With Christmas a couple of days away, most of us are either wrapping up our shopping or wrapping up the presents we’ve already purchased. If you are looking for a last-minute gift to give the tech lover in your life, here are three that we found really cool.
Stuff happens, and this stuff can often be bad. That’s an inescapable part of life, especially if you’re trying to run a successful business. That said, the consequences of this bad stuff can usually be minimized—if not mitigated entirely—when you have a proper disaster recovery strategy.
Let’s review what goes into preparing this kind of strategy in the most effective way and what makes it so crucial.
Ever feel overwhelmed by the maze of chats, channels, and notifications in Microsoft Teams? Well, here’s the good news: Microsoft’s rolling out an update to help streamline things.
The update will create a simpler workspace that’s easier to navigate – grouping everything in one location under the Chat menu. Think of it as a central hub where all your key conversations and notifications live.
The update also includes a new “@mentions” view that gathers all your direct messages and important mentions in one place. This will make it easier to catch up on messages you’re tagged in, helping you to make sure important notifications don’t slip through the cracks.
Teams will also be getting improved filters and controls. This will let you do things like filter out less urgent notifications, as well as create custom sections to keep your chats, channels, and meetings organized by project or topic.
Another great feature being introduced is a new “favorites” section, allowing you to pin your top chats and channels for quick access.
Also, threaded conversations are expected to arrive some time in mid-2025. This will mean that replies get grouped together in the same thread, making it easier to follow discussions without losing track of previous messages.
All these improvements are coming to desktop, Android, and iOS – so your team will be able to stay on top of things no matter where they are.
If you’re not already using Teams to keep communication flowing in your business, now’s a great time to start. We can help with that, get in touch.
Many of today’s businesses span continents. That’s not an exaggeration. With faster Internet speeds fueling remote workforces, some businesses choose to strategically use workers from all over the globe to create and sell their products or services. In today’s blog, we’ll discuss some of the adjustments and alterations that you need to make when relying on truly remote teams.
Would you be concerned if someone, with only an image, could infer things about you with better-than-expected accuracy? I don’t mean snippets, either—we’re talking about entire paragraphs of context.
Probably, right?
How concerned would you be if I told you that’s precisely what Google Photos does?
Cybercrime and cybersecurity threats targeting businesses have increased consistently over the last several years, so it makes sense that it won’t slow down in 2025. Let’s take a look at a few insights so you know what to be ready for.
When someone leaves your business, you might be so wrapped up in the rush of everyday tasks, you forget to delete their login details.
It’s easy to overlook. You’ll get around to it later, right?
But unused login details could be a ticking time bomb for security breaches, leaving the doors wide open to cyber criminals. It can also be an unnecessary drain on your budget if you’re paying for old subscriptions you no longer need.
A recent report found that almost half of businesses had accounts that were no longer actively managed.
If you’ve forgotten about an account, you’re not monitoring it. And this leaves your business vulnerable to attacks.
These risks aren’t just hypothetical, either. Many cloud security breaches happen because unused login details and accounts have been compromised.
So, what do you need to do?
Take the time to audit all accounts and login details used by your business. Make sure you no longer have accounts open for ex-employees (and check that their access has been fully revoked, not just left inactive).
The same goes for any software or service that you’ve stopped using in your business. You might not realize you’re still paying for a service you haven’t touched in months – or even years.
Going forward, make sure you have a clear process for when people leave, and regularly review the applications and services your business uses.
If you’re not sure where to start, let us help you perform a security review and make sure you’re not leaving your business exposed to unnecessary threats. Get in touch.
Artificial intelligence is the latest IT buzzword that everyone seems to focus on and it’s because it is a big deal. Advances in computing have created an environment where developers can create software that effectively learns. Unfortunately, due to the nature of AI regulation; or, the complete lack of it, there are some who are concerned that the technology—which could be a revolutionary tool for the improvement of human societies—is being degraded.
Protecting your business isn’t just about having the right tools; it’s about making sure you and your team know how to stay safe online. Here are some key tips to help you get started:
To keep your business running smoothly, even if something goes wrong—like a power outage, cyberattack, or other disaster—you need a reliable way to protect your data. That’s where data backup comes in. It’s important to make sure your backup is thorough and trustworthy so you can recover if things go south.
