IT support and cybersecurity for Nigerian professional services and consulting firms

Challenges we see

Consulting firms, accounting practices, engineering and design consultancies, real estate firms and other professional services firms share a simple economic reality: time is the product. The IT issues that erode it include:

• An unstable network and power supply. Frequent downtime means slow transactions, missed deadlines and lost sales, and the cost lands directly on billable hours.
• Hybrid and travelling staff. Consultants work from client sites, home offices and airports, so secure remote access and reliable laptops matter more than the office server.
• Client confidentiality. Engagement files, financial statements, tax records and personal data are shared by email and file links, often without consistent access controls.
• Too many tools. Time and billing, practice management, CRM, document management, accounting and project tools rarely talk to each other.
• Growth without a plan. New hires, new offices and acquisitions add accounts, devices and licences faster than anyone can track.
• Email fraud. Invoice redirection and impersonation of partners or clients are common attacks on firms that move money on instruction.

How Promatics helps

Our managed IT services cover daily support, monitoring and maintenance so partners and staff are not spending billable time on IT problems or chasing vendors. For professional services firms that usually means:

• A fully remote, 24/7 help desk for managed-service clients through our IT help desk service, with priorities and response targets set in the service agreement.
• System design and networking for offices and hybrid teams, including reliable Wi-Fi, secure remote access, backup internet links and power backup (UPS, inverter or solar) for the network and key devices.
• Software licence management across Microsoft 365, practice management, design and accounting applications, including planning for dollar-priced subscriptions.
• Hardware procurement and inventory, including laptop lifecycle management, so new hires start with a ready device.
• Cabling and phone systems for office moves and fit-outs.
• On-site systems maintenance where your service agreement includes on-site work.
• A layered cybersecurity stack aligned with recognised frameworks such as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, with multi-factor authentication, email security and endpoint protection. See cybersecurity services.

We configure Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, Defender and Windows Autopilot) so client files are organised by engagement with the right permissions, and we support cloud services and migration when you move line-of-business applications off an office server.

A virtual CIO runs strategic assessments, gap analysis, budgeting and IT roadmaps, and meets with firm leadership in regular business reviews. Firms that want one system for projects, timesheets, billing, CRM and accounting can consider Prometheus ERP, and we also support common applications such as Sage and QuickBooks.

Nigerian regulatory and operating context

• Data protection. The Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA), enforced by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), applies to personal data handled in your work. Firms must have a lawful basis for processing, protect client personal data with safeguards appropriate to its sensitivity and notify the NDPC within 72 hours of becoming aware of a breach likely to risk individuals' rights and freedoms.
• Professional rules. Accountants, engineers, lawyers, estate surveyors and other regulated professions have confidentiality and record-keeping obligations set by their professional bodies and regulators. Technology choices, such as where files are stored and who can access them, should support those obligations.
• Records and tax. The Nigeria Revenue Service (formerly FIRS) and state revenue services expect businesses to keep books and records for set periods, and client engagement files often have their own retention rules. VAT (7.5 %) and withholding tax affect how invoices and payments are recorded.
• Anti-money laundering. Accountants, lawyers, estate agents and certain other designated non-financial businesses fall under SCUML and the NFIU's reporting regime, and need reliable record keeping.
• Marketing messages. Newsletters and marketing emails to clients and prospects should follow the NDPA's consent rules for direct marketing, and SMS marketing is subject to NCC rules on unsolicited messages.

This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your obligations with your regulator and advisers.

Questions firms ask

We have under 20 people. Is managed IT worth it? Often, yes. Small firms feel downtime most because there is no internal IT person. We start with an assessment so you can see the costs and priorities before committing.

Can you work with our existing practice management software? Yes. We support and secure the applications you already use and coordinate with their vendors.