Accounting firms, law firms, healthcare providers, and government contractors have specific obligations for confidential data. Before adopting AI software, they need to know what the vendor collects, where it is stored, who can access it, and how long it is retained.
Answering those questions takes longer than a standard software trial. A slow procurement process may reflect unresolved controls even when the people doing the work want the product.
A partner can want the product before the firm can approve it
A partner can want a tool on Monday and still spend weeks getting it approved. The firm has to protect client financial, legal, or personal information, and individual enthusiasm cannot replace a review of data handling and access.
The review becomes more demanding when a product captures work from a screen or sends information to an AI model. The firm needs a clear description of what is captured, which service processes it, and whether the data is used for model training.
A vendor that cannot provide these answers creates work for the buyer and may prevent the firm from approving the product at all.
Security controls are part of the product
Certifications and technical controls help a firm evaluate whether a vendor can handle client data. SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 address the vendor's security processes. Encryption at rest and in transit protects stored and transferred data.
Access controls, single sign-on, and audit logs help the firm manage who can use the product and review changes. Retention settings let the firm limit how long captured data remains available.
The vendor should also state whether customer data is used to train models. A firm cannot make an informed decision if this information is missing or spread across vague policy language.
Human approval provides a clear release point
AI-generated professional records need a defined approval process. A worker should review a timesheet entry before it reaches a manager, invoice, or reporting system.
That process creates an auditable sequence: the software prepared the draft, the professional reviewed it, and the approved record was released. It also keeps raw activity private from managers.
Timeglass documents its security, privacy, access, and retention controls for firms conducting this review.
Procurement still has a cost
Security reviews, legal review, configuration, and vendor assessment consume time for both the buyer and the software company. Large organisations may also require custom contract terms, identity management, and formal approval from several teams.
A young vendor can spend months supporting one large procurement process. That may delay product work and feedback from customers who could start sooner.
Smaller regulated firms may adopt sooner
A small accounting or legal practice still asks where client data goes and who can access it. It may, however, have fewer approval layers and a simpler technical environment than a large firm.
This can make smaller firms a practical starting market for new AI products. The vendor still has to build the same basic security and privacy controls, but deployment can require fewer integrations and approvals.
Larger firms become easier to support after the product, documentation, and controls have been tested with real customers.
Evaluate the controls before deployment
Start a fourteen-day trial and review Timeglass's capture, approval, access, and retention controls with your firm.
Common questions
FAQ
Why are accounting and law firms slow to adopt AI?
They have professional obligations for confidential client data. Before deployment, they need clear answers about capture, storage, model training, retention, access control, and auditability.
What compliance requirements matter for AI software in professional services?
Firms commonly review security certifications, encryption, model-training policies, retention controls, role-based access, audit logs, and single sign-on. The exact requirements depend on the firm and the data involved.
Does human approval help with compliance?
Yes. Review creates a clear release point and records that a named professional approved the entry before the firm used it.
Should AI vendors sell to small or large regulated firms first?
Smaller firms may have fewer approval layers and integrations, which can shorten deployment. They still need appropriate security, privacy, access, and retention controls.
