MCI & Associates and Yorb: A journey from support to strategy

MCI & Associates is an accountancy firm with over 45 employees across offices in Dannevirke and Pahiatua. The practice services a diverse range of clients, including those in the farming and commercial sectors, and its core services include tax preparation, business advisory and planning, and general accounting. 

The relationship between Yorb and MCI goes back over three decades to when both companies were in their formative stages. The trust-based relationship has endured and evolved as each business has grown and matured - going through name and ownership changes.

Tag, you’re ‘it’

Leading the technological charge at MCI is Neil Ivamy, one of MCI’s four Directors and an Accounting Principal. Neil joined the practice when it was established in 2007. While a career accountant and business owner, he’s always had a passion for technology and a deep appreciation for the value it brings to the business.

As MCI doesn’t have designated in-house technology resources, Neil is officially ‘it,’ and relies on his close relationship with Yorb to keep the practice running smoothly, efficiently, and securely.

“Yorb set up, supported, and managed our original systems, and even went through the process of merging them as we went through a period of acquisition,” says Neil. “From playing a minor supporting role, technology has become a huge part of our business. We are totally reliant on it for our day-to-day operations, and are very aware that it will impact our future – so Yorb plays an important part in our decision making and strategising.”

A strategic partnership

Yorb’s relationship with MCI has evolved over the years.

“Today, Yorb provides MCI with a wide range of managed services from helpdesk to business continuity to developing our SharePoint site. Over the last few years, we’ve made some major changes including upgrading our document management  and practice management software, and Yorb migrating us from our on-premises server to a cloud environment.”

Behind those changes was significant strategic planning, like MCI’s decision to lease their servers instead of buying them outright to lessen the financial impact of moving to the cloud.

“As well as supporting our environment, Yorb is a valued strategic partner,” says Neil. “Today, they very much play the role of MCI’s Chief Technology Officer. As part of the strategic engagement model we work within, Yorb advises and challenges us - which is healthy.”

A sound defence

MCI also relies on Yorb to protect its systems, people, and data from cyberattacks. 

“Defending our practice from cybercrime is critical,” says Neil. “We set up good security a couple of years ago, but after seeing three other local accounting firms compromised by cyberattacks last year, we knew we needed to mitigate the risks more effectively. It didn’t take much convincing to step up our game and implement Yorb’s Defender solution.”

Yorb Defender 2.0 will provide MCI with a comprehensive Managed Detection and Endpoint Detection and Response (MDR/EDR) solution, and protect the practice from viruses, malware, and other online threats. With security information and event monitoring, MCI can maintain and continuously improve its cybersecurity posture. 

Additionally, through Defender, Yorb will proactively review the ability of MCI staff to recognise and resist attempted attacks or system infiltration.

Listen and learn

Neil says that as in any long term relationship, there has been the odd issue, but Yorb have willingly taken on board MCI’s feedback and made changes.

“I value that they listen to us, and respect what we have to say,” says Neil. “They help us improve our technology and how it works for us, and we help them refine their operational processes. It’s very much a two way street.”

Where to next?

Neil’s priority is to keep abreast of technological innovations like Microsoft’s Copilot (a generative AI tool), which can be integrated into the business environment to benefit staff and clients. Although keen to embrace AI, he’s wary of the implications for data governance. So, he’s working with Yorb’s governance experts to ensure that AI adoption won't introduce risk to the business.

“Everything we’ve been doing with Yorb will lessen the load on the practice. Moving to the cloud and online solutions like Defender means that all updates and improvements are rolled out automatically. Apart from renewing our hardware, we won’t need to invest in maintaining or upgrading the technology we need to run smoothly.”

And for an accountant, that ticks a lot of boxes.