A Guide to Using Practice Protect for Accountants

With FTC and IRS regulations safely managing sensitive client data, is a top priority for accountants.

Practice Protect is a security platform designed specifically for accountants. It helps protect client data, manage application access, and monitor team activity in a centralized, secure environment.
 
In this guide, I’ll introduce Practice Protect’s key features and walk you through launching applications and monitoring team member activity using its admin portal.

Introduction to Practice Protect for Accountants

As an accountant or bookkeeper, you deal with highly sensitive financial information daily.

Ensuring that this data is securely managed is essential.

Practice Protect provides a centralized platform for managing your firm’s data security, giving you control over who can access what information and from where.

How Much Does It Cost and What You Get

Note: This information is from August 2024; prices may have changed. For updated pricing, visit https://practiceprotect.com/pricing/

I’m testing out Practice Protect, but I’m not sure I’ll keep it. Because of that, I’m looking at monthly costs, not annual. 

For Gentle Frog, the monthly cost is $44/month/user. There are a minimum of 3 users, so even though we only have two users, we pay a minimum of $132/month.

There’s also a one-time onboarding cost, which depends on your number of users:

Practice Protect once off onboarding cost

Here’s the chart showing what you get for your monthly investment:

Practice Protect monthly investment for a team of 2-24 users

Note: When I spoke with their sales team, there was an additional cost for hardware protection (for Windows PCs only) and email support. My proposal with those extras was another $130/month.

Practice Protect offers several benefits, including:

  • Centralized access to all your firm’s cloud-based applications
  • Streamlined login processes through SSO (single sign-on)
  • Strong security with MFA and detailed user activity monitoring
  • The ability to enforce security policies and manage permissions for team members
  • FTC/IRS compliance.

By using Practice Protect, you’ll protect your client’s financial data and streamline your team’s workflow by reducing the need for multiple passwords and improving oversight.

User Portal

The Practice Protect User Portal has four sections, let’s take a quick look at each one.

All Items

All items include Applications and Secured Items. 

Applications is where you can log in to all the apps/software you use with one click.

You can customize this page to categorize logins for each client.

The Applications section of Practice Protects User Portal that allows you to one-click log into apps

You’ll find your compliance documents under Secured Items. My WISP and Risk Assessment Matrix documentation are attached.

Secured Items in Practice Protect's User Portal where you'll find your compliance documents

Devices

This is where you can see the devices you have “enrolled.” Currently, I only have my phone enrolled.

Devices section of the Practice Protect User Portal

Activity

You can see your activity, including what you’ve logged into.

Activity section of the Practice Protect User Portal

This guide has another section where I show you how to track the activity of other users in the Admin Portal.

Account

This is where you edit account-related information, such as passwords, profile information, and who’s in your organization.

Account section of the Practice Protect User Portal

How to Launch an Application Using Practice Protect

Part of the onboarding process is for the Practice Protect team to reset your passwords.

These passwords are not visible. You must log into Practice Protect to access your work-related applications.

However, once you have Practice Protect set up, launching an application securely is easy:

  1. Log in to Your Practice Protect User Portal: This is your central hub.
  2. Access the Applications Section: Click All Items in the left side menu. Select the Applications tab. Here, you’ll see a list of all the cloud-based apps your firm uses, such as QuickBooks Online, Gmail, Saasant, and other accounting or business related tools.
  3. Single Sign-On (SSO): This allows you to log into your apps with just one click. You do not need to remember individual passwords for each app. Click on the app you want to launch, and Practice Protect will securely log you in.
  4. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): If you clear your cache/cookies, Practice Protect will prompt you to complete a multi-factor authentication step for additional security. This ensures that only authorized users access sensitive client data, adding an extra layer of protection.

How to Use the Admin Portal to Monitor Team Member Activity

One of Practice Protect’s features is seeing your team’s activity.

This is crucial for ensuring that sensitive data is accessed appropriately and that your team complies with your firm’s security policies.

Here’s how to monitor team member activity using the Practice Protect Admin Portal:

  1. Access the Admin Portal: Log into the Practice Protect dashboard as an admin. In the left-side menu, click the dots to the right of User Portal and click Admin Portal.

Logging into the Admin Portal of Practice Protect

  1. View User Activity Log: Click Users in the Core Services section of the left-side menu. Click the user whose activity you’d like to view. On the left side of the user screen, click Activity. This shows you a detailed activity log of when the user accesses an application and where they are.

At a previous firm, I found out a bookkeeper shared their passwords by looking at activity logs like this. I could see someone was logging in from a completely different location at certain times of the day.

By monitoring user activity and managing permissions, you can ensure your firm complies with data security regulations and best practices.

Final Thoughts

Practice Protect is a great solution for accountant firms looking for a secure way to manage application access and monitor team activity. By using the Admin Portal to monitor security compliance and taking advantage of features like single sign-on and multi-factor authentication, you can ensure that your firm is following best practices for data security.

For more detailed guidance on using Practice Protect or implementing it within your firm, reach out to Practice Protect: https://practiceprotect.com/

☕ If you found this helpful, you can say “thanks” by buying me a coffee… https://www.buymeacoffee.com/gentlefrog

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This content is for information purposes only and should not be considered legal, accounting, or tax advice, or a substitute for obtaining such advice specific to your business. Additional information and exceptions may apply. Applicable laws may vary by state or locality. No assurance is given that the information is comprehensive in its coverage or that it is suitable in dealing with a customer’s particular situation. Gentle Frog, LLC does not have any responsibility for updating or revising any information presented herein. Accordingly, the information provided should not be relied upon as a substitute for independent research. Gentle Frog, LLC does not warrant that the material contained herein will continue to be accurate, nor that it is completely free of errors when published. Readers and viewers should verify statements before relying on them.

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Sign up now and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your bookkeeping is accurate, up-to-date, and free from costly errors.

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