The things firm owners ask us first.
Straight answers on security, onboarding, pricing, and what working with us actually looks like.
Talk to a guru nowWhat security certifications does Tech Guru have?
Tech Guru is SOC 2 Type 2 audited.
How fast do you respond when we need support?
When someone on your team contacts us, by phone, Microsoft Teams, or our client portal, a real person is on the other end ready to help live. No queues, no call trees. We start working on the request instantly, and when an issue calls for it, support escalates straight to a System Administrator. Because we work exclusively with accounting firms, our support model is built around your rhythm: busy season, filing deadlines, a client waiting on documents. And we guarantee it in writing: a live member of our team responds within 15 minutes, any day, any hour. If we ever miss that, we credit you $100. In practice, our average initial response is under ten minutes.
How do you handle urgent but non-emergency requests, like a new hire who needs to be set up before their start date?
As with any request, you or a member of your team messages us on Microsoft Teams, calls our toll-free number, or submits a request in our portal. Our support team reviews it by type and urgency and either handles it directly or routes it to the right person on our team, 24/7/365. If the request is for a future date, like a new hire’s start date, we schedule the work and confirm the timing with your team.
What does your new hire onboarding process look like?
A member of your team submits a new hire form in our client portal, which gives us everything we need to prepare your new hire’s first-day experience. We keep your inventory of computers at our operations center, stage the machine in advance so it is ready to use almost immediately, and ship it to arrive a few days before the start date. On day one we hold a New Hire Technology Orientation: we enroll the person and their device, set up MFA, and complete every technology onboarding task from the checklist we maintain and refine over time based on your input and our experience. Have your own app, permission, or device setup checklists? We work from those as the starting point.
Where does Tech Guru host the data?
Tech Guru's Accounting Cloud is located in a data center in Minneapolis, MN.
Where is Tech Guru’s team located?
Tech Guru has a global team, leveraging the best technology talent from around the world. Because we have a global team, we understand how to help you build, manage, and secure yours.
Does Tech Guru only work with accounting firms?
Yes. Tech Guru exclusively serves accounting firms. It is all we do, and it is the reason we understand your software, your busy season, and the data you are responsible for.
What size firm is this built for?
We work with accounting and CPA firms, typically 5 to 75 people. Whether you are a small firm scaling up or an established practice modernizing, the platform flexes as you grow.
Do we have to be technical to work with you?
No. Most of the firm owners we work with are not technical, and that is the point. We explain things in plain language, we do the technical work for you, and we never make anyone feel small for asking a question.
What about onsite support?
We resolve about 99% of issues remotely, usually faster than someone could drive to you. When hands on site are genuinely needed, we are part of a service network and can get boots on the ground anywhere in the country.
What tools do you use for device management, patching, and security monitoring?
We deploy, manage, and monitor an industry-leading platform for each layer: enterprise endpoint protection and threat detection built into Microsoft 365 Business Premium, so it replaces standalone antivirus at no extra license cost; privileged access management that controls admin rights on every machine; remote monitoring and management for system health and patching; and multi-factor authentication across your computers and the Accounting Cloud. All of it is included in the monthly service, and every quarter we test and deploy improvements to the platform’s technology and security toolset.
Are there minimum system requirements?
Yes. The security software we utilize requires Windows 11 Pro. To ensure your team’s consistent productivity, we require computers be less than four years old so we can effectively manage and support them, with 16 GB of RAM, a 512 GB hard drive, and an Intel i5 or Core 5 processor. We have found that computers that do not meet these requirements frequently drag down user productivity, and we will work with you to cost-effectively align your team’s computers with them. We also require that each staff member have their own login, with no shared logins, and that anyone accessing confidential PII work from a dedicated, managed work device.
How do you help with our WISP, the FTC Safeguards Rule, MFA, and AI policies?
We do not just advise. We write your WISP during onboarding and manage compliance with it year-round; every aspect of our service delivery model is built to comply with it, so your firm stays continuously aligned with the FTC Safeguards Rule and IRS requirements. The first step, included in the Security and Technology Foundation service, is an audit of your systems: we identify the gaps and implement the changes to bring you to baseline compliance. Requirements and threats change, so every quarter we review your compliance posture against the latest FTC and IRS guidance and update whatever needs updating. We also write your AI and other technology policies and help your team follow them.
Can you work with our current tax software hosting provider?
We have worked with other hosting providers, and their platforms generally do not meet our standards and best practices, so we migrate firms to our Accounting Cloud. The exception is Thomson Reuters Virtual Office, which we support because its licensing model can make external hosting impractical for smaller practices. The benefits of hosting with us are real: one team and one technology platform, hosting fully integrated with the rest of our services and fully supported by us, files synced with OneDrive so they are always at your fingertips, and full environment visibility for your quarterly Strategic Technology Planning. When anyone on your team needs help with anything technology-related, they reach out on Teams and we handle it, with no third party tying our hands. And the migration requires zero downtime: we build your new environment while you keep working on the current platform, one member of your team completes validation testing, and we switch everyone over overnight.
What does the transition from our current IT vendor look like, and what do you need from us in the first 30 days?
It starts with a simple introduction: you send an email to your current IT vendor, copying us, introducing Tech Guru as your new provider. From there we coordinate the transition with them directly, so the back-and-forth never lands on your team. We schedule a kickoff meeting with your primary point of contact for project planning, then spend a few weeks auditing your systems, installing the security tools, enrolling your team, upgrading security policies, building your Accounting Cloud environment, and migrating the data. We meet weekly for 30 minutes to stay aligned on timelines and progress, all migrations are scheduled outside business hours, and we own the whole process end to end, so the demands on your team stay minimal.
How long does onboarding take?
Most firms are up and running in about four weeks. We spend the first week on kickoff and discovery, the next two building your secure foundation behind the scenes, and the fourth going live. Your only standing commitment is about an hour a week from one person.
How does pricing work?
Pricing scales with your team and what your firm needs, so we scope it on a short call instead of guessing here. No long-term contract, no hour caps, no minimums, and a 60-day cancellation any time. Talk to a guru and we will give you a clear, transparent number.
What happens on a discovery call?
A real conversation about your firm, not a sales pitch. We learn your goals, look at where technology is helping or holding you back, and give you recommendations you can act on whether or not you work with us. Daniel is on the call.
Add clients. Not headaches.
See what the right platform does for your margins. Book a discovery call with our team.
Talk to a guru nowNo long-term contract. No hour caps. No minimums. 60-day cancellation any time. We earn it every month. · (800) 692-6096