How do you feel about the technology you use in your business? A recent study found that 90% of business leaders felt confident that their IT systems today are “best in class”.
But how about tomorrow?
The same study showed that:
When technology is no longer supported by the manufacturer or software creator, it’s like driving a car that hasn’t had a service in years. Sure, it might run fine for now – but sooner or later, it’s going to break down (and it’ll probably happen at the worst possible moment).
When it comes to business IT, cyber security is another big concern. The study found that 65% of business leaders worry about cyber attacks, and 56% admit that they find it a challenge protecting their business from these attacks.
Nobody can control whether their business comes under attack – but you can make sure your business is prepared. And the best way to do that is by keeping your IT systems up to date and investing in the right security tools.
So, how can you make sure your business’s IT is future-ready?
Take a good look at your current setup. Is your tech starting to slow down? Do you need to start replacing your hardware or software?
If your business tech does need updating, don’t wait until things have stopped working. Think ahead and start planning for upgrades now.
And while you’re at it, make sure your team is trained up on how to use the latest tools and systems.
If you need help building a technology strategy for your business’s next few years, that’s what we do – get in touch.
Artificial intelligence, or AI, has upended the way that we discuss technology in business, society, and individual everyday life. While we mostly focus on the benefits of the technology, there are many downsides to consider as well. That’s what we’d like to discuss today; how AI has a dark side to it that potentially requires regulation.
Whether it's a personal challenge or a necessity, keeping productivity high is good for an individual’s career growth and overall self-worth. Unfortunately, staying on top of your game can be difficult. We thought we would give you three things to consider that will work to keep your productivity levels high.
Have you ever accidentally deleted a file or had your computer crash? It’s a frustrating experience, right? Now, imagine if a major disaster—like a fire or data breach—struck and wiped out all your critical data. That’s where disaster recovery steps in to save the day.
Imagine giving every single person you work with a key to your house. Would you do it? Probably not, right? What if someone lost their key or had it stolen? You wouldn’t want to take that risk.
So, it stands to reason that if you can’t trust the people you work with every day with a key to your house, you wouldn’t want them to have access to all of your data; or your business’.
Every business relies on technology to function. Some wouldn’t be able to deliver any value to their customers without it, while others would be severely hindered if they suffered a data breach. For this reason, cybersecurity has to be a priority. In today’s blog, we will discuss five issues that business owners run into that can muddle their cybersecurity efforts.
Businesses of every size need to prioritize their security. This fact has not changed and will not change anytime soon. What has changed, however, are the recommended ways to approach this security.
Today, we wanted to review the history of today’s predominant cybersecurity advice and explore how the zero-trust security model applies.
Collaboration is as important as ever, if not more so, to businesses of any size… and with so much work today being done digitally, this collaboration needs to be reliable. Add in the fact that so many people work remotely as often as they do, and it should be clear that all businesses need a means of securely collaborating as part of their successful operations.
Microsoft is once again finding ways to make life easier for your business with Windows 11.
If you ever work on your phone as well as your PC, you’re going to love the new “Hand Off” feature that’s being tested right now.
The idea is this: Let’s say you’re in a meeting or on the move. And you start working on something in Microsoft Word or another app on your phone. Once you get back to your PC, a notification will pop up asking if you want to keep working on the document – allowing you to switch between devices seamlessly.
This feature is made possible through OneDrive’s syncing function. It’s already compatible with Android phones, and it’s likely to work for iPhones too, although that’s not yet been confirmed.
Being able to jump between devices without losing track of work could be a great benefit, especially if your team works remotely.
Although it hasn’t been rolled out just yet, “Hand Off” has clear potential to be a valuable tool for businesses.
Ready to find out more ways Windows 11 could boost productivity in your business? We can help, get in touch.
Some websites have an orange icon with waves coming from a dot in the bottom-left corner. This icon is for an RSS feed. RSS feeds are great for users who want to add the website’s content to an RSS reader—but what does this even mean? Let’s find out.
