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Ledvarin Accounting.

An IT plan for a fictional accounting firm whose IT grew by accident: one sign-in per person, client files in one safe place, backups that are tested, and guides the staff can actually use.

Type
IT plan · Accounts, files, backups & security
Scope
Assessment · Setup · Move · Handover
Firm
Fictional, created by Zanarix
Move
Over one weekend · Sample plan
IT plan: target setup · Concept · Sample plan · Fictional firm

The problem

IT that grew by accident, holding very sensitive data.

We set ourselves a brief: a small accounting firm handling clients' financial records. Over the years, its IT simply grew: one shared password, client files on a single office computer, and backups on a USB drive nobody has ever tried to restore.

Nothing has gone wrong yet. But one lost laptop, one departing employee or one failed disk could put client data at risk, and stop the firm working for days.

The idea and approach

Find the real risks, fix the biggest first, and keep the office working.

Ledvarin is an invented name. The identity is calm and traditional on purpose: a serif wordmark, ledger greens and a single brass accent, for a firm people trust with their numbers.

We would start with a one-week assessment and a findings report in plain words, then agree a target setup, costs and timetable with the partners. Everything is prepared alongside the old system, the move happens over a weekend, and staff get short training and one-page guides. The project ends with a handover, so the firm's own office manager can run the simple checks from then on.

Key features

What the plan covers.

A sample IT plan for a fictional firm: how we would approach it, not a record of past work.

  • Assessment

    An inventory of devices and accounts, short interviews, and a findings report that rates each risk in plain words.

  • Target setup

    One personal account per person with two-step sign-in, a password manager, and one shared workspace for email and files.

  • Client files

    Files organised by team with access by role, and a secure way to exchange documents with clients instead of email attachments.

  • Backups that work

    Automatic daily off-site backups, and a restore actually tested before handover.

  • The move

    Prepared alongside the old system and done over a weekend, so Monday starts normally.

  • Guides and handover

    One-page staff guides, a starter and leaver checklist, and a short monthly checklist the firm runs itself.

Identity and IT plan

Careful with data, clear with words.

Ledvarin Accounting's identity and a sample IT plan: a fictional firm, designed by Zanarix.

Ledvarin Accounting

Primary logo

Mark on Ledger

Palette

  • Ledger

    #234B3A

    Primary

  • Paper

    #F7F5EF

    Background

  • Brass

    #B8893B

    Accent, sparingly

  • Ink

    #1D2733

    Text

  • Sage

    #DCE5DC

    Panels, done

  • Slate

    #5D6B78

    Secondary text

Typography

Aa

Spectral

Headings and the wordmark: calm, trustworthy, a little traditional.

Aa

Geist

Text, figures and forms: clear at small sizes.

Guidelines

  • Ledger green for actions, brass only for small marks.
  • Numbers always aligned and in the same weight.
  • Plain words in every guide: no IT jargon for staff.

What we found, and the fix

The assessment in plain words: what the risk is today, how serious it is, and what replaces it.

  • Everyone shares one administrator password

    High risk

    A personal account for everyone, a password manager and two-step sign-in

  • Client files live on one office computer

    High risk

    Files by team in the shared workspace, with access by role

  • Backups go to a USB drive and have never been tested

    High risk

    Automatic daily off-site backups, with a restore tested before handover

  • Client documents are sent as email attachments

    Medium risk

    A secure client file exchange with links that expire

  • Laptops aren't encrypted and updates are manual

    Medium risk

    Managed laptops: encryption on, updates automatic

  • People who leave keep their access for weeks

    Medium risk

    A starter and leaver checklist: access removed the same day

Assessment findings · Concept · Sample plan

The move, step by step

Planned so the office keeps working: the actual move happens over a weekend.

  1. Assess

    1 week

    Interviews, an inventory of devices and accounts, and the findings report

  2. Plan

    1 week

    Target setup, costs and timetable, approved by the partners

  3. Prepare

    2 weeks

    Accounts, devices and file structure set up alongside the old system

  4. Move

    1 weekend

    Files and email moved outside office hours, checked on Monday

  5. Train

    Week after

    Short sessions for staff, and the guides below

  6. Hand over

    End of project

    Guides, admin access and a short monthly checklist the firm runs itself

Move plan · Concept · Sample plan

Guides the staff can actually use

One page each, in plain words, handed over with the new setup.

  • Signing in, step by step

    1. 1. Your account and two-step sign-in
    2. 2. Using the password manager
    3. 3. What to do if you're locked out

    Staff guide · 1 page

  • New starter and leaver checklist

    1. 1. Before day one: account, laptop, access
    2. 2. On the last day: access removed, laptop returned
    3. 3. Who does what

    Staff guide · 1 page

  • If a laptop is lost or stolen

    1. 1. Tell the office manager straight away
    2. 2. The laptop is locked and wiped remotely
    3. 3. No client data is stored on it

    Staff guide · 1 page

Staff guides · Concept · Sample content

Design highlights

An IT plan people can read.

  • Risks in plain words

    Each finding says what happens today, how serious it is, and what replaces it, without jargon.

  • Biggest risks first

    Shared passwords, single-computer storage and untested backups are fixed before anything else.

  • No vendor lock-in talk

    The plan describes what the firm needs; products are chosen to fit it, not the other way round.

  • Guides on one page

    Staff get short, specific guides for the moments that matter, like a lost laptop.

Technology

How we would set it up.

Identity
One account per person, two-step sign-in, and a shared password manager.
Workspace
A business email and file suite, with files organised by team and access by role.
Devices
Laptops managed centrally: encrypted, updated automatically, and wipeable if lost.
Backups
Automatic daily off-site backups, kept separate from the main workspace, with a restore tested before handover.

What it would do for a business

What a plan like this is designed to do.

For a real firm, this approach aims to:

  • Close the most serious risks to client data first.
  • Let the firm keep working if a laptop is lost or a disk fails.
  • Make starting and leaving the firm a checklist, not a scramble.
  • Give the partners a clear picture of their IT and what it costs.

Intended outcomes, not measured results.

Services involved

Each one links to more of our work in that service.

All concepts, designs and content © Zanarix. All rights reserved.

All brands, products, people and data in Zanarix concepts are fictional. Any resemblance to real companies is coincidental.

Next step

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