concentration
A single laptop or email account in your firm holds the financial details of dozens or hundreds of clients. One compromise can trigger breach notification obligations across every state where those clients live.
Regulatory Exposure
The IRS requires tax preparers to maintain a written information security plan. State insurance regulations vary, but most require documented data protection. Failed audits cost money. Failed examinations can cost your license.
What Facet Provides to Insurance Agencies and Accounting Firms
Managed IT Services
Day-to-day support for your workstations, servers, network, and cloud environments. In-house Peoria helpdesk, 24/7/365 emergency response, and quarterly strategic reviews. Read more about managed IT services.
Cybersecurity
Multi-layered protection including endpoint detection and response, managed firewalls, email filtering, and 24/7 security operations center monitoring. Read more about cybersecurity.
Compliance Consulting
Help meeting the FTC Safeguards Rule, IRS WISP requirements, state data protection laws, and cyber insurance documentation requirements. Read more about compliance consulting.
Backup & Business Continuity
Tested, isolated backups designed to recover quickly from ransomware or hardware failure, so your firm does not lose a day of billable work. Read more about backups and business continuity.
Built for Accounting Firms
CPA firms and accounting practices in Central Illinois face a specific combination of pressures: tax season uptime, IRS WISP requirements under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and an attack environment where business email compromise targeting CPAs has become one of the most common fraud vectors in the country.
A written information security plan, or WISP, is a documented policy describing how your firm protects client financial information, who is responsible for security decisions, and how you respond when something goes wrong. The IRS requires every paid tax preparer to have one.
Facet supports accounting firms with:
- Tax-season uptime planning and proactive monitoring during peak filing periods
- WISP development and ongoing maintenance aligned with IRS and FTC Safeguards Rule expectations
- Secure file sharing and email encryption for client document exchange
- Multi-factor authentication and endpoint detection and response on every workstation
- Tested backup recovery so a ransomware event does not become a missed deadline
- Support for the major accounting platforms your firm runs, including QuickBooks, Sage, Lacerte, UltraTax, Drake, and ProSeries environments
If your firm currently relies on a small IT contractor or has been handling technology in-house, the gap between where you are and where the IRS and your insurance carrier expect you to be is wider than most firm leaders realize.
Built for Insurance Agencies
Independent insurance agencies operate in a regulatory environment that varies by state, but the through-line is the same: you hold sensitive client data, you are a small business with limited IT budget, and your carriers, your E&O insurer, and your state department of insurance all expect you to protect it.
The Insurance Data Security Model Law, adopted in some form by a growing number of states, requires licensed insurance entities to maintain a written information security program, conduct risk assessments, and report cybersecurity events within strict timeframes.
Facet supports insurance agencies with:
- Agency management system support for the platforms your team runs (AMS360, Applied Epic, EZLynx, HawkSoft, and others)
- Data protection planning that meets carrier and state insurance commissioner expectations
- Email security and anti-phishing protection, since insurance agencies are prime targets for wire fraud and account takeover attempts
- Cybersecurity event response support if a breach or suspected breach occurs
- Documentation packages your E&O carrier and state regulator will actually accept
- Microsoft 365 hardening, secure file sharing, and identity management
We work with agencies from 5-person offices to multi-location firms with shared infrastructure across Central Illinois.
Compliance and Cyber Insurance Readiness
Most professional services firms now carry cyber liability insurance, and most carriers have raised the bar on what they require before issuing or renewing a policy. The days of checking a box on a renewal form are over. Carriers want documentation, evidence, and proof of specific controls.
Facet helps accounting firms and insurance agencies meet the documentation expectations of:
- FTC Safeguards Rule: applies to most financial institutions including tax preparers
- IRS WISP requirements: required for all paid tax return preparers
- Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA): financial privacy and safeguards rules
- State Insurance Data Security Model Law: adopted in a growing number of states
- HIPAA: for firms that handle health-related claims data
- PCI DSS: for firms processing client payments
- SOC 2: for firms that need to demonstrate controls to enterprise clients
- Cyber insurance underwriting requirements: MFA, EDR, tested backups, security awareness training
Compliance work is consultative, not boilerplate. Most compliance audits are document-driven, which means the work happens in the months before the audit, not in the room. We help firms become audit-ready year-round so renewals and examinations stop being fire drills.
For more on our approach, see our compliance partnership page.
Why Professional Services Firms Stay With Facet
Three reasons accounting firms and insurance agencies across Central Illinois choose Facet, and why they tend to stay for the long haul.
In-House Peoria Team
Every helpdesk technician, security engineer, and account manager works from our Peoria office. No outsourced overseas call centers, no scripts. When you call, the person who answers knows your firm.
Industry Familiarity
Our team has supported accounting firms and insurance agencies across Central Illinois for years. We know the software, the seasonal cycles, and the regulatory pressure points that shape how your business runs.
Long-Term Partnerships
Our average client tenure is over 10 years, compared to the 3 to 5 year industry average. That continuity matters when your IT partner needs to know your environment, your people, and your compliance posture.
Many of our accounting and insurance partners refer their own clients to Facet through our Cyber Advantage Hero™ Program, a referral partnership designed for CPAs, insurance agents, and other trusted advisors who want to make sure the businesses they serve are not exposed to preventable cybersecurity risk. If you advise clients who would benefit from a security and compliance review, we are happy to talk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Facet support the accounting and tax software our firm already uses?
Yes. Our team supports the major accounting platforms used by Central Illinois firms, including QuickBooks, Sage, Lacerte, UltraTax, Drake, ProSeries, and the cloud-hosted versions of each. Part of onboarding is documenting your software environment so the helpdesk knows what your firm runs.
What is a written information security plan (WISP), and do we really need one?
A WISP is a documented security plan describing how your firm protects client data, who is responsible, and how incidents are handled. The IRS requires every paid tax return preparer to have one. The FTC Safeguards Rule requires it for most financial institutions, including many accounting practices. Yes, you need one, and yes, it needs to be more than a template downloaded from the internet.
How quickly can Facet respond if something goes wrong during tax season or open enrollment?
Our average response time is under 15 minutes during business hours, with on-call technician access 24/7/365 for emergencies. We plan around peak periods with our professional services clients so monitoring and patching are handled outside your busiest weeks.
What does cyber liability insurance now require for accounting firms and insurance agencies?
Most carriers now require multi-factor authentication on email and remote access, endpoint detection and response on every workstation, tested and isolated backups, security awareness training for staff, and documented incident response procedures. Some require additional controls depending on firm size and data volume.
How much does managed IT cost for a small accounting firm or insurance agency?
Managed IT in the Peoria market typically runs between $100 and $200 per workstation per month, with the variation driven by security and compliance requirements rather than headcount alone. A small accounting firm needing FTC Safeguards Rule compliance will land differently than a small office with simpler needs. For a complete breakdown, see our 2026 managed IT pricing guide.
What happens if our firm has a security incident?
Our managed services and cybersecurity clients have access to our incident response process, which includes containment, investigation, recovery, and the documentation your insurance carrier and any applicable regulator will need. We help coordinate with your cyber insurance carrier and outside counsel where appropriate.
Ready to Talk About IT That Fits Your Firm?
Whether you are a two-person tax practice, a multi-location accounting firm, or an independent insurance agency, our team can walk through where your current technology stands and where the gaps are. No commitment, no pressure.