One of the services we have updated in preparation for Tax Season is our client Portal.
Portal is a free client service that lets them exchange sensitive information with us over the Internet safely.
CCH Axcess Portal is the service we use. CCH is one of the top makers of software for accountants. Their Portal service provides a way to exchange encrypted information via a secure data center. The clients’ information is stored locked up in a spot where physical access is tightly restricted, and the duplicate remote storage guards against loss from nature disasters like earthquakes and local tragedies like theft and building fires.
Why don’t we just email clients their tax returns?
Email is NOT secure! Email is typically sent through the Internet without encryption. Someone with a monitor on the Internet could capture the stream of the email and rip off your information. In addition, most people don’t safeguard their email accounts that well. They keep the email program open when they are at lunch, and coworkers wandering by can “accidently” see confidential documents and messages open in email.
Of course we still love doing business face-to-face. You can bring by your sensitive documents and drop them off in person. If you have the time!
But, if you sometimes need to exchange information instantly, let us set you up on Portal.