Resources

Owners of small and medium-sized businesses often make the mistake of thinking that they aren’t on the criminals’ radar. But more than 40% of cyber attacks are aimed at small businesses – and email is usually the criminals’ way in. Our new guide, ‘Getting to Grips with Email Security’, reveals why you might be vulnerable, what you need to look out for and what you can do to protect yourself.

The growth of cloud computing has completely changed how we work. But security in a cloud environment can create a long list of its own challenges. In our new guide, we cut through the jargon to give you all you need to know to protect your business. You’ll discover what you can do for yourself to stay safe in the cloud, and where some professional help will make a big difference.

December is a month when many of us take time to plan for the year ahead. But instead of looking at your forecasts for the next 12 months, we’d like you to think about what’s coming up over the next decade. Will you keep up? Will you choose the right tech? Here’s our guide to the 8 tech trends that your business needs to be ready for.

The quickest way to upset your staff is by giving them slow access to the internet. Bad Wi-Fi quickly creates tension in the team and is a real productivity killer. You don’t have to suffer slow Wi-Fi. Here’s our guide to making Wi-Fi faster whether you’re working in the office or from home.

If you’re confused about password managers, you’re not alone. A password manager is software that generates safe passwords, remembers them, and autofills logins for you. That saves time. But means your business can quickly lock out staff when they leave. Some people say they’re the best thing ever. Others are more negative. We believe they’re a very useful business tool if you pick the right one. So we’ve created this new guide with the full lowdown on password managers for business.

Chances are you know about phishing. It’s where someone sends you a fake email pretending to be someone else. They’re hoping you’ll click a bad link or download a dangerous attachment. It’s one of the biggest kinds of cybercrime. But do you know what the red flags are? Here’s our top advice on how to stay a step ahead of cyber criminals.

Ever been on a video call, and the other person looks and sounds AWFUL? Perhaps they’re staring down at a laptop webcam (never a great angle). And they’re badly lit so look like a criminal. And have a cheap microphone which makes them sound like they’re on a bad phone call? Video calls are here to stay. If there’s any risk your team are video calling like this, it’s time to give them an upgrade. We have advice on improving video calls for all budgets in our new guide. Download your copy instantly.

The Entrepreneurial Operating System can help your business focus on growth As IT professionals, we spend a lot of time thinking and talking about operating systems. Without Windows, your computer is just a big useless lump of metal and plastic. But have you realised that your business needs an operating system? It’s an unusual concept, but one that’s really working well for thousands of companies around the world. It’s called EOS - or the Entrepreneurial Operating System. We don’t sell it. But some of the businesses we work with have been interested in knowing more, so we’ve written a short guide. Download your copy instantly.

Focus more, be interrupted less… and get stuff done When you own or manage a business, your cognitive load can be overwhelming. Not only do you have your own work to think about, but your focus often has to be split between that and what your people need from you. That can mean interruption after interruption; a mounting to-do list; and never quite achieving that work/life balance. Which was probably one of your main goals when you started your business. Not good. Fortunately, there are loads of tools available to you right now that can help free up your time, reduce interruptions and give you better focus. And many of them are already included with your Microsoft 365 subscription. We’ve written a business owner’s briefing to help you decide which ones could work for you.

We have all seen a LOT of change over the past couple of years. We’ve changed the way we work. The way we shop. And the way we interact with others. How has your business changed? What change do you need to make in the years ahead? And how does your technology help to power that? We’ve written a new guide about something called digital IT transformation. It’s how you use modern technology to bring on a revolution. It’s what Netflix and Lego did… and Kodak famously didn’t. Read case studies about this, and how digital IT transformation affects businesses of every size, in our new guide.

If you’ve ever considered moving your business’s data and applications over to a cloud-based solution, you’d be forgiven for breaking out in a cold sweat and forgetting about the entire thing. It’s complex. And there’s a lot that can go wrong, from increased downtime, to data loss or things not working as they should. But when you get it right, the benefits are countless. They can include big cost savings, increased security, and better scalability. Not to mention access to extra features that may be available. Download our brand new guide to see how your business would benefit. It includes an essential cloud migration checklist.

How to ensure your business’s spend on IT is an investment, and never an expense No matter what kind of business you run, technology sits at the heart of it today. And it’s going to become more and more important in the future. Big business thinkers see IT as a long-term investment. They understand the correlation between the short-term impact to cash flow, and the enormous long-term benefits of business growth, increased productivity and highly satisfied staff and customers. To get your Return on Investment (ROI) there are several Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track. Our new guide tells you what they are.

