The problem: An accountancy firm was approaching a major filing deadline while staff were experiencing slow access to financial applications and shared client records. Permissions had grown inconsistent as the team changed, and although backups were running, nobody had recently confirmed that the firm could recover the information it needed.
How we identified it
We reviewed application performance, Microsoft 365 identities, shared-data permissions, device health and the complete backup path. The risk was not one isolated fault. Several small weaknesses were combining at the point when downtime or lost access would have the greatest operational impact.
What we did
- Resolved the performance bottlenecks affecting deadline-critical applications.
- Reviewed access to financial records and removed permissions that were no longer required.
- Strengthened account protection for staff handling sensitive client data.
- Verified backup coverage and completed a controlled recovery test.
- Introduced proactive monitoring and a clear escalation route for the deadline period.
The outcome
The team gained dependable access to the systems and client information needed to complete its work. The firm also entered its busiest period with clearer permissions, stronger account security and a tested recovery process rather than an assumed one.