Where it runs
The assistant runs on hardware in your own office. Backups, updates and remote support can each move data off a machine, so ask what applies to your set-up.
Who else is involved
Looking after a system can involve access to it, so Local Assistant is an outside party too.
Whether a contracted tool is a disclosure needing the client’s authority is left open by the texts read so far, and the same applies to that access. Your duties to clients stay with your firm.
What your firm provides
A place for the machine to sit.
What Local Assistant does
It installs the assistant, then handles updates, patching and support.
Who it suits
A firm that wants its own system on its own premises, and wants someone else to look after it. That is a choice and not a duty. The ICAEW and PCRT texts read in this article do not require it. Other bodies have their own rules. A paid business tool such as Microsoft 365 Copilot may be the practical route for many practices, once client authority is settled.
Any model’s work needs checking, and a smaller model does less than the best available. Pricing is on enquiry.