Your clients’ financial data carries serious obligations. Your storage arrangements should too.
Bigby provides accountants and bookkeepers with encrypted, UK-based cloud storage built around the confidentiality and data security standards your clients and your professional body expect.
Financial data is among the most sensitive information a business holds. Treating its storage accordingly is part of the service.
When a client hands you their accounts, payroll, or tax records, they are placing considerable trust in your practice. That trust covers not only the quality of your work but the security of the information you hold on their behalf.
Most practices use whatever cloud storage came to hand first, often a free or near-free consumer service. Those platforms were not designed for the handling of sensitive financial data, and the terms governing them reflect that. As a data controller under UK GDPR, the choice of storage provider is your responsibility, not theirs.
Where standard cloud storage creates professional risk
General-purpose cloud platforms are not built with accountancy practice in mind. The data handling practices that come with them sit uneasily alongside the obligations your profession carries.
UK GDPR and data controller liability
Accountancy practices are data controllers under UK GDPR. The financial records, payroll data, and personal information you hold for clients constitute sensitive personal data. Responsibility for how that data is stored and protected rests with your practice. A breach originating with your storage provider remains your breach to account for, including any obligation to notify the ICO and the clients affected.
Professional body standards
Bodies including the ICAEW, AAT, and ACCA set expectations around the security and confidentiality of client information. Storing client financial records on a platform with opaque data handling practices, or one that retains rights to scan or process stored content, may not be straightforward to justify against those standards in the event of a complaint or review.
The sensitivity of financial records
Tax returns, management accounts, payroll files, and Companies House filings contain information that carries real consequences if exposed or misused. For the businesses and individuals who are your clients, a data breach affecting their financial records is not an abstract concern. It is a reputational and potentially financial event. The storage platform you use is part of that risk picture.
Overseas data exposure
The major US cloud providers store data under US jurisdiction. Mechanisms exist under US law by which that data can be accessed by US authorities, regardless of where it is physically stored. For UK businesses whose financial records sit on a US platform, that is an exposure most would not knowingly accept if it were clearly explained to them.
How Bigby works
Encryption at rest, UK infrastructure, and no business model built on your data
Unlike the major cloud platforms, Bigby does not scan, analyse, or profit from the files you store. Here is how that works.
01. Encrypted at rest
Your files are encrypted on our UK servers. The data stored on our infrastructure is in encrypted form, which provides meaningful protection in the event of a storage breach and ensures your files are not sitting as readable plain text on any server.
02. No access to file contents
Bigby does not open, scan, or read the contents of what you store. We have no business reason to and our data processing terms prohibit it. Client financial records, tax returns, and payroll files are stored without anyone at Bigby reading them.
03. No AI training or secondary use
Your stored content is not used for AI training, advertising targeting, or any analysis of any kind. The subscription fee covers the cost of running the service. That is the entire arrangement.
04. UK data residency throughout
All data is stored on UK-based infrastructure. UK GDPR applies. There is no transfer to US servers and no exposure to US jurisdiction. Your clients’ financial data does not leave the UK.
Frequently asked questions
Does Bigby help with our UK GDPR obligations as a data controller?
Bigby is designed to reduce your exposure. UK data residency, encryption at rest, and clear data processing terms mean your storage arrangements are on considerably stronger ground than with a general consumer or business cloud service. That said, GDPR compliance for an accountancy practice extends beyond storage alone. We would recommend a full review of your data handling practices with a qualified adviser.
Can I store client tax records and payroll files securely?
Yes. Bigby does not access the contents of files stored on the service. Tax returns, payroll records, management accounts, and client correspondence can all be stored and accessed without the contents being read or scanned by Bigby or any third party. Encryption applies to all files on all plans.
What happens if Bigby receives a legal demand for access to our files?
Bigby is a UK company subject to UK law. We may be required to comply with lawful UK court orders or other legal demands. We do not hold data under US jurisdiction and are not subject to the CLOUD Act. We will challenge any demands we consider unlawful and will notify users where the law permits. For questions about how this intersects with your specific professional obligations, we recommend taking advice from a qualified data protection specialist.
We have several staff handling client accounts. Is there a plan for teams?
Yes. The Group plan provides shared encrypted storage and document collaboration for teams of three or more, with per-user access. Each team member accesses only what they require, and all files remain encrypted throughout. The plan is priced per user from £4.99 per month on annual billing.
Is Bigby suitable for a sole practitioner or small bookkeeping practice?
Yes. The Storage and Office plans are designed for individual users with no minimum commitment. For most sole practitioners, the 100 GB Storage plan is sufficient for client records and correspondence. The Office plan adds document and spreadsheet collaboration for those who need to work on files directly within their encrypted workspace. Storage can be topped up at any point.
How does Bigby’s commercial model work?
Bigby charges a straightforward fee for storage. There is no advertising, no data monetisation, and no secondary use of stored content. The service is funded entirely by subscription. For practices that require a clear and auditable basis for their choice of storage provider, that simplicity matters.
Storage that reflects the standard your clients’ financial data deserves
Private, encrypted, UK-based cloud storage from £3.99 per month. Built for practices that handle sensitive financial data and cannot treat storage as an afterthought.
Annual billing · All prices in GBP · UK data residency · GDPR compliant