Strengthening Security and Trust in the Accounting & Finance Sector with SecurityHive’s Honeypot
About the client
The client is a leading accountancy and financial services provider with multiple offices and 180 employees. Its services include accountancy, payroll administration, and tax advisory. With a broad client base and strong regional presence, the organization is recognized as one of the larger players in its sector.
The company operates with a small but capable IT department of three employees. While this team is well-equipped to cover day-to-day IT needs, they rely on specialized IT partners for technically complex tasks. Security awareness is high across the organization, reflecting the sensitivity of the data handled: privacy-related and business-critical financial information. Business continuity and the protection of client trust are top priorities, as reputational damage must be avoided at all costs.
Industry context
The accounting market is experiencing ongoing consolidation. Security maturity has become a decisive factor: firms with robust security measures gain a competitive edge, while those with weak setups risk losing clients quickly. In this environment, investing in advanced detection and protection technologies is not only about safeguarding operations but also about securing long-term market position.
The solution: SecurityHive Honeypots across all locations
A trusted consultancy partner of SecurityHive was already engaged with the client. During the course of this consultancy project, he discussed the strategic value of honeypots with the client. After an internal check with the IT team, the client decided to implement SecurityHive’s solution directly across all its locations.
From the beginning, the client was a direct customer of SecurityHive, but the ongoing management of the honeypots was assigned to their IT partner. Physical honeypots were installed, providing both coverage and visibility into the organization’s IT environment. Alerts from the honeypots feed directly into the monitoring process of the IT partner, who then takes immediate action, informs the client and follows up during monthly technical review meetings.
This three-way collaboration — client, IT partner, and SecurityHive — has proven highly effective. IT partners often bring essential knowledge of the network and direct access to systems, while SecurityHive provides the specialized expertise needed to design, implement, and optimize honeypot technology.
Results and insights
After installation, the honeypots quickly began delivering value. Early alerts revealed previously unnoticed misconfigurations and unexpected traffic patterns, providing the client with new visibility into its IT environment. This allowed the IT partner and client to proactively address potential vulnerabilities before they could be exploited.
Business benefits
The client has realized several key advantages through the implementation of SecurityHive’s honeypots:
- Enhanced business continuity: By detecting suspicious activity early, the risk of downtime or service disruption has been significantly reduced.
- Client trust safeguarded: With sensitive financial and payroll data at stake, the honeypots provide a critical layer of defense against potential breaches, protecting the firm’s reputation.
- Differentiation in a consolidating market: Strong security posture has become an important selection criterion for clients in the accountancy sector. By investing in honeypots, the firm has gained a competitive edge.
- Improved visibility and control: Alerts uncovered unknown misconfigurations and traffic, helping the IT partner and client strengthen overall network hygiene.
Effective collaboration model: The triangular cooperation between the client, the IT partner, and SecurityHive ensures that expertise, monitoring, and remediation are all covered without overburdening the small internal IT team.
For this financial services provider, SecurityHive’s honeypots deliver far more than a technical safeguard: they ensure continuity, protect sensitive client data, and reinforce the company’s position in a competitive and consolidating market. By combining SecurityHive’s expertise with the operational support of their IT partner, the firm has built a security model that is both resilient and sustainable — giving clients confidence that their data and trust are in safe hands.
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Company Details
CoC: 73033502 VAT: NL859328211B01
