Tagged: managed-it
The backup password on the laptop you're backing up
Recovery controls fail in a way audits miss: the control quietly depends on the very thing it is meant to recover you from. We found five in our own systems in a week — here's the one question that finds them, and a two-hour fix.
Read → GuideIT and Cyber Security for Charities and Non-Profits in the UK
A plain-English guide to IT and cyber security for UK charities: protecting donor and beneficiary data, controlling volunteer access, and Cyber Essentials on a tight budget.
Read → GuideIT Support for Recruitment Agencies in the UK
A plain-English guide to IT and cyber security for UK recruitment agencies: protecting candidate data, securing your CRM/ATS, mobile working and stopping placement invoice fraud.
Read → GuideIT & Cyber Security for Veterinary Practices in the UK
A plain-English IT and cyber security guide for UK vets: protect client and pet data, keep practice software running, take payments safely, and stop phishing.
Read → GuideIT Support for Estate Agents in the UK
Practical IT and cyber security for UK estate agents: protecting client money and AML data, working safely with Rightmove and portals, stopping deposit and completion fraud, and mobile working.
Read → GuideWindows 10 End of Support: What Your Business Should Do Now
Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025. Here's what that really means for your business, your options, and how to plan the move without panic.
Read → ArticleAntivirus and Endpoint Protection for Small Businesses, Explained
What endpoint protection really is, how built-in Defender compares with paid tools, whether small firms need EDR, and what actually matters when protecting your devices.
Read → GuideIT Support for Nurseries and Childcare Settings in the UK
Plain-English IT and cyber security guidance for UK nurseries: protect children's and safeguarding data, control access, manage retention, and reassure parents.
Read → GuideIT for Manufacturing and Engineering Firms in the UK
A plain-English IT and cyber security guide for UK manufacturers and engineers: keeping the shop floor running, protecting designs and IP, separating office and operational tech, and reliable backups.
Read → GuideBusiness Broadband and Connectivity: A Practical UK Guide
FTTP, leased lines and backup connectivity explained for UK small businesses — how to weigh uptime, speed and cost, and match your broadband to your VoIP and cloud needs.
Read → GuideIT Support for Gyms and Fitness Businesses in the UK
Plain-English IT guidance for UK gyms and fitness studios: protect member data and payments, run online booking, secure door-entry systems, and get reliable Wi-Fi.
Read → GuideIT and Connectivity for Construction Trades: A Practical Guide
A plain-English guide to IT for UK construction firms: multi-site connectivity, rugged devices, job software, VoIP on site and backing up your drawings.
Read → GuideBusiness Continuity Plan for a Small Business: A Plain-English Guide
A jargon-free guide to writing a business continuity plan for your UK small business, covering key risks, RTO and RPO, backups and how to test it.
Read → ArticleIT for Professional Services Firms: Secure, Reliable, Ready to Win Work
How professional services firms can get IT right: secure Microsoft 365 and cloud working, Cyber Essentials to win contracts, plus support and monitoring.
Read → ArticleBest Business Phone System (VoIP) Compared for UK Small Firms
A plain-English guide to choosing a VoIP business phone system: the features that matter, the criteria to compare, what to avoid, and why we recommend AirLandline.
Read → ArticleWhy Do My Business Emails Go to Spam?
Your important emails keep landing in spam? Here is why it happens — authentication, sender reputation, content and list hygiene — and the practical checks to fix it.
Read → ArticleTech Support Scams and Fake IT Calls: How to Spot Them
Fake 'Microsoft' calls and scary pop-ups pressure you into handing over access or money. Learn the tells, what to do, and how a real IT provider behaves.
Read → GuideHow to Migrate to Microsoft 365 Without the Downtime Headache
A plain-English guide for UK small businesses moving email and files to Microsoft 365: how to prepare, handle DNS and MX, avoid downtime, and lock it down after.
