Dave McGuire and TJ Sponsel of the Indianapolis tax firm McGuire Sponsel have launched Akita Data, a data-consulting company that aims to protect clients against ransomware attacks and secure their data.
Akita Data will help CPA firms and their clients quantify their digital data risks. The company plans to partner with other CPA firms to identify services and technology to help their clients with digital transformation projects. Its initial technology service will provide a view of digital data risks and financial liabilities across a business’s data assets. It will then provide guidance in partnership with CPA firms on how to approach remediation of their clients' data through in-house expertise or respected partners.
The recent ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline has opened the eyes of many organizations to the vulnerability of their data and the need to do a better job of protecting their systems, but accountants have long recognized the importance of protecting the sensitive financial information of their clients.
“In 2007, TJ Sponsel and I saw a need to bring a deep level of expertise in areas that CPA firms do not have the ability to invest or specialize in — which is why McGuire Sponsel was founded,” said McGuire in a statement. “Over the last few years, we’ve seen data grow as a fundamental and essential piece of a business, and understanding digital risk is typically a key blind spot. Akita Data provides this expertise and complements a CPA firm’s existing or desired technology practice, so the CPA firm is positioned as the trusted advisor in data to their client.”
McGuire Sponsel and Akita Data will be hosting a
