Norton Tax Shops – Case Study

Name: Absolutely PC
Address: Unit 1, Grove Industrial Estate, Gloucester Rd, Patchway, Bristol, BS34 5BB, GB
Telephone: 0117 9759 523

Absolutely PC ensures smooth transition to remote working for long standing client.

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Norton Tax Shops Ltd is a Bristol based accountancy practice that was established over 20 years ago.

From their two locations in Kingswood and Keynsham, the 18 strong team provide a range of accounting and payroll services including personal tax returns, annual accounts, tax planning, bookkeeping, property services and more.

Due to the sensitive nature of the information they process, coupled with their reliance on PC based software such as IRIS account production, Norton Tax Shops, like many other businesses, had previously not considered remote working as a viable alternative to office-based working.

Norton Tax Shops started working with Absolutely PC over 10 years ago and over that time, we have supported their growth by ensuring their I.T. systems were scalable based on their needs.

Problems they were facing

Like many businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the way Norton Tax Shops were able to operate, with Government advice on social distancing meaning that employees would need to work remotely.

Being a purely office-based business, dramatic changes would need to be made quickly to ensure no interruption of service to clients at such a critical time.

As business data was stored on a network attached storage device in the office, Norton Tax Shops needed a solution that allowed staff to securely connect to their desktop PCs to access client data and PC based software.

The Absolutely PC Solution

Absolutely PC implemented a range of solutions to ensure that Norton Tax Shops could continue to work, keeping GDPR, security, accessibility and ease of use in mind:

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A new router was set up in each location, this enabled staff to connect to their work PCs through a VPN (virtual private network), this is a secure tunnel to the PC allowing staff to work from home as if they were in the office.

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Where staff were missing essential hardware, we were able to order and deliver to private addresses quickly to minimise any delay.

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To enable the connection, VPN software was installed on home PCs, the machines also underwent a security check to ensure they were clean and had up to date anti-virus software installed.

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With a VPN set up in both locations, staff were able to access files stored at either office.

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Staff were able to contact the team at Absolutely PC throughout the transition should they have any questions about using the new systems.

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Conclusion

Within just 24 hours, the team at Norton Tax Shops were ready to work efficiently from home, with the Absolutely PC support team on hand to help staff with any queries they had with the new I.T. systems.

Staff adapted very well to the new systems, finding them straightforward and easy to use. The business was able to utilise existing software such as IRIS, PTP and Star time with no problems, allowing them to carry out critical tasks for clients.

Sally Deacon, Managing Director of Norton Tax Shops was delighted with the results:

We’ve been working with Absolutely PC for over 10 years, in that time, our business has grown and their managed I.T. support has grown with us. One of the biggest changes for us in recent times was opening the second office, Absolutely PC helped with all the cabling and setting everything up.”

“Like many businesses, our shift to remote working was a fairly urgent one, so we were fortunate to have the team at Absolutely PC on board; not only did they get everything sorted within 24 hours, but they’ve also been on hand to support our staff throughout.”

“In the short term, we are functioning very well as a business from home, but this change has proved to us that in the longer term, remote working is completely feasible for our business.”

“We greatly value the relationship with Absolutely PC, they are proactive, attentive and always respond in good time. Their staff, and in particular, Ismail, are patient with our queries and always provide a sensible solution to any problems we have.”

Sally Deacon, Managing Director – Norton Tax Shops Ltd

Making I.T. Work For You

If your business requires a proactive I.T. support company to support remote working, we can help. Fill out the form below and one of our team will get back to you, or call 0117 975 9523 for an immediate response.

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We would like to say a big thank you to John and his team for all the help you have given to our business over the years. Great service combined with great expertise. Couldn’t recommend you all enough.

Helen Moloney

Absolutely PC are a brilliant company to work with. Arthur David have worked with them for a number of years. They have a professional team of people, who are very knowledgeable and nothing is too much trouble.

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Excellent service, I have been using Absolutely PC for the last few years now and would highly recommend them, nothing is too much hassle for them, 5 Stars,
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Business Cyber Safety Check

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Question Area	Your Answer
Firewall Protection Do all your computers and servers have firewall protection turned on?
Firewall Rules Kept Tight Do you regularly review what is allowed through your firewall (and remove anything you don’t need)?
Confidence in Security Do you feel confident your business is protected from common cyber threats?
Staff Training Has anyone in your company had cyber security training recently?
Reporting Suspicious Emails Do your staff know what to do if they receive a suspicious email?
Strong, Unique Passwords Do your staff use strong, unique passwords for work accounts?
Default Passwords Changed Have default passwords been changed on your internet router, Wi‑Fi, devices, and any key systems?
Extra Login Protection (MFA) Do you use an extra security step when logging in (like a code on your phone)?
Admin Accounts Kept Separate Do you keep admin (high power) accounts separate from everyday user accounts?
Starting/Leaving Access Process Do you have a process for removing access when someone leaves the company?
Access Limited to What’s Needed Do people only have access to the data and systems they actually need for their job?
No Shared Logins Are shared accounts used across the business (one login used by multiple people)?
Automatic Updates Are all your computers and devices kept up to date automatically?
Important Updates Applied Quickly When important security updates are released, are they applied quickly (within a couple of weeks)?
Supported Systems Only Are all your computers and servers on supported versions (not old/out of support)?
Apps Kept Up to Date Are your main apps updated regularly (and old software removed)?
Control Over Installing Software Are staff allowed to install their own apps or software?
Security Software Installed Do you have antivirus or security software on all work devices (including servers)?
Security Being Watched Do you know if your antivirus is actively monitored, or is it just installed?
Real-Time Protection On Is your antivirus protection always on (and not easy for users to turn off)?
Security Updates Automatic Is your security software kept up to date automatically?
Coverage for Remote Devices Are devices used at home or remotely covered by the same protection?
Scams Being Reported Have you had any suspicious emails or scams reported lately?
Spotting Scam Emails Do staff know how to spot a scam or phishing email?
If Someone Clicks a Bad Link Do staff have a process to follow if they accidentally click on a suspicious link?
Where Important Data Lives Is your important business data stored securely?
Backups in Place Is your data regularly backed up?
Backups Can Be Restored Do you know how quickly you could recover your data if something went wrong?
Remote Working Do staff work from home or on the move?
Personal Devices Used for Work Are personal devices used for work (email, files, systems)?
Remote Access Protected Are remote devices and remote access secured?
Plan for When Things Go Wrong Do you have a plan if something goes wrong (like a hacked account or ransomware)?
Incident Response Plan Do you have an incident response plan in place should you have a cyber incident?
Plan Has Been Tested Have you ever tested your response plan (even as a simple discussion)?
External Access to Systems Do any external companies have access to your systems or data?
Checking Suppliers’ Security Do you check a supplier’s security before giving them access?
Security Standards Goal Are you aiming to meet any standards like Cyber Essentials or ISO 27001?

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Office

Unit 1, Grove Industrial Estate, Gloucester Rd, Patchway, Bristol BS34 5BB

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Opening Hours

Mon - Fri - 8am - 5.30pm
Sat/Sun - Closed

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0117 9759 523

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