Read → ArticleData Retention and Records of Processing: A Plain-English Guide for Small Businesses
How UK small businesses can handle data retention, ROPA and data minimisation under UK GDPR — in plain English, with practical steps you can start this week.
Read → GuideIT and Cyber Security for Retail Shops: A UK Owner's Guide
A plain-English guide to IT and cyber security for UK retail shops: safer card payments, splitting till and guest Wi-Fi, staff logins and backups that actually work.
Read → ArticleDo I Need a Business VPN? An Honest Guide for UK Firms
What a business VPN really is, what it is good for, what it is not, and when a UK small business actually needs one. Plain English, no scare tactics.
Read → ArticleHow to Switch IT Support Providers Without the Chaos
Leaving an underperforming IT company? A practical UK guide to getting your data, passwords and admin access back and running a clean, low-stress handover.
Read → ArticleBYOD for Small Businesses: The Risks of Personal Devices and a Sensible Policy
Letting staff use their own phones and laptops for work saves money but creates real risks. Here's a plain-English BYOD policy UK small businesses can actually use.
Read → GuideIT for Hospitality: A Practical Guide for UK Restaurants and Cafes
Practical IT for UK restaurants and cafes: cutting no-shows with online bookings, guest Wi-Fi done safely, taking card payments, and connectivity that keeps you trading.
Read → ArticleStaff Onboarding and Offboarding: Getting IT Access Right as People Join and Leave
Giving new staff the right access — and fully removing it when people leave — is a core security job. Here's how UK small businesses can do both cleanly.
Read → GuideInternational Data Transfers Under UK GDPR, Explained
A plain-English guide to UK GDPR international data transfers for small businesses using US-hosted tools — mechanisms, the UK-US bridge, IDTA and TRAs.
Read → ArticleDo I Need a Data Protection Officer (DPO)?
Do you need a Data Protection Officer? When a DPO is legally required under UK GDPR — and what most UK small businesses actually need instead.
Read → GuideThe PSTN & ISDN Switch-Off: What UK Small Businesses Must Do Before the Deadline
The UK's old phone network is being switched off. Here's what the PSTN and ISDN switch-off means for your business, why to move to VoIP now, and how to switch.
Read → ArticleHow to Set Up Secure Business Wi-Fi: Guest and Staff Networks Done Right
A plain-English guide to secure business Wi-Fi for UK small firms: guest vs staff networks, WPA encryption, segmentation and the common mistakes to avoid.
Read → ArticleHow to Handle a Subject Access Request (SAR)
What a subject access request is, the one-month deadline, how to respond step by step, and the common mistakes UK small businesses make with SARs.
Read → ArticleHow to Write a Privacy Notice for a Small Business
What must a privacy notice include under UK GDPR? A plain-English structure for UK small businesses, the required content, and the common gaps to avoid.
Read → GuideBusiness VoIP Phone Systems in the UK, Explained
A plain-English guide to VoIP for UK small businesses: what it is, why the PSTN switch-off matters, key features, how to switch and how to keep your number.
Read → ArticleCloud vs On-Premise for Small Business: An Honest Comparison
An honest, jargon-free comparison of cloud vs on-premise IT for UK small businesses — the real trade-offs in cost, security, control and when each approach makes sense.
Read → ArticleCookies and PECR for UK Business Websites
Cookie consent and PECR basics for UK small businesses — what needs consent, how to build a compliant banner, and how to handle analytics lawfully.
Read → ArticleWhat Is a Firewall? A Plain-English Guide for Small Businesses
What a firewall actually does, the difference between router, software and next-gen firewalls, why it's a Cyber Essentials control, and how to set one up sensibly.
Read → ArticleHow to Choose an IT Support Provider: A No-Nonsense Guide for UK Businesses
Choosing an IT support provider is a big decision. Here's what good managed IT looks like, the questions to ask, the red flags to avoid, and how to read contracts.
