How IRIS Elements’ cloud accounting software delivers the security you need

If you told me that the safety of your data kept you up at night, I wouldn’t be surprised.

There are so many factors to consider, industry regulations to watch, best practices to adhere to, deadlines to meet, and clients to keep happy.

In a world where we are putting more trust in web-based solutions – and more recently AI – how do you know your data is secure?

What we’ll discover in this article about cloud-native software

In this article, we take a look at how IRIS Elements, our modular cloud accounting platform, puts security at the heart of everything it does.

We’ll explore:

• The essence of IRIS Elements and the principle of security by design.
• Why it matters that IRIS Elements is built with the help of market-leading web services and established protocols.
• How it’s not just one area of IRIS Elements that provides security, but a range of activities that support continuous improvement, proactive monitoring, self-healing, and rapid updates.

You’ll also see the significance of meeting important standards (ISO 27001:2022, Cyber Essentials/Plus, ISO 9001) and more.

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What is cloud-native software?

‘Cloud-native’ software essentially means that the application is designed from the get-go to run in the cloud. It does this via a web browser rather than by being installed on a desktop computer.

These applications fully leverage the flexibility of cloud infrastructure. They are developed with the assumption that things can and will go wrong, and so are built using independent microservices. In this way, if there’s an issue, the impact can be isolated, the operations rerouted, and your business can continue to operate.

Designed to be resilient, cloud-native apps benefit from the ability to scale with demand easily.

IRIS Elements – a security-first, cloud-native application

IRIS Elements is one of the most ambitious software development projects we have undertaken. From the start, we had over 300 developers working on the platform, building solutions to support the needs of accountants now and in the future.

How our cloud-native software adapts to new regulations

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus noted, “the only constant in life is change”,  and so it could be said of regulations. That’s why the ability to pivot and adapt is a cornerstone of the Elements platform.

By leveraging the experience of developing compliance software over decades, our developers are able to create solutions to meet any new obligations you, as the accountant, might have. Because Elements is built for the cloud, these updates happen instantaneously. A good example of this more recently has been our MTD for Income Tax segmentation tool, or our recently released AI Tax Anomaly detector. Because Elements is built for the cloud, updates happen instantaneously , and new developments can be deployed quicker. All you, the user, need to do is log in; everything is ready for you. 

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But what does cloud native really mean from a day-to-day perspective?

In a nutshell, flexibility and security. But there’s much more to it than that. To give you a good overview, let’s take a look at some of IRIS Elements’ building blocks.

• Security by design: IRIS Elements is built with secure-by-design principles integrated into every phase of development. This includes architecture governance, thorough design reviews, threat modelling, and continuous automated security testing incorporated into our software development lifecycle. All new features are examined against strict risk assessment criteria, following secure coding practices.
• Layered identity security: We safeguard your account and client data using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) across key workflows, and you can also use Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to restrict access to only that which each user requires. Modern authentication standards include secure token-based access, along with strong session security and security headers.
• Operational continuity: IRIS Elements is designed for resilience with enterprise-level protection via AWS Web Application Firewall (WAF). It features a distributed architecture that supports scaling and load balancing. Traffic controls and deployment freeze policies are enforced during critical filing periods, ensuring you are never left in the lurch. Continuous monitoring is conducted for anomaly detection and malicious activity.
• Data security and GDPR: ISO 27001:2022 is the gold‑standard, global certification proving that an organisation has strong, audited, and continuously improved information‑security controls in place. IRIS Elements achieved ISO 27001:2022 accreditation, demonstrating strong security management processes, continuous monitoring, documented risk assessments, and robust controls to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of client data.
• Flexibility to scale, as and when needed: Whether it’s busy season driving demand, organic growth, or inorganic growth, the need to turn on the capacity switch comes naturally to our IRIS Elements cloud-native app. With faster, remote updates and automated operations, the software can flex with your business.

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About the author

Helen Evans is a Global Senior Product Marketing Principal at IRIS Software Group, where she drives go-to-market strategies and operations, digital customer engagement, and technology adoption. With extensive digital marketing, ecommerce, and product marketing experience across B2B and B2C sectors – including banking, telecommunications, automotive, electronic components, and technology –Helen has over 20 years of experience in building and developing strategies to adapt to evolving customer and market needs.