How to keep your business’s data ultra-safe during the Work From Home revolution Working From Home and hybrid working are here to stay. And that means as businesses, we need to get a grip on security in our staff’s homes as much as we do in the office. We’ve written a new guide to look at all the issues.

Did you get a short break at Christmas? Even if it was just a few days, that break can give you huge clarity of thinking about where to take your business this year. We call this the January Refresh & Refocus. Let us tell you the two technology areas that will be the most important in 2022. They are Defend and Invest. Defend is about protecting your business from cyber criminals. We believe cyber-crime is going to rise again this year, to levels never seen before. Invest is about making sure technology is powering your business forward, not holding it back. Our new guide looks at both these areas in detail.

I bet that’s a question you’ve never asked yourself before… But it’s important you do. Because in the world of technology, there’s a definite link between what you pay, and the quality of the service you receive. Picking an IT provider on price alone is a false economy. If you’re paying too little, you’re running one of four big risks. Find out what they are in our brand new guide.

All the benefits of using the very latest version of Windows in your business After a four month wait, a brand new version of Windows is finally here. It’s a lot more secure, has better functionality and greater possibilities. And it looks beautiful. New PCs are now on sale with Windows 11, and the upgrade will be available for existing computers early next year. Not all machines will be able to upgrade. There are strict hardware requirements. We’ve listed them, plus the best benefits of the new Windows, in a brand new guide. It’s written so anyone can understand it.

5 steps to improve your ransomware resilience Ransomware is the most terrifying data security threat your business has ever faced. Imagine all your staff trying to login one morning. But all of them get a bright red screen saying your data has been locked away, and you must pay a huge ransom in Bitcoin to get it back. Terrifying. Read our new guide now. We’ll answer all your questions about ransomware. Plus you’ll discover five steps to improve your business’s ransomware resilience.

Improve profits with your IT partner’s Proactive Problem Prevention Just fixing technology when it breaks is so 2010. These days most businesses prefer an IT partner who proactively prevents problems from happening. If you don’t have this, you really need to read our brand new guide. You’ll see the countless benefits for your business of a more proactive approach to your IT.

Boost productivity, save time, and improve customer experience. Microsoft 365 is like a treasure chest, full of delights waiting to be discovered. Most businesses get it just to access Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams. And then they discover there are so many other apps included. Find the right ones and you can save time, increase productivity and motivation, and create a smoother workflow for everyone in your business. With more of us working remotely, that’s never been more important. Boom. That’s what we’ve done. Here are the 10 Microsoft 365 apps we think every business should look closely at.

Someone working for you right now is also working alongside some of the world’s most successful cyber criminals. And before long, they’re going to take down your business from the inside. They’ll put your sensitive business data in the hands of your number one enemy. Where does this leave your business? Potentially held to ransom to regain control of your data. Perhaps losing all your data for good. And having to explain to your clients that their personal information has been stolen…

An easy to read guide to the 9 most terrifying types of malware. These days, hacking is a profession. And a very lucrative one for some. The internet has made it very easy to access hacking knowledge and powerful automated tools. Anything that has been designed to steal your data or hurt your computer systems is now called malware – for “malicious software”. There are a number of different ways you can be targeted. Being aware is the first defensive weapon. Download our guide to the nine most terrifying kinds of malware.

Your people are all safe… but now what? What important preparation do you wish you had “got round to doing…?” It’s the phone call no business owner or manager ever wants to receive. A call, from the police, late at night – there’s been a fire at your premises. Businesses that lose their data in this way have a greater chance of going under, than surviving If you think that sentence alone is scary, read our guide to find out more.

It’s estimated that more than half of businesses don’t have a plan. Does yours? If not, it’s time to do something about it. There’s been an explosion in the number of ransomware and phishing attacks over the past couple of years. If you’re don’t have an effective plan in place to keep your business protected – and to minimise damage should the worst happen – you’re leaving yourself vulnerable.

As we finally approach the end of – what we can all agree has been a difficult year – it’s likely that the last thing you want to think about is your I.T. next year. However, being the I.T. super-fans that we are, we’d suggest that now is the best time to do this.

It’s the fastest growing crime on the planet but what does ransomware mean to you? If you’ve heard of it, you may have put two and two together. And figured out that ransomware is a form of malware (malicious software) that holds your business to ransom.

Alix’s Legacy’s mission is to eliminate Glioblastoma, an aggressive malignant brain tumour with no known cause and no known cure. We will do this by raising awareness that currently, only 2% of cancer funding goes into brain tumour research.

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