For many small law firms and accounting practices, “Renewal Season” used to be a simple administrative hurdle. You would fill out a two-page questionnaire, check a few boxes for antivirus and firewalls, and your professional liability or cyber insurance would be bound for another year.
In 2026, those days are officially over.
Insurance carriers have shifted from a posture of “Trust” to one of “Verification.” If your firm’s IT strategy is built on outdated tools or “best effort” security, you aren’t just looking at a premium hike—you are looking at a total denial of coverage. Here is why your professional liability renewal is now an IT audit in disguise, and what your firm must do to stay covered.
The Shift: From “Checkboxes” to “Evidence”
In previous years, you could answer “Yes” to having backups. Today, underwriters are asking for the date of your last documented restore test. They don’t want to know if you have a password policy; they want to see the MFA logs proving that every user—from the managing partner to the seasonal intern—is using multi-factor authentication on every single app.
For firms in professional services, the “Insurance Gap” usually falls into three critical categories:
1. The MFA “Everywhere” Mandate
Carriers no longer accept MFA just on your email. To qualify for a 2026 policy, you must prove MFA is active on:
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Remote access (VPNs and RDP).
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Administrative and privileged accounts.
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Cloud-based practice management and accounting software.
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The Failure Point: Many firms have “partial” MFA. In the eyes of an underwriter, partial MFA is the same as zero MFA.
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2. EDR: The New Minimum Standard
Traditional, signature-based antivirus is now considered “uninsurable.” Underwriters today require Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) or Managed Detection and Response (MDR). They want to see that your systems are being monitored 24/7 for suspicious behavior, not just known viruses. If you can’t provide an audit trail of threat detection, your renewal is likely to fail.
3. Immutable & Tested Backups
Ransomware attackers now target backups first. If your firm’s backups are connected to your primary network without “immutability” (protection that prevents data from being deleted or changed), insurers see you as a high-loss risk. You must be able to prove that your backups are “air-gapped” and that you have a documented process for recovery.
Why Renewals are Failing Without a Managed Partner
Small law firms and CPA practices are experts in their fields, not in Cybersecurity Governance. The reason renewals are failing isn’t necessarily a lack of security—it’s a lack of verifiable proof.
This is where CGB Tech Solutions becomes your firm’s most valuable asset during renewal season. We don’t just “handle IT”; we provide the Compliance Engine that carriers demand:
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Audit-Ready Documentation: We provide the logs, screenshots, and policy documents your broker needs to satisfy underwriters.
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Continuous Monitoring: Our MDR services meet the 24/7 monitoring requirements that are now standard for professional liability riders.
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Framework Alignment: We align your firm with the NIST or CIS controls that insurers use as their gold standard for risk assessment.
The Financial Reality
A “Denied” renewal doesn’t just leave you unprotected; it can trigger a “Finding of Non-Compliance” that affects your ability to practice or handle client funds. Transitioning to a managed security model with CGB Tech is often less expensive than the 300% premium surcharges seen by firms with “weak” security controls.
Don’t let your insurance carrier be the one to tell you your IT isn’t good enough.
– John McMicken
– Adam Stalder