AdvisorVault Introduces their 17a-4 Managed 365 Service. A unique option specifically for small FINRA firms needing to meet compliance on the Microsoft Cloud.

NEW YORK - Sept. 8, 2024 - PRLog -- The AdvisorVault's 17a-4 Managed 365 Service includes full migration to Microsoft 365, a FINRA approved cybersecurity add on with a plug-in archiving data off the Microsoft cloud meeting the long-term electronic records retention & supervisory demands of rule 17a-4 with the D3P service and attestation letters - bundled in one product.

"FINRA firms have been approaching us lately, even ones already on Microsoft 365 worried about 17a-4 compliance," said Allan Lonz, President of AdvisorVault. "I mean, some were using generic cloud service providers, others were on Google Workspace, but they weren't meeting rule 17a-4:  they surely had gaps; data wasn't backed up; records on the cloud definitely weren't being retained for 17a-4, worst thing though, employees weren't cybersecure on the cloud, not by FINRA standards, in reality they were risking audit failure any day," Lonz added.

AdvisorVault's 17a-4 Managed 365 Service: Getting FINRA Firms Compliant on the Microsoft Cloud

Although the cloud is the best option for small FINRA firms,  (Microsoft 365 ideally with all its features) by default its not 17a-4 compliant & it has lots of gaps out-of-the-box.  Also, problem is few providers know how to make the cloud 17a-4 compliant - Microsoft themselves won't support compliance & Google lacks the tools needed to meet 17a-4.

AdvisorVault's 17a-4 Managed 365 Service is the answer for small FINRA firms needing compliance on the Microsoft cloud. Essentially, firms benefit using AdvisorVault by getting a Managed 365 Cloud provider who is ALSO a designated FINRA 17a-4 D3P able to meet today's demands by setting up a  fully compliant Microsoft Cloud for firms. In addition, the service includes all key services for one flat monthly fee with everything needed to keep FINRA happy with a move to the cloud.

1. Migrate to Microsoft 365:  We take ownership of a firm's 365 tenant to fully move in-house data consolidate records on 365; move users' files off personal PCs to OneDrive; migrate data stored on servers to company SharePoint sites; message compliance; email accounts migrated to Exchange Online; private/group chats on Teams configured - ready for 17a-4 archiving.
   
   
2. Cybersecurity:  Apply FINRA level best-practice cybersecurity policies on Microsoft 365; detect, respond & recover from cyber incidents; notifications sent to compliance officers & IT staff; detection of sign-in from unusual locations, unknown devices, suspicious mailbox activities, account creation/deletion, public sharing of company data with audit logging enabled on the cloud
   
   
3. Cloud Archiving Plug-in: Archive records off the cloud to a secondary 17a-4 compliant system; includes emails, OneDrive & SharePoint data, Teams chats archived with granular protection to restore individual emails, files, contacts, calendar items and Teams chats; with a supervisory interface for searching, flagging, keyword detection; download sample sets of data to PST and zip file format for regulators during audits.
   
   
4. The FINRA D3P:  Provide firms the two 17a-4 third party storage notification letters; preserving firms records in a non-rewriteable format for 7 yrs; verify automatically the quality of the archiving and index process; respond to requests by FINRA (or SEC) for access to firms records within 48 hrs. if requested independently of the firm.