Read → GuideMoving Office IT Checklist: A Practical Guide to a Smooth Relocation
A practical, non-technical IT checklist for a UK small-business office move — planning connectivity, cabling, phones and data so you relocate with minimal downtime.
Read → ArticleMDR and EDR Explained: Do Small Businesses Really Need Them?
What managed detection and response (MDR) and EDR mean in plain English, why small firms are targeted too, whether you need 24/7 monitoring, and what to look for.
Read → ArticleZero Trust Security Explained for Small Businesses
Zero trust in plain English for UK small firms: what "never trust, always verify" means, and the practical steps (MFA, least privilege, device checks) you can take.
Read → ArticleMicrosoft 365 Backup: Why Microsoft Won't Save Your Data
Microsoft 365 doesn't back your data up the way most business owners assume. Here's the shared responsibility gap, and why you still need a proper backup.
Read → ArticleWhat Is Managed IT Support?
A plain-English guide to managed IT support for UK small businesses: what it includes, how it differs from break-fix, whether you need it, and how the cost works.
Read → ArticleMicrosoft Teams vs Slack vs Google Chat: Which Team Chat Fits Your Small Business?
A plain-English comparison of Microsoft Teams, Slack and Google Chat for UK small businesses: cost, features, security basics and where each one fits best.
Read → ArticleSecurity Awareness Training for Staff: Turning Your Team Into Your Best Defence
Why your staff are the front line against cyber attacks, and how short, regular, practical security awareness training builds a strong reporting culture.
Read → ArticleThird-Party and Supply-Chain Risk for Small Businesses
The suppliers and software you rely on can become your security problem. A plain-English guide to supply-chain risk for UK small firms, plus what to ask vendors.
Read → ArticleRemote Desktop (RDP) Security for Small Businesses
Exposed Remote Desktop is one of the top ways UK businesses get hit by ransomware. Here's why open RDP is dangerous and how to secure remote access properly.
Read → ArticleSecure File Sharing for Small Business: A Plain-English Guide
Emailing attachments and using consumer cloud apps quietly leaks business data. Here's what secure file sharing looks like, and how to get it right.
Read → ArticleHow Much Should a Small Business Spend on IT and Security?
A plain-English guide to setting an IT budget for your UK small business — what to spend, the categories that matter, and how to weigh value against cost.
Read → GuideHow to Secure Your Business Website: A Practical Guide
A plain-English guide to website security for UK small businesses: HTTPS, updates, strong logins with MFA, backups, a firewall/WAF, and getting a security review.
Read → ArticleMicrosoft 365 vs Google Workspace for Small Business
An honest UK comparison of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace for small businesses: cost, apps, email, security and how easy each is to switch to.
Read → ArticleScaling IT as Your Business Grows: From 5 to 50 People Without the Mess
How your IT needs change as you grow from a handful of staff to fifty, how to avoid the 'it just grew' mess, and when to bring in managed IT support.
Read → ArticleWhat Is 'the Cloud'? A Plain-English Guide for Small Businesses
A jargon-free explainer of what 'the cloud' actually means, the real benefits for small businesses, and the shared-responsibility catch you need to understand.
Read → ArticleOnline Booking for Service Businesses: Cut No-Shows and Save Admin Time
How online booking helps UK service businesses reduce no-shows and endless back-and-forth. A plain-English look at what to expect and how to get started.
Read → ArticleDomain Names and DNS Basics for Business: A Plain-English Guide
A jargon-free guide to domain names and DNS for business owners — what A, MX and TXT records do, why they matter for your website and email security.
Read → ArticleLet Customers Book Online: A Simple Guide to Scheduling Tools for Service Businesses
Why online booking wins more work for service businesses, what to look for in a scheduling tool, how to keep it secure, and where open-source Cal.com fits in.
Read → ArticleThe IT Support Checklist for UK Accountancy Practices
A practical IT and cyber-security checklist for UK accountants: protecting client data, staying online through tax season, and meeting Cyber Essentials.
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