Executive Summary
AGT CPAs & Advisors is a 35-40-person, multi-office accounting firm that had outgrown on-premises infrastructure and generic MSP support as it expanded geographically and adopted hybrid work. AGT faced inconsistent performance among remote staff, exposure to regional disaster risks, and a growing leadership focus on managing IT rather than clients. By partnering with Cetrom as an accounting-specialized MSP 3.0 provider, the firm moved to a cloud-based virtual desktop platform with layered security, centralized management, and expert 24/7 support tailored to tax and audit seasons. This has enabled consistent system performance, effective business continuity during disruptive events, support for a multi-state workforce, and a meaningful reduction in partner time spent overseeing IT, allowing AGT to focus on clients, people, and growth.
Client Background and Strategic Challenge
AGT CPAs & Advisors is a California-based public accounting firm founded in 1980, approaching its 50th year in business. The firm operates from two offices, Redding and Mount Shasta, California, and serves a diverse client base while supporting a geographically distributed workforce.
AGT employs approximately 35–40 professionals, including partners, managers, and remote staff, located across multiple states, including Georgia, Utah, Florida, Oregon, and Maryland. The firm delivers core accounting and advisory services, including:
• Tax preparation and compliance
• Audit and assurance service
• Business advisory and consulting
As the firm expanded geographically and modernized its operations, IT performance, security, and flexibility became critical enablers of the business.
Business Problem: Legacy Infrastructure and Generic IT Support
Before partnering with Cetrom, AGT’s on-premises infrastructure and generic IT support model created several business risks:
• Staff productivity depended on proximity to physical servers. Employees outside the server location experienced noticeably slower systems.
• Regional wildfires forced the relocation of on-prem servers, exposing operational fragility and highlighting disaster recovery concerns.
• Previous IT providers lacked accounting-specific expertise, operated as generic MSPs without understanding accounting software, workflows, or seasonal constraints, leading to poorly timed updates and lost productivity.
• The firm’s growing remote workforce needed secure, reliable access to systems from anywhere to support audits, hybrid work, and out-of-state staff.
• Partners spent significant time managing IT decisions, upgrades, and troubleshooting, time that could have been spent on billable work.
AGT leadership recognized the firm needed more than IT support. It needed infrastructure aligned to how modern accounting firms operate.
Why AGT Chose an MSP 3.0 Partner
AGT leadership concluded that the firm needed more than just transactional IT support; it required infrastructure and guidance aligned to how modern accounting firms operate.
Cetrom differentiated itself for several reasons:
• Accounting firm specialization: Deep knowledge of accounting applications, audit workflows, and the importance of tax season stability.
• Zero-trust, Security-first mindset: A proactive approach to security and infrastructure resilience.
• Measured, sustainable growth: A deliberate service model focused on quality, experienced engineers, and long-term relationships.
• Executive accessibility: Direct responsiveness from Cetrom leadership, fostering trust and accountability.
• Proven credibility: Independent endorsement from accounting technology leadership and peer references.
AGT concluded Cetrom offered not just a solution, but a partnership aligned with the firm’s strategic goals.
“Cetrom knows accounting firms. They know our software, and just as important, they know when not to touch systems during tax season.” --Partner, AGT CPA & Advisors
Strategic Hypothesis
AGT believed that moving to a cloud-based, virtual desktop environment managed by an accounting-specialized provider would:
• Deliver consistent performance regardless of user location
• Enable secure work-from-anywhere
• Improve security posture and resilience
• Reduce internal time spent on IT operations
• Support long-term growth without sacrificing service quality
This approach required a specialized MSP 3.0 partner able to own outcomes across performance, security, and continuity; not just provide ticket-based support.
The Search for Solutions
To evaluate this direction, AGT evaluated several alternatives:
1. Maintaining or enhancing on-prem infrastructure would not resolve performance disparities, disaster exposure, or staffing flexibility needs.
2. Building an internal IT team would require hiring staff without sufficient utilization or specialized accounting depth.
3. Evaluating alternative hosted providers raised concerns around security architecture, transparency, and long-term trust.
The Firm consulted with a trusted technology expert, whose recommendation helped guide AGT toward Cetrom.
The Cetrom Solution: Modern, Secure, Resilient Platform
Cetrom implemented a fully managed IT platform purpose-built for accounting firms, including combining virtual desktops, managed security, expert support, and ongoing advisory services:
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
• Secure, high-performance virtual desktops provide consistent access from offices, home, and field locations.
• Centrally managed environments deliver consistent speed and reliability regardless of user location, addressing prior dependence on proximity to physical servers.
• The platform supports office, remote, and traveling audit-field workflows
Managed Security & Compliance
• Layered, centrally managed zero-trust security controls help protect sensitive client and firm data.
• Built-in redundancy, backups, and monitoring strengthen operational resilience compared to their prior on-premises model
• Continuous security enhancements aligned to accounting risk profiles, reflecting the regulatory and confidentiality demands facing CPA firms.
24/7 Expert Support
• Around-the-clock access to certified engineers ensures issues can be addressed whenever and wherever staff are working
• Rapid issue resolution without excessive escalation helps keep staff productive.
• Deep understanding of accounting applications and seasonal demands reduces the risk of disruptive changes during critical periods.
Strategic MSP 3.0 Advisory
• Proactive guidance on infrastructure sizing, lifecycle planning, and optimization as the firm evolves
• Technology decisions aligned to business growth objectives, rather than reactive troubleshooting
• AGT leadership has been able to reduce time spent on internal IT oversight, relying on Cetrom as a strategic partner
Results and Client Impact
Since moving to Cetrom, AGT has experienced significant and lasting benefits in performance, continuity, workforce flexibility, and leadership focus:
• System availability has become consistently high, minimizing downtime and supporting day-to-day productivity.
• Staff experienced immediate performance improvements following migration, particularly those previously affected by distance from on-premises servers.
• During COVID, AGT successfully maintained business continuity by transitioning to 100% remote work essentially overnight; staff took their computers home and resumed work the next day.
• The Firm now effectively supports a multi-state workforce, enabling hiring beyond local geographic limitations while maintaining a consistent technology experience.
• Partners and leaders report a substantial reduction in time spent on IT oversight, allowing more focus on client service and firm strategy.
“We shut our doors during COVID. People took their computers home, and the very next day, everyone was working. If it wasn’t for Cetrom, having staff work remotely across multiple states wouldn’t work.” --Partner, AGT CPA & Advisors
“Honestly, the biggest thing is that I don’t have issues. Everything works. I don’t have to worry about IT anymore. I wouldn’t go back—ever.” --Partner, AGT CPA & Advisors
Lessons Learned for Accounting Firms
AGT’s experience highlights several key lessons for accounting firms:
• Generic MSPs lack the accounting-specific depth required to manage the industry applications, workflows, and seasonal constraints effectively.
• Standardizing on a cloud-based virtual desktop enabled AGT to recruit in five states while maintaining a single, secure way of working.
• Proactive security and infrastructure management can reduce operational risk and improve resilience compared to ad hoc or purely reactive approaches.
• True MSP 3.0 partnerships deliver business value beyond technical support by aligning technology decisions to firm strategy, growth, and leadership focus.
For AGT CPAs & Advisors, Cetrom has become far more than an IT provider; it is a strategic MSP 3.0 partner enabling performance stability, security confidence, and long-term growth.
With a purpose-built platform for accounting firms, Cetrom allows AGT to focus on clients, people, and the future, while IT simply works.