Verji says Norwegian accounting needs safer client communication

With 450,000 Norwegian businesses using external accountants and thousands of privacy breaches still being reported, Verji is arguing that secure client communication must become part of accounting infrastructure. The company points to rising digitalization, new threat tactics and a Bergen firm already using dedicated client rooms as evidence the sector needs a safer default.

Why it matters: - Norwegian accounting firms handle a constant flow of payroll data, employee records, IDs, contracts and other sensitive documents. - Verji says that makes the communication layer around accounting systems a critical security gap, not just the accounting software itself. - The issue matters beyond compliance because errors such as sending information to the wrong recipient remain one of Norway’s most common privacy incidents.

What happened: - Verji said Norway’s accounting sector has digitalized quickly, but the communication tools used to share sensitive client information have not kept pace. - The company pointed to data showing about 450,000 Norwegian small and medium-sized businesses use an external accountant. - Verji also cited the sector’s scale, including NOK 24.6 billion in revenue in 2024 and about 29,000 people working in accounting, auditing and tax advice in Norway. - In Bergen, one accounting firm serving nearly 40 clients has moved from a GDPR-focused sharing channel to its main client communication environment.

The details: - Datatilsynet received 3,016 privacy breach reports in 2025. - Of those, 39% — about 1,182 incidents — involved personal data sent to the wrong recipient. - Another 414 reports involved missing or incorrect access control. - A further 296 reports involved deliberate attacks. - The breach figures cover multiple industries, but Verji says they show a broader problem: sensitive information can reach the wrong person without an advanced cyberattack. - NSM said in its Risiko 2026 assessment that phishing and social engineering are becoming more advanced, including methods that can bypass traditional multi-factor authentication. - The accounting risk therefore includes both external threats and day-to-day operational failures such as fragmented communication histories, uncontrolled access and sensitive attachments moving between multiple inboxes. - The Bergen firm uses dedicated digital rooms for each client, with controlled access, time-stamped communication and better visibility for relevant staff.

Between the lines: - Verji is making a broader case that security should follow the workflow, not sit only in the core system. - The company’s argument is that compliance tools work best when they become the default way employees communicate, not a separate process people use only when required. - The shift from email threads to dedicated client spaces also suggests that secure communication is moving from a niche GDPR feature to an operational standard.

What's next: - Verji says the key question for Norway’s accounting industry is whether client communication should become as digital and secure as the accounting systems themselves. - The company argues that firms will increasingly need tools that combine usability with protection rather than forcing staff and clients to choose between the two. - As threat tactics evolve, more firms may reassess whether traditional email-based communication is enough for sensitive financial and personal data.

The bottom line: - Norway’s accounting sector has digitized the books, and Verji is pushing it to secure the conversations around them too.