How Cetrom Enabled Stability, Security, and Scalable Growth for a Multi‑Office Accounting Firm

Executive Summary

Thomas, Speight & Noble, CPAs (TSN) is a long‑established, multi‑office accounting firm with approximately 60 professionals across five offices that was forced to reevaluate its IT strategy after experiencing prolonged outages and operational disruption under their previous IT hosting provider. During a critical December period, system instability and outages significantly impacted firm operations, culminating in leadership recognizing that its existing hosted environment lacked both accountability and a roadmap for improvement.

By partnering with Cetrom as an accounting‑specialized MSP 3.0, TSN transitioned to a secure, private cloud environment with senior‑level support, layered security, and proactive infrastructure management. Since migrating, the firm has experienced near‑zero downtime, strong support for hybrid and remote work, successful post‑migration acquisitions, and meaningful relief from leadership IT burden, allowing partners and staff to focus on clients, growth, and peace of mind.

Client Background and Strategic Challenge

Founded in 1979, Thomas, Speight & Noble, CPAs is a well‑established accounting firm headquartered in Jonesboro, Arkansas, with five office locations and a staff of approximately 60 professionals. The firm offers a broad range of services, including tax, assurance, advisory, estate and trust planning, bookkeeping, employee benefit plans, and audit services, serving clients across multiple industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, and construction.

As the firm grew and operations became increasingly technology‑dependent, particularly during peak tax season, IT reliability and security became mission‑critical. TSN leadership required an environment that could support growth, maintain continuity, and protect sensitive data, without forcing partners to become de facto IT managers.

Business Problem: Hosted Instability and Loss of Control

Before partnering with Cetrom, TSN relied on their previous IT hosting provider, which increasingly proved misaligned with the firm’s needs. TSN experienced:

• Extended and repeated outages, including a period in which the firm was effectively shut down during December while infrastructure changes were made without adequate communication or remediation.
• Lack of accountability and senior technical ownership after the platform migrated to a public cloud model, leaving no clear decision makers able to resolve issues.
• Operational risk during peak season, where prolonged outages directly threatened client service and staff productivity.
• Growing concern over security, roadmap transparency, and long‑term reliability.

As Managing Partner Jeff Wicker described, leadership eventually concluded that the issues were structural and would not be fixed within the existing model, prompting the search for a fundamentally different approach.

“That December shut‑down was the final blow. We knew the problem wasn’t going to be fixed, and we had to find a different path.”
— Jeff Wicker, Managing Partner

Why TSN Sought an MSP 3.0 Partner

TSN recognized it needed more than hosted infrastructure, it needed a trusted, accounting‑focused MSP partner capable of owning outcomes across uptime, security, and operations. The firm specifically sought:

• A provider with deep accounting application expertise and respect for tax‑season constraints.
• Senior‑level technical support, not entry‑level escalation models.
• A private, security‑first architecture, rather than generalized public‑cloud hosting
• A partner willing to be proactive, not merely reactive.

Cetrom differentiated itself through its clear emphasis on dedicated senior engineers, layered security, accounting‑specific workflows, and a service model rooted in long‑term partnership rather than transactional support.

“We were sold on the concept that Cetrom was dedicated to keeping us working. After what we went through in December, that mattered more than anything.”
— Jeff Wicker, Managing Partner

The Cetrom Solution: A Next‑Generation MSP Platform for Accounting Firms

Cetrom implemented a fully managed, private cloud environment purpose‑built for accounting firms, combining infrastructure, security, support, and advisory services into a single MSP 3.0 engagement.

Reliable Virtual Desktop Environment

• Secure, centrally managed virtual desktops allowing staff to work effectively from offices, home, or remote locations.
• Consistent performance regardless of geography, eliminating dependence on proximity to physical servers.
• Scalable infrastructure aligned to application usage and seasonal demand.

“Our downtime has been non‑existent. That promise - keeping us working - has absolutely been upheld.” — Jeff Wicker, Managing Partner

Layered Security & Compliance

• A defense‑in‑depth security model, including endpoint protection, monitoring, and proactive threat detection.
• Protection extending beyond the data center to user endpoints, addressing a critical gap in TSN’s prior environment.
• Support for compliance initiatives such as a Living WISP, developed in partnership with Cetrom’s security advisory team.

“Cetrom takes security seriously at every level.” — Jeff Wicker, Managing Partner

24/7 Senior‑Level Support

• Direct access to senior engineers, not tiered call screening, creating strong familiarity with the firm’s environment.
• Rapid resolution of issues and proactive coordination with third‑party vendors when needed.
• Consistent support continuity, enabling staff and partners to build trusted working relationships with Cetrom’s team.

“Anytime there’s an issue, it’s a quick fix. Very quick. We get a quick, concise, and complete response. Those three things are very important. The person you get when you call is a senior support engineer, and that’s been 100% of my experience.”

“I don’t get near the number of ‘something’s wrong’ emails that I used to. That’s a measurable difference for me.”

— Jeff Wicker, Managing Partner

Strategic MSP 3.0 Advisory

• Ongoing guidance on infrastructure sizing and optimization.
• Hands‑on support during firm acquisitions and post‑merger integrations.
• Proactive recommendations rather than reactive fixes, positioning Cetrom as a trusted IT advisor, not just a service desk.

“We’ve gone through multiple mergers, and Cetrom’s migration team handled it so smoothly I barely remember being involved.”
— Jeff Wicker, Managing Partner

Results and Client Impact

Since migrating to Cetrom, TSN has realized tangible and sustained benefits:

• Downtime has become virtually nonexistent, a dramatic improvement from the firm’s pre‑migration experience.
• Staff productivity has stabilized, with reliable access to applications and fewer IT disruptions.
• Leadership burden has been reduced, with partners receiving far fewer escalation emails and IT emergencies.
• The firm has successfully completed multiple mergers and integrations, supported directly by Cetrom’s migration team.
• TSN now confidently supports hybrid and remote staff, expanding flexibility without compromising security.

“Our senior partners went from ‘there’s no way we can afford this’ to ‘we can’t afford to work without it.” — Jeff Wicker, Managing Partner

Lessons Learned for Accounting Firms

TSN’s experience underscores several important lessons for modern accounting firms:

• Generic hosted or MSP solutions often fail to deliver the accountability and specialization accounting firms require.
• Private, security‑first cloud environments provide greater operational control and resilience than commoditized public hosting.
• Senior‑level, relationship‑based support materially improves outcomes during high‑pressure periods.
• MSP 3.0 partnerships drive long‑term business value by aligning technology with firm growth, compliance, and leadership priorities.

“Accounting firms don’t know what they don’t know about IT. Cetrom showed us what we actually needed.” — Jeff Wicker, Managing Partner

A True MSP 3.0 Partnership

For Thomas, Speight & Noble, CPAs, Cetrom has become far more than an IT vendor. Cetrom serves as a next‑generation MSP 3.0 partner, delivering stability, security, and strategic guidance that allows the firm to focus on what matters most: clients, people, and sustainable growth.