For law firms, accountancy practices and consultancies, confidentiality has always been the foundation of the client relationship. What has changed is that promising it is no longer enough – clients, regulators and insurers increasingly expect firms to prove their systems actually protect it.
Guildford’s professional firms feel this from every direction at once. Commercial clients send security questionnaires. Regulators expect demonstrable data protection. Professional indemnity insurers ask pointed questions at renewal, and the answers now affect premiums.
The firms handling this well have stopped treating IT security as a back-office matter and started treating it as part of professional standards – which, in practice, it now is.
What firms are most commonly expected to demonstrate:
- MFA on email, case systems and document stores
- Controlled access – staff see only what their role requires
- Encrypted devices, including laptops used remotely
- Secure client document sharing, not email attachments
- Tested backups with known recovery times
- Email protection against fraud and impersonation
- Prompt removal of access when staff leave
- A clear record of it all for questionnaires and renewals
For practices in Guildford, Godalming and across Surrey, most of this can be evidenced within a quarter – and Cyber Essentials certification provides a recognised way to show it.
Confidentiality won the client. Demonstrable security is what keeps them.
If your firm needs to evidence its security properly, explore our IT support and cybersecurity services for Guildford businesses.
