What this means for your firm

Four things DataFrugal does for every file your firm stores with it.

The file stays as it was when you signed

Set a retention period for your firm and every file you upload becomes immutable until it ends — it cannot be changed or deleted. Deleting early needs a request from an authorised member of your firm, approved by two different administrators, and every step is recorded. A partner cannot quietly replace last year's working paper.

Every download is on record

Each download is recorded against the person who asked for it, with the file and the time. If the record cannot be written, the download is refused. Sign-ins and changes to who has access are recorded too, so you can answer a client who asks who in your firm saw their accounts.

Client files stay inside the firm

Files can only be shared with people in your firm, and recipients cannot pass them on. Download links expire, and you can restrict storage access to approved IP addresses, so a forwarded link will not work outside your network. Articles and interns get only the access their role needs.

Archive a whole season in one run

After a filing season, push a year of client files from your document system with a scheduled job, using a secret key made for automation rather than a partner's password. Nobody spends a week dragging folders into a browser.

You keep records for years, not months

Audit working papers are kept for at least seven years, company books for eight, tax and GST records for six. Some statutory registers and minutes must be kept permanently — and the law allows you to keep them electronically.

The file must not change after it is assembled

Once an audit file is assembled after the report is signed, it should not be altered — and if anything is added later, you must be able to say who did it, when and why. A shared drive cannot tell you that. DataFrugal can.

Someone will ask you to demonstrate it

A peer review, an inspection, a client dispute or a negligence claim all end with the same question: is this the file as it stood on the date of the report, and who has seen it since?

What DataFrugal does not do

  • It is not audit software or a practice management tool. It sits alongside what your firm already uses.
  • It does not decide your retention periods for you. You set them to match your firm's policy.
  • It does not read your files. There is no preview — seeing a file's contents means downloading it, and every download is recorded.

Your firm also holds identity documents, bank details and payroll data belonging to clients and their employees. India's data protection law makes that your responsibility, with duties to control access, keep a record of it, and hold the data securely.

DataFrugal gives you the access controls and the records. Deciding what you hold, and for how long, stays with you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions from CA and CS firms about keeping client records locked, traceable and available for years.

Can DataFrugal replace our audit or accounting software?

No. DataFrugal is where your firm's files are stored, locked and tracked. It works alongside the tools you already use for audit work, accounting and filings, not instead of them.

Can a partner delete a working paper after the report is signed?

Not on their own. While a file is within its retention period it cannot be changed or deleted. Deleting early needs a request from an authorised member of your firm and approval from two different administrators, and nobody can approve their own request. Every request, approval and rejection is recorded.

Can we show a client who in our firm opened their file?

Yes. Every download is recorded with the person, the file and the time, and you can search that history. Browsing a folder's file names is not recorded; opening a file's contents always is, because there is no preview.

How long can we keep files, and what does it cost?

As long as your policy needs — you set the retention period. You pay for the data you protect, not for the number of people in your firm, so adding an article or a partner does not add a licence fee.

Start with one season's files

Talk to us about a short pilot for your firm — no pricing commitment, just a look at how your client records would actually be protected.

Talk to us