Managed IT and Cybersecurity for Montana Financial Firms
Information Systems of Montana (ISM) provides managed IT, 24/7 security monitoring and backup for Montana CPA and tax firms, bookkeepers, registered investment advisers, broker-dealer branch offices, insurance agencies and lenders. We put in place the controls your regulator expects, whether that is the FTC Safeguards Rule, SEC Regulation S-P or FINRA, and we document them so you can answer an exam or a cyber insurance renewal with evidence.
We are a local Montana team that has protected Montana financial firms since 1995.
Which rules apply to your firm
Most Montana financial firms answer to at least one federal security rule, plus Montana's breach notification law:
Not sure where your gaps are?
Schedule a free financial firm IT risk review.
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CPAs, tax preparers, bookkeepers, mortgage brokers and non-bank lenders: the FTC Safeguards Rule (16 CFR Part 314) treats you as a financial institution. It requires a written information security program (WISP), a designated Qualified Individual, a written risk assessment, multi-factor authentication, encryption, staff training, vendor oversight and an annual report to ownership. Since May 13, 2024, a breach of unencrypted information involving 500 or more consumers must be reported to the FTC within 30 days of discovery. The IRS points tax professionals to the same requirements in Publications 4557 and 5708.
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Registered investment advisers and broker-dealers: the SEC's 2024 amendments to Regulation S-P require a written incident response program, customer breach notification and service provider oversight. Smaller entities had to comply by June 3, 2026, and the SEC has named Reg S-P an examination priority. Broker-dealers also answer to FINRA's cybersecurity expectations.
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Insurance agencies: Montana's insurance information privacy laws apply alongside the general breach law.
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Everyone: Montana's breach notification law (MCA 30-14-1704) requires notifying affected Montana residents and sending a copy to the Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection.
How ISM protects your firm
Every managed plan includes the security layers below, built into the price instead of sold as add-ons, with compliance documentation added when your industry requires it:
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24/7 threat monitoring and response from a staffed security operations center
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Backup with off-site redundancy and tested restores
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AI-powered email protection against phishing, invoice fraud and impersonation
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Multi-factor authentication on every system that touches client data, and encryption on devices and data
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Technical input for your WISP, risk assessment and annual report, plus vulnerability scanning and evidence for exams
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Vendor and service provider oversight records, which both the FTC and the SEC expect
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Secure client file exchange instead of email attachments
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Tax season readiness: planned maintenance before the crunch, not during it
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Secure Microsoft Copilot adoption for reporting and analysis, without exposing client data
Protecting Montana businesses since 1995
11.1-year average client relationship
Best of Montana five years running
Named to the CRN 2026 MSP 500 and the MSP 501
Titans of the Industry nominee two years running
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The FTC Safeguards Rule (16 CFR Part 314) treats professional tax preparers, CPA firms and bookkeepers as financial institutions under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, regardless of size. You need a written information security program with a Qualified Individual, a risk assessment, multi-factor authentication, encryption, training and vendor oversight. Firms with data on fewer than 5,000 consumers are exempt from a few written requirements, but not from the program itself.
A written information security program should name your Qualified Individual and document your risk assessment, access controls, multi-factor authentication, encryption, monitoring and testing, staff training, vendor oversight, incident response plan, and your duty to report a qualifying breach to the FTC within 30 days. The IRS provides a sample plan in Publication 5708. ISM supplies the technical sections and the evidence behind them.
If you are an SEC-registered investment adviser, yes. Smaller entities, including advisers with less than $1.5 billion in assets under management, had to comply by June 3, 2026. The amendments require a written incident response program, notice to affected customers after certain breaches, and oversight of service providers. ISM supports the technical side of all three.
Yes. For broker-dealer offices, we set up and document security controls that support FINRA and GLBA requirements, including access controls, multi-factor authentication, monitoring, backup and incident response, and we help you answer your compliance team's and your carrier's questionnaires.
Our security operations center works to contain the threat and we restore systems from backup. Depending on your firm, you may need to notify the FTC within 30 days (500 or more consumers, unencrypted data), notify customers under Regulation S-P, report data theft to the IRS, and notify affected Montana residents and the Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection under MCA 30-14-1704. We give you and your counsel the technical facts quickly.
We plan around it. Upgrades, migrations and major maintenance are scheduled before your busy season, and during it we focus on keeping your tax and accounting software, scanners and remote access working.
Yes. ISM serves financial firms across Montana, including Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell and Missoula. Most support is delivered remotely, security monitoring runs 24/7, and our local Montana team handles on-site work when it is needed.
Talk to a Local Montana Team
Schedule a free financial firm IT risk review. We will look at your security, backups and compliance gaps and tell you plainly what to fix first.
