Chartered Accountants: Secure Your Client Communications

Chartered accountants hold highly confidential information: balance sheets, income statements, cash flow positions, executive compensation. Professional secrecy, enshrined in Article 21 of the ordinance of September 19, 1945, obliges you to protect this data with the utmost rigor. But what happens when you exchange it by email via Gmail or Outlook?

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The Chartered Accountant\'s Professional Secrecy

Chartered accountants are bound by professional secrecy as defined in Article 226-13 of the French Penal Code. This obligation covers all information brought to their attention in the course of their profession, whether financial, strategic, or personal data concerning executives.

In practice, this means you cannot disclose:

• Your clients\' financial positions
• Executive and employee compensation
• Strategic projects (acquisitions, disposals, restructuring)
• Partners\' personal information
• Any confidential information shared as part of your engagement

This confidentiality obligation naturally extends to electronic exchanges. An email containing a financial forecast is covered by professional secrecy just as much as a paper document handed over in person.

The Problem with American Email Services

The majority of accounting firms use Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace for their email and collaboration tools. These solutions are powerful and well-integrated with accounting software. But they pose a fundamental problem with respect to professional secrecy.

The Cloud Act: Your Emails Accessible to American Authorities

Since 2018, the Cloud Act allows American authorities to access data hosted by American companies, even when that data is stored outside the United States. Microsoft and Google are American companies. Your emails hosted with them are therefore potentially accessible to the FBI, NSA, or other agencies.

For a chartered accountant, this is problematic. How can you guarantee professional secrecy if a foreign authority can access your client communications without even notifying you?

A Risk for Your Clients Too

Your clients trust you with their most sensitive information. If this information becomes exposed due to a weakness in your security chain, it\'s your liability at stake. Businesses are increasingly aware of these issues, and some now require guarantees about where the data they entrust to you is hosted.

Infomaniak: The Swiss Alternative for Accounting Firms

Infomaniak is the largest independent Swiss hosting provider. Founded in 1994 in Geneva, it offers a full range of services: email, cloud storage, video conferencing, and web hosting. Several features make it a relevant choice for chartered accountants.

Swiss Hosting: Beyond the Cloud Act\'s Reach

Infomaniak is a Swiss company, subject to Swiss law. Data hosted in its data centers is not accessible to American authorities via the Cloud Act. Only an international mutual legal assistance request, going through official diplomatic channels, could theoretically provide access — a lengthy and complex process that offers real safeguards.

Guaranteed GDPR Compatibility

Switzerland benefits from an adequacy decision by the European Commission. Data transfers to Switzerland are therefore GDPR-compliant without requiring additional safeguards. For a firm handling European clients\' data, this is a significant compliance advantage.

Tools Tailored to a Firm\'s Daily Operations

kSuite, Infomaniak\'s collaborative suite, offers everything an accounting firm needs:

• Professional email – Addresses on your domain, powerful anti-spam
• Shared calendar – Manage client appointments and tax deadlines
• kDrive – Store and share client documents securely
• kMeet – Video conferencing for remote meetings
• Office suite – Collaborative document editing

Use Cases for an Accounting Firm

How does Infomaniak fit into an accounting firm\'s daily workflow? Here are some real-world scenarios.

Secure Document Exchange with Clients

Rather than sending a balance sheet as an email attachment (which remains stored in both parties\' mailboxes), create a password-protected kDrive sharing link with an expiration date. Your client accesses the document, reviews it, and the link becomes inactive after a few days.

For documents clients need to send you (invoices, bank statements), create a dedicated upload space. The client uploads their files without access to other folders. You\'re automatically notified of new documents.

Collaboration Between Team Members

kDrive lets you structure client folders with differentiated access rights. A junior associate accesses only their assigned folders, not the entire firm\'s files. The manager has a complete view for supervision.

Document co-editing allows multiple team members to work simultaneously on the same file. No more emailing versions back and forth with the confusion that creates.

Remote Client Meetings

kMeet offers an integrated video conferencing solution that requires no installation on the client side. You send a link, your client clicks, and joins the meeting. Screen sharing lets you present the accounts in real time.

For confidential meetings, kMeet guarantees that data streams pass exclusively through Infomaniak\'s Swiss servers. No routing through American infrastructure.

Calendar and Deadline Management

Infomaniak\'s calendar syncs across all your devices (computer, smartphone, tablet). Create recurring events for tax deadlines, share your availability with clients for appointment scheduling, and set reminders so nothing is missed.

Compatibility with Accounting Software

A common question: is Infomaniak compatible with accounting production software? The answer is yes, in the vast majority of cases.

Accounting Software

Cegid, Sage, ACD, Quadratus, Pennylane, and most accounting production software work independently of your email system. They store their data on their own servers or locally. Choosing Infomaniak for your email has no impact on their operation.

Digital Safes

Some firms use digital safes (MyCompanyFiles, Cegid Loop, etc.) for document exchange with clients. These solutions are also independent of your email system. You can keep them while migrating your email to Infomaniak.

Email Integration

Some software sends emails automatically (client reminders, notifications). These features rely on standard SMTP protocols and work perfectly with Infomaniak.

Migration from Microsoft 365

Most accounting firms use Microsoft 365. The migration to Infomaniak is well-established.

Step 1: Audit the Existing Setup

Start by inventorying what you use in Microsoft 365: emails of course, but also OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, and shared calendars. This inventory lets you plan the migration of each component.

Step 2: Create Infomaniak Accounts

Subscribe to kSuite and create accounts for each team member. Take the opportunity to clean up: remove former employee accounts, standardize email addresses.

Step 3: Migrate Emails

Infomaniak\'s migration tool automatically transfers emails from Exchange Online. The entire history is preserved, including folders and subfolders. Allow a few hours to a few days depending on volume.

Step 4: Transfer Files

OneDrive and SharePoint files are transferred to kDrive. For complex folder structures, proceed service by service to avoid confusion.

Step 5: DNS Switchover

Once data is migrated, modify your domain\'s DNS records to point to Infomaniak. New emails now arrive in your Infomaniak mailboxes.

Step 6: Configure Workstations

Reconfigure Outlook, Thunderbird, or your smartphone mail app to connect to Infomaniak servers. The settings are standard, and configuration takes a few minutes per device.

Cost Comparison

Does migrating to Infomaniak cost more? Let\'s compare for a 10-person firm:

At a comparable price, you benefit from Swiss hosting that truly protects professional secrecy. The investment is minimal; the peace of mind is considerable.

Conclusion

Professional secrecy for chartered accountants is non-negotiable. It covers all your exchanges with clients, including electronic communications. Hosting these exchanges with American providers subject to the Cloud Act is a risk you no longer need to take.

Infomaniak offers a credible alternative, with modern tools and Swiss hosting that guarantees the confidentiality of your data. Migrating from Microsoft 365 is a manageable project, whether you handle it in-house or with specialist support.

Your clients trust you with their secrets. Give them the protection they deserve.

Secure My Client Communications