The Company
P and P Tax Services, LLC is a sole proprietorship accounting firm founded by longtime CPA Kevin Scott. Based in Saddlebrook, Missouri, Scott started his business in 2020 following a COVID-related layoff from a larger firm where he had worked for more than 15 years.
The Challenge
Scott decided to open P and P while also working a full-time job that put him on a rotating schedule of one week in the office and two weeks at home.
“I took some time off after being laid off, and some friends said I should open my own practice,” Scott says. “I had clients that followed. I got a job at a payroll company that allowed me to do my tax practice on the side.”
At the outset, P and P faced a few challenges. First, Scott needed reliable tax software that was appropriate for a small firm. He also needed to be able to respond to clients, when necessary, from the office where he worked in his full-time position. He couldn’t wait until he got home to reply to client questions or requests. Scott needed consistent access to a tax application and to his client files from two different locations. After speaking with colleagues, Scott chose Drake as his tax preparation software.
The Solution
Scott still needed a way to work from two different locations. Drake suggested Rightworks. Running Drake in a Rightworks cloud environment, Scott could access the applications and data he needed when he needed them.
“I could access everything at the office, not [just] when I got back to the house,” he says.
But Rightworks was about to prove even more valuable than Scott imagined. Concerned about cybersecurity, he had decided to adopt Rightworks’ device protection service. He would soon be glad he did. One day while working at home, Scott decided to download a music app to his computer. Suddenly, his internet shut down.
“I reached to fix my router, and my cell phone rang,” Scott remembers. “One of the support people from Rightworks was on the phone and said, ‘We noticed you were downloading something fishy, so we stopped your internet access.’ Sure enough, there was malware in the app I was downloading. I decided not to download it to my computer. I just listened using the app on my phone instead. It proved to me that the money I pay for security every month is worth it.”
The entire incident lasted fewer than 10 minutes, Scott says. “For Rightworks to catch it that fast and then call me is what really impressed me. It was a very short amount of
time. I know a lot of people who use Drake. I tell them they [also] need to be using Rightworks.”
Why Rightworks?
Drake provided the initial connection, and Scott liked being able to access Drake from outside his home. But he also knew he needed to bolster data security. Drake also recommended device security from Rightworks.
“Before I became a CPA, I spent 14 years with the Air Force doing communications,” Scott says. “I knew the importance of cybersecurity. Working for a large firm, we had monthly security training. It’s better to have security. It’s a small cost just for protection.”
The Impact
Ultimately, Scott was able to avoid a cyberattack thanks to Rightworks device security. Access to Drake and client information from his office is also valuable. But in an environment in which cyberthreats are constant, peace of mind might be the most important benefit Rightworks has delivered. Scott has passed it on to his clients.
“All you have to do is turn on the TV and there’s somebody getting hacked,” he says. “I’ve got clients asking me what kind of protection I can give them and wanting to know whether their data will be safe. I can tell them that I have Rightworks. They like that I’m taking steps to protect their information.”