IT Support for CPAs & Accounting Firms in Grand Rapids
Calm, Secure, Predictable IT for Tax Season — and the 11 Months After
When your tax software breaks, work stops. Real IT Solutions keeps CPA firms and accounting practices across Grand Rapids and West Michigan running steady, with systems monitored and email locked down year-round.
- Managed IT and cybersecurity built for 10 to 100-user CPA firms and busy tax seasons
- Support for QuickBooks, Sage 50, CCH Axcess/ProSystem fx, Drake Tax, Lacerte, and Thomson Reuters UltraTax
- Microsoft 365 security, monitoring, and secure email migration
- Multi-factor authentication, phishing protection, and encryption that doesn’t break your workflow
Your Stakes Are Different
It’s Not Just Downtime. It’s Trust.
CPA firms don’t just deal with downtime — you deal with trust. Tax returns. Payroll data. Bank information. Estate documents. One bad click can turn into a client-loss problem, not just an IT problem.
That’s why we build your IT around security first, stable day-to-day operations, and clear ownership of every issue that comes up. No bouncing between technicians. No guessing who’s responsible. Just a team that knows your environment and treats your clients’ data like it’s their own firm’s data.
- If your firm runs QuickBooks, UltraTax, CCH, Drake, or Sage, you already know the truth: when tech breaks, work stops
- A consistent support experience whether it’s April 14th or a quiet Tuesday in July — no scrambling to find a new provider every busy season
- One point of ownership per issue, so problems don’t bounce between technicians while your deadline gets closer
- Security and stability treated as a year-round discipline, not a tax-season scramble
Make IT Boring. No Surprises.
Monitor. Patch. Backup.
Managed IT and cybersecurity built for busy seasons — not just busy weeks.
| Monitor | Patch | Backup |
|---|---|---|
| We keep watch. Devices monitored, alerts tuned so we don’t cry wolf, ticket ownership stays clear. | We keep it updated. Systems patched on schedule, so small issues don’t turn into big ones. | We keep it safe. Backups tested, not guessed — so they actually work when you need them. |
Security That Holds Up When It Counts
- Microsoft 365 security and monitoring across Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive
- Phishing protection that cuts the noise without burying your staff in false alarms
- Multi-factor authentication set up correctly the first time
- Encryption where it’s needed, without breaking the workflows your team relies on
Quarterly Business Reviews (vCIO)
We don’t set it and forget it. Your Virtual CIO reviews risk, projects, and priorities with you on a regular cadence — quarterly, biannual, or annual, depending on what your firm needs. That ongoing conversation is where real stability comes from.
Tax Season Showstoppers
CPA-Specific Problems We Fix Fast
QuickBooks & Sage Issues That Stop Work
QuickBooks and Sage can be finicky — multi-user mode, database services, and company files that decide they won’t open today. We handle the common fixes quickly, and we help you set up the environment so it breaks less in the first place. When it does happen, we’re already familiar with your setup, so the fix doesn’t start with twenty minutes of explaining your network to someone new.
UltraTax Installs & Annual Updates
UltraTax installs can be a headache: new yearly versions, PINs, and company codes. We coordinate with your team so installs don’t turn into a half-day fire drill in the middle of busy season. We track license details and update timing ourselves, so your staff isn’t the one chasing down codes while clients are waiting.
Backup & Restores — Not Hopes and Prayers
A lot of firms find out their backup didn’t work the day they actually need it. We test backups and restores on a schedule, so “we think it’s backed up” becomes “we know it’s backed up.” That means a corrupted file, a bad update, or a ransomware scare costs you minutes of restore time, not days of recreating client work from scratch.
Software We Support In CPA & Accounting Environments
Your Tools Aren’t Just Another App
When your line-of-business software fails, your whole office feels it. We support the platforms accounting and tax practices actually run.
| Category | Platforms We Support |
|---|---|
| Accounting & Tax Software | QuickBooks Desktop & Multi-User, Sage 50, CCH Axcess / ProSystem fx, Drake Tax, Lacerte, Thomson Reuters UltraTax (and Fixed Assets) |
| Microsoft Stack | Microsoft 365 (Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive), Microsoft Copilot, secure email configuration and migration |
| Infrastructure | Windows Server, Windows workstations, Apple workstations, SQL Server (basics) |
| The Real-World Stuff | Remote access for partners and staff, standard workstation builds, printers for trays, letterheads, and the “why is it doing that” moments |
If your firm runs a mix of these — that’s normal. We’ve seen it before, and we’ll work with what you already have.
Software We Support
Built For Firms That Can’t Afford A Breach
West Michigan financial advisors, RIAs, and wealth management firms work with us because we understand what’s at stake — not just the downtime, its your reputation.If your current IT company can’t tell you whether you’re SEC Regulation S-P or FTC Safeguards Rule compliant right now, that’s a problem. We can tell you in the first conversation. Let’s Talk.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CPA & Accounting Firms Ask Us
Q: Do you support our tax apps and line-of-business tools?
A: Yes. We support CPA and accounting environments running QuickBooks, Sage, UltraTax, Drake, Lacerte, and CCH Axcess / ProSystem fx, along with the Microsoft 365 stack most firms run alongside them.
Q: Is Microsoft 365 a backup?
A: No. It’s a great platform, but it’s not a full backup strategy by itself. We’ll show you a backup plan you can actually restore from when it matters.
Q: Can you help us standardize our workstations?
A: Yes. Standard workstation builds cut down on weird one-off issues and speed up support across the whole firm, whether you’re running Windows or Apple machines.
Q: Does the FTC Safeguards Rule apply to a small CPA firm?
A: If your firm prepares tax returns or handles consumer financial data, you’re very likely covered — firm size alone doesn’t exempt you. We can walk through where your firm stands in the first conversation.
Q: Do you handle after-hours issues during tax season?
A: We plan for busy seasons. Tell us your critical windows and we’ll align support expectations and escalation paths before the season starts, not after something breaks.
Q: We already have encrypted email. Do we still need help?
A: Often, yes. Many CPA firms have encryption available but only half set up, so staff route around it instead of using it. We make sure secure sending actually works the way your team works, so sensitive client documents don’t end up sent the unsafe way out of habit.