Australia's leading NFP accounting firm replaced ageing physical servers with AWS Remote Desktop, deployed Microsoft 365, and rolled out Essential Eight ML1, ThreatLocker, MDM, and Zero Trust architecture.
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Accounting firm IT support in AdelaideNot-for-profit IT support in Adelaide
Results at a glance
Before
Physical servers in office — single point of failure
Now
AWS cloud infrastructure with built-in redundancy
Before
Staff tethered to office — no remote access to applications
Now
AWS Remote Desktop — full application access from anywhere
Before
Outdated software limiting scalability
Now
Microsoft 365 + scalable AWS environment supporting growth
An accounting firm whose clients are all not-for-profits carries a particular kind of pressure: every hour spent wrestling with infrastructure is an hour not spent on organisations that exist to help. NFPAS — Not-For-Profit Accounting Specialists — is Australia's leading accounting firm dedicated exclusively to the not-for-profit sector, with 39 staff in Keswick providing accounting, auditing, bookkeeping, payroll, association management, consulting, training, virtual CFO services and HR support to NFPs across the country, as Chartered Accountants and a Xero Gold Partner.
External
NFPAS relied heavily on physical servers and outdated software that limited operational efficiency and scalability. The on-premise infrastructure couldn't support the growing need for remote work — a significant limitation for a firm servicing NFP clients across all states and territories. There was no modern business continuity or disaster recovery plan in place, and the ageing hardware consumed resources to maintain.
Internal
Staff were tethered to the office to access their applications and client files. As a firm that services NFPs nationally, the inability to work flexibly was becoming a competitive disadvantage in attracting and retaining talent. The team knew their infrastructure was falling behind, but migrating away from physical servers felt daunting given the sensitive client data involved.
The bigger picture
If your entire purpose is helping not-for-profits help the world, you shouldn't be held back by the same outdated IT challenges your clients face. You deserve modern, secure infrastructure that matches the quality of your advice.
Otaris understood the unique position NFPAS was in — a firm handling sensitive financial data for hundreds of not-for-profit organisations, needing to modernise without disrupting the compliance and reporting work their clients depend on. With proven experience migrating accounting firms to the cloud and implementing cybersecurity frameworks, Otaris had the expertise to get NFPAS off physical servers safely and efficiently.
Comprehensive assessment of existing hardware, software and network configurations. Detailed project plan with migration steps, timelines and resource allocations.
Deploy Amazon EC2 instances for virtual desktops, S3 for secure data storage, VPC for network isolation and security, and CloudWatch for monitoring. Staff get remote access to their applications from any location without maintaining on-premise servers.
Roll out Outlook for email, Teams for messaging and video conferencing, and SharePoint for document management — integrated into the AWS environment.
Implement ThreatLocker application whitelisting, Mobile Device Management, Zero Trust architecture, and Veeam backup solutions for Microsoft 365.
Disaster recovery strategies leveraging AWS global infrastructure for rapid recovery and minimal data loss. 24/7 NOC oversight detecting and responding to potential issues before operational impact.
Data migration conducted in stages to minimise disruption, with continuous backups ensuring integrity. Comprehensive staff training on new tools and workflows.
Without action, NFPAS would remain dependent on ageing physical servers with no disaster recovery plan — one hardware failure could disrupt financial reporting and compliance work for hundreds of not-for-profit clients. The inability to offer remote work would continue to limit their ability to attract talent and service clients nationally. And as cybersecurity threats targeting accounting firms increase, operating without a formal security framework left sensitive NFP financial data exposed.
NFPAS now operates entirely in the cloud. Physical servers have been eliminated, replaced by AWS Remote Desktop infrastructure that gives all 39 staff full access to their applications from any location.
Microsoft 365 has transformed collaboration — Teams and SharePoint enable seamless communication and document sharing whether staff are in the Keswick office or working remotely. The firm operates under an Essential Eight Maturity Level 1 cybersecurity framework with ThreatLocker application whitelisting, mobile device management, and Zero Trust architecture protecting sensitive NFP client data.
A comprehensive disaster recovery plan leveraging AWS global infrastructure ensures business continuity, while 24/7 NOC monitoring detects and responds to potential issues before they impact operations.
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