Spokane Computer Inc.

Background:   Spokane Computer was founded in 1966 as an accounting software company.  Mag-Filer was introduced in the mid 1980s to support the need for E-Filing to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Social Security Administration (SSA).

Program: Mag-Filer is a distributed software platform that runs in a Windows .Net program compatible environment under Windows 8 and 10.  Mag-Filer is not a web portal.

Installation: Mag-Filer is installed to the user’s local computer or to a Network Server.   Mag-Filer accesses MS Access databases within the user’s local environment.  Mag-Filer’s data never leaves the users environment and privacy sensitive information is not shared directly from the Mag-Filer program.   Since Mag-Filer’s data remains local to the user’s environment, Mag-Filer data is secured by the user’s network and computer security policies.  

Data Description: MAG-FILER stores data related to filing 1099’s and W-2’s which contains Tax Ids and potentially social security numbers.  Mag-Filer supports a “Security” mode that when enabled, the program locks the MS Access file (at the system level) with a system only password, requires specific user accounts to be created for session login and encrypts all Tax Ids.

Co-dependent Applications: Mag-Filer uses MS Access drivers to connect to MS Access format databases.  Mag-Filer also creates PDF files that can be opened by Adobe Reader or other compatible programs.

Activation: Mag-Filer uses the user’s email address to activate the user’s software license.   Email and support ticket information is stored in Mag-Filer’s Freshdesk (https://magfiler.freshdesk.com), a commercially available support platform.  Email and other company information is not sold or shared with 3^rd parties.  

Remote Support: If requested our support team can use Citrix Goto Assist (https://get.gotoassist.com) for troubleshooting and user assistance.  Security provided during that support session is provided by Citrix.

Diagnostics:   Mag-Filer can display and optionally share local environment information solely for the purpose of assisting in support of installation and operational requirements.  Any shared information is done specifically by the user and is posted to Mag-Filer’s Freshdesk support system.  

Updates:  The Mag-Filer program will periodically check for an available updated version of the program.  Mag-Filer accesses an Amazon Web Server (AWS) to see if an update is available.  If so, the user will be prompted to download and update their software.  This is strictly a convenience and user information is not shared during this activity.

Forms:   Mag-Filer support Masking Tax Ids (###-##-1234) where allowed by the IRS. Printing can be done to most laser printers as well as to a PDF file created in the user specified location.   It is the responsibility of the user to safeguard physical and electronic forms as well as all other privacy sensitive information.

Emailing 1099MISC:   Mag-Filer supports the option of emailing a link to a masked copy of 1099MISC forms to email recipients.   Masked tax forms are created on an Amazon Web Server (AWS) and the recipient is required to provide the last 4 of their Tax Id to access the printable form.  The form itself is not attached to the notification email.  Non-Masked Tax Ids are not allowed in this environment.

Importing:   Mag-Filer supports the importing of CSV and other import file formats.  Those interface files can typically be opened with MS Excel and contain non-encrypted Tax Ids.  It is the responsibility of the user to safeguard this and all other privacy sensitive information.

Service Work: Mag-Filer supports operational support as a service.  We can import your data, print forms and E-File on your behalf.   This service is solely at the user’s request and all data interaction is done through Mag-Filer’s commercially available ShareFile (https://www.sharefile.com) account and secured by Citrix.  

EFiling: The IRS and SSA’s interface EFile formats do not support encryption and must be transmitted as text.  Mag-Filer creates these files in the user specified location to be uploaded to the IRS/SSA web portals.  It is the responsibility of the user to safeguard this and all other privacy sensitive information.