CPA Firms Have Some Serious Data

This morning I kicked off Allinial Global’s technology conference with a keynote on Digital Money and the growing value of data. Allinial is an association of over 8000 accounting professionals around the world. This week’s IT conference, held in San Antonio, focuses on the IT organizations that support these accounting firms.

I was encouraged to see that most of their agenda was focused on security!

While there are lot’s of IT topics worth discussing, security is by far the most pressing need. During our lunch break I heard from several attendees who reported various attempts on their companies, with hackers trying to get insiders to wire money to fraudulent accounts (CATO). This reinforces the message that corporate account takeover attacks are a real and A growing threat among small businesses.

We also discussed the need for small businesses to contract with outside security services providers to monitor traffic. As I explain in my latest book, Digital Money, small businesses cannot afford to hire qualified security experts unless they themselves are also providing security services to their small business clients. Security people are expensive, and staying current means working on security every day.

Most IT professionals understand the need for more security, but getting management to act on assessments, and invest in proper detection/response strategies can be a challenge. Hopefully our session today has given this group a compelling message to take back to management. A message that moves them one step closer to strong detection and a timed response plan.

Check out Digital Money to find out what’s really going on out there, and why businesses are losing the battle…