Compliance isn't just regulatory anymore. It's client driven.
Greypike is compliance software for CPA firms and the rest of financial services — accounting firms, wealth managers, tax professionals, bookkeepers and payroll providers. You face pressure from two directions at once, and both end in the same place.
Someone has to complete the work required to protect client information.
From regulators
Obligation- FTC Safeguards Rule
- GLBA obligations
- State data protection requirements
From clients and insurers
Pressure- Security questions before they share records
- Engagement letters with security terms
- Cyber insurance carriers asking what you have in place
Both end with work someone has to finish.
Compliance software for CPA firms and financial services
Not enterprise banks with compliance departments. The firms where this lands on the managing partner, the controller, or whoever happens to own IT.
- CPA firms
- Tax and accounting firms
- Bookkeeping services
- Payroll providers
- Financial advisors
- Wealth management firms
- Insurance organizations
- Other financial service providers
If your clients trust you with financial records, tax information, payroll data, banking details or personal information, security expectations are no longer optional — whether or not a regulator has knocked.
Frameworks and obligations we support
- FTC Safeguards
- GLBA
- NIST CSF
- HIPAA
- AI governance — coming
FTC Safeguards isn't a project. It's an ongoing program.
Many firms approach the FTC Safeguards Rule as a checklist to get through once. That isn't how it works — and the gap between the two views is where firms get caught. Switch between them.
- Risk assessment—Reviewed and updated periodicallyDone onceLast done 14 months ago
- Access reviews—Every quarterDone onceQ3 not started
- Security awareness training—Annually, plus new hiresDone once2 staff never completed
- Vendor oversight—At onboarding and on renewalDone once3 vendors unreviewed
- Incident response plan—Tested, not just writtenDone onceNever tested
- Security monitoring—ContinuousDone onceRunning
- Policy management—Reviewed as things changeDone once2 policies out of date
This is how most firms believe they stand. Tick the box, file the document, move on. Switch the toggle to see the same program twelve months later.
Six of seven have drifted, and nothing told you. Greypike turns each obligation into recurring tasks with owners, evidence and completion criteria — so the program stays current instead of decaying quietly between audits.
Cadences shown are Greypike's recommended practice. The rule itself requires the program to be monitored, tested and updated as your firm and its risks change.
The problem most compliance software doesn't solve
Platforms focus on controls. Consultants focus on assessments. Neither one consistently gets the work done — which is the only thing that actually determines whether you're compliant.
The traditional approach
- Requirement
- Control
- Evidence
- Hope it passes
The Greypike approach
- Requirement
- Task
- Completion
- Evidence
- Ongoing compliance
Compliance succeeds or fails on completed work — not on completed dashboards. Only one of these chains has a step where somebody actually does something.
Software, with real compliance professionals behind it
Most financial services firms don't employ a compliance team. The work lands on whoever is closest to it — usually someone who already has a full job.
Who this usually falls to
- Managing partners
- Firm owners
- Controllers
- Operations managers
- IT managers
- Office administrators
Greypike was built for exactly those organizations. When a question comes up, a compliance analyst reviews the work and keeps the program moving — you don't have to become the expert.
What the platform provides
- Task-based compliance management
- Evidence collection and organization
- Framework mapping
- Compliance workflows
- Compliance analyst review
Every task includes clear instructions, a responsible owner, required evidence, a due date, acceptance criteria, and analyst review before it counts.
Client security reviews are becoming the new audit
No regulator sent these. A client did, before agreeing to share their records — and the answer decides whether the engagement proceeds. Pick one you've been asked.
Do you use MFA?
Without a program
- Ask IT, who thinks so
- Screenshot one account as proof
- Nobody knows about the service accounts
With Greypike
- MFA task completed and analyst-reviewed
- Enrollment export pulled from your identity provider
- Exceptions already documented
How do you manage vendors?
Without a program
- A spreadsheet somebody started
- No record of who reviewed what
- Two vendors nobody remembers onboarding
With Greypike
- Vendor oversight as recurring tasks
- Review dates and owners on record
- Evidence attached to each vendor
Do you have an incident response plan?
Without a program
- Yes — written three years ago
- Never tested
- Contacts in it have left the firm
With Greypike
- Current plan with a documented test
- Owner assigned for the annual review
- Analyst confirmed it covers the rule
How do you protect client information?
Without a program
- A long email written from memory
- Different answer from each partner
- No evidence attached to any of it
With Greypike
- One answer, drawn from completed work
- Backed by dated, reviewed evidence
- Consistent whoever is asked
What security controls are in place?
Without a program
- Scattered across email and drives
- Weeks of assembly before you can reply
- Gaps discovered mid-response
With Greypike
- A live view of the program
- Every control tied to completed tasks
- Gaps already tracked and owned
Same question, two weeks apart. Greypike organizes the work, the evidence and the documentation so the answer is already sitting there.
Why financial services organizations choose Greypike
Most regulations describe outcomes. Greypike translates them into actions — so the program can be run by a normal business without hiring a compliance department.
| The traditional approach | Greypike |
|---|---|
| One-time compliance projects | Continuous compliance management |
| Spreadsheets and reminders | Structured tasks and workflows |
| Consultant-dependent | Software with expert review |
| Evidence scattered everywhere | Centralized evidence management |
| Regulatory language | Plain-language actionable tasks |
| Reactive preparation | Ongoing compliance readiness |
Protect client trust
Regulations create the obligation. Client expectations create the pressure. For a firm whose entire business rests on being trusted with someone's financial life, those are the same thing — and Greypike helps you meet both.
FTC Safeguards Rule questions from financial services firms
Something not covered here? Ask us directly, or read the FTC Safeguards Rule guide.
Does the FTC Safeguards Rule apply to CPA firms?
In most cases, yes. The FTC Safeguards Rule (16 CFR Part 314) applies to financial institutions under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and that includes tax preparers and many accounting, bookkeeping and payroll firms. If your firm handles customer financial information, plan on maintaining a written information security program.
What does the FTC Safeguards Rule require?
A written information security program with a designated Qualified Individual, a written risk assessment, safeguards such as access controls, encryption and multi-factor authentication, staff security training, oversight of service providers, a written incident response plan, continuous monitoring or annual penetration testing with vulnerability scans every six months, and an annual written report to your board or owners.
Do tax professionals need a written information security plan (WISP)?
Yes. The Safeguards Rule requires a written program, and the IRS asks paid preparers to confirm their data security obligations when they apply for or renew a PTIN. IRS Publication 5708 provides a WISP template for tax and accounting practices.
Are small firms exempt from the Safeguards Rule?
Partly. Firms that hold customer information on fewer than 5,000 consumers are exempt from four requirements: the written risk assessment, the written incident response plan, the annual report to the board, and continuous monitoring or annual penetration testing. Everything else still applies.
Do we have to report a data breach to the FTC?
Yes. Since May 13, 2024, if unencrypted customer information for 500 or more consumers is acquired without authorization, you must notify the FTC as soon as possible and no later than 30 days after discovery.
How does Greypike help financial services firms with compliance?
As compliance software for CPA firms and financial services providers, Greypike turns each Safeguards Rule and GLBA requirement into recurring tasks with owners, evidence requirements and acceptance criteria, and a compliance analyst reviews the work before it counts. Because the evidence is organized as you go, client security questionnaires can be answered from completed work.
How much does Greypike cost?
Greypike costs $399 a month on a 12-month term, or $4,000 a year paid up front, per framework, with compliance analyst review included. See full pricing.
General information, not legal advice.
The next client security review is already drafted
Somebody is going to ask how you protect their financial records. You can assemble the answer over three weeks, or have it ready.
