Accounting & Finance

Security evidence for accounting and finance

Accounting firms manage client financial data that is subject to professional obligations, privacy requirements, and increasingly strict cyber insurance expectations. APEXLyn provides the compliance evidence and AI governance that accounting practices need to satisfy insurers, regulators, and clients, automatically.

Client financial data demands provable security

Accounting firms hold tax file numbers, financial statements, payroll records, bank account details, and business-critical client data. The professional and regulatory expectations around this data are increasing, driven by the Privacy Act reforms, Essential Eight adoption by insurers, and client expectations shaped by high-profile breaches.

At the same time, accounting professionals are adopting AI tools for tax analysis, financial modelling, report generation, and client communication. Client financial data entering AI tools without governance creates compliance risk, privacy risk, and professional liability risk.

Most accounting firms prove their security posture through annual self-assessments. This is no longer sufficient for many cyber insurers and increasingly insufficient for client expectations.

Tax Files
Bank Details
Payroll
Public AI Tool
Privacy RiskUngoverned financial data exposure detected.
Cyber Insurer
FAILED

Attest, compliance evidence for accounting

Attest connects to the systems your firm already uses and collects security evidence automatically. That evidence is mapped to the compliance frameworks relevant to accounting, ISO 27001, Essential Eight, Privacy Act Pack, and assembled into reports your insurer can independently verify.

ISO/IEC 27001:2022, the international standard for information security management, commonly expected by larger clients and increasingly by professional bodies.

Essential Eight (L1–L3), the ACSC Essential Eight mitigation strategies, increasingly required by cyber insurers for accounting firms.

Privacy Act 1988 and all 13 APPs, privacy obligations for firms handling client personal and financial information.

NIST CSF 2.0, relevant for firms with international clients or cross-border operations.

CIS Benchmarks, technical security baselines for Microsoft 365, Windows, and browser configurations.

What Attest collects for accounting firms

  • MFA and privileged access evidence
  • Device compliance and endpoint protection
  • Cloud security and encryption configuration
  • Backup job status and restore-test evidence
  • Password policies and access management
  • CIS benchmark results against your systems
  • Endpoint detection and response health

Evidence mapped to ISO 27001, Essential Eight, and Privacy Act Pack.

chat.openai.com/tax-analysis

Can you analyze this client's financial data to find deductions?

Client: Acme Corp
Tax File Number (TFN): 987-654-321[REDACTED BY TRACE]
Revenue: $4.2M, Payroll: $1.1M

Trace Governance Triggered

Client Financial Data Detected (TFN)

Match: "Tax File Number (TFN)..."
Block All
Auto-Redact

Based on the provided financial data (Revenue: $4.2M, Payroll: $1.1M) for Acme Corp, here are some potential areas for deductions...

Trace Active

Trace, AI governance for accounting

Staff are using AI tools for tax research, report drafting, financial analysis, and client communication. Trace monitors AI use across your firm and enforces your policies, blocking, warning, or recording when client financial data enters AI tools without appropriate controls.

Trace works alongside your existing security tools. If your firm uses Microsoft 365 security or endpoint protection, Trace adds AI-specific governance without replacing anything.

Talk to us about AI governance for accounting

Frameworks relevant to accounting

ISO/IEC 27001:2022

Information security management, expected by larger clients

Essential Eight (L1–L3)

Cyber insurance requirements

Privacy Act & all 13 APPs

Privacy obligations for client personal and financial data

NIST CSF 2.0

International cybersecurity framework alignment

CIS Benchmarks

Technical baselines for Microsoft 365 and Windows

How it works for your firm

01

Connect your systems

Attest connects to your Microsoft 365, Active Directory, cloud infrastructure, and endpoint protection. Trace monitors AI use across browsers and endpoints.

02

Evidence collected automatically

Attest collects compliance evidence on a recurring schedule. Trace monitors AI interactions in real time. No manual exports.

03

Mapped to accounting frameworks

Attest maps your evidence to ISO 27001, Essential Eight, Privacy Act Pack, and CIS Benchmarks. Trace applies your AI usage policies and records enforcement actions.

04

Reports ready for your insurer and clients

When your cyber insurer or a key client asks for evidence, Attest generates a verified report. When your practice manager asks about AI governance, Trace provides the proof.

Explore Solutions

Discover security and compliance solution patterns designed for your operational environment.

Explore APEXLyn

Explore our core assurance platforms, standard pricing guides, and technical specifications.

Protect client data. Prove your security.

Whether you are a sole practitioner, a mid-size firm, or a national practice, if you handle client financial data, you need compliance evidence and AI governance that works automatically.