News & Views
Looking for something in particular?
Beware these “alerts” from Microsoft Azure
There’s a new type of scam doing the rounds… and this one’s a little more convincing than most. It looks like a genuine alert from Microsoft Azure Monitor. It comes from a real Microsoft domain, and it lands in your inbox without being flagged as suspicious. That’s...
Windows 11’s new focus on efficiency
For the past year or so, it’s felt like every Windows update came with three new AI features attached. Some of them are genuinely useful. Some feel like they’re there because they can be. So it’s interesting to see Microsoft take a slightly different tone with recent...
Cyber Essentials: Why Doing the Basics Well Still Protects Most SMEs
If you read the headlines, cyber security can feel like a losing battle. Ransomware, phishing scams, data breaches, every week brings a new story, and every story seems to end the same way: another business in trouble, another customer base shaken, another bill no one...
Is data security your top priority?
There’s an interesting disconnect happening in the business world right now. Most IT leaders say data security is their number one concern when upgrading or modernizing systems. In fact, nearly seven in ten rank it at the top of the list. Yet only around a...
Teams update: No more accidental quitting
Have you ever accidentally left a Teams meeting? You go to click something, maybe Share to present your screen, and suddenly you’re staring at your desktop while everyone else is still mid-conversation. Awkward. For a long time, that was a perfectly believable excuse....
Is this the top productivity app in Windows 11?
If you use Windows every day for work, I’ve got a question for you. What’s the one app you couldn’t live without? Microsoft’s latest marketing says the answer should be Microsoft Copilot. They’re calling it the number one productivity app in Windows 11, ahead of tools...
Don’t trust AI with this security essential
Let me start with a question: If you needed a strong password, would you ask AI to generate one for you? It sounds reasonable enough. Tools like ChatGPT and Copilot can write reports, draft emails and even create bits of code. Asking them for a 16-character...
Relying on Windows 10 extended support? Time to upgrade
Are you still running Windows 10 because “it’s fine for now”? I hear that a lot. And to be fair, if you signed up for Extended Security Updates (ESU) programme, Windows 10 probably does still feel fine. It turns on. It works. It gets security updates. No drama....
How to stop AI projects stalling
Have you noticed how many AI projects start with excitement… and then quietly go nowhere? I’m seeing it a lot. A demo here, a pilot there, plenty of internal chatter, but very little that makes it into day-to-day use. And it’s not because AI doesn’t work...
Small habits to make your Windows 11 PC last longer
When was the last time you replaced a perfectly usable work computer, simply because it had become slow or unreliable? For a lot of businesses, that moment is coming sooner than it used to. Hardware prices have risen, upgrades cost more, and replacing machines...
Beware the next generation of phishing attacks
If phishing scams are supposed to trick people, why do so many of them still feel clumsy? For years, the answer was simple: Most scams were mass-produced. The same email, the same fake website, sent to thousands of people and hoping a few would fall for...
It’s time to govern your team’s AI use
Let me ask you a slightly uncomfortable question. Do you know which AI tools your team is using at work… and what they’re putting into them? Most business owners I speak to think they do. And then we dig a little deeper. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT and...
Don’t forget to protect your browsing privacy
When you open a browser on your phone, what do you think it knows about you? The websites you visit? Maybe your location? Possibly what you’ve searched for? The reality is, for many popular mobile browsers, it’s a lot more than that. A recent analysis looked at how...
Do you really want your team to use this?
Here’s a question I suspect most business owners haven’t thought about yet. If one of your team buys something inside an AI chat window… is that okay with you? Because that’s exactly where things are heading. You’re probably already familiar with tools like...
Another good reason to enforce MFA
What would happen if someone got hold of one of your employees’ passwords from years ago? Not a password they’re using today. Not one they even remember. Just an old one that never got changed. Because that’s exactly how a recent, large-scale data-theft campaign...
Important: Protect your business from digital fraud
Scams aren’t what they used to be. They’re not always obvious, they’re not always clumsy, and they don’t always come with spelling mistakes or odd graphics. Today’s digital fraud is faster, smarter, and often created with the help of AI. Which means it’s...
Prepare your business for more refined cyberthreats
Cyber criminals aren’t simply causing chaos anymore. They’re getting smarter, more organised, and much better at finding weak spots in businesses of every size. And while that sounds worrying, understanding what’s happening is the first step to protecting...
Tax Season Scams: What UK Businesses Need to Know
Tax season is already stressful enough without cybercriminals joining the party. It is the time of year when every business is buried in records, requests and reminders, and inboxes are full of messages from accountants, payroll systems and HMRC. That sense of urgency...
Microsoft finally fixes these Teams issues
If there’s one thing guaranteed to test your patience during a busy workday, it’s a messaging app that doesn’t behave the way you expect it to. For a tool that millions of us rely on every day, Microsoft Teams does an impressive job of keeping businesses...
Is “technical debt” slowing your business growth?
You know that feeling when everything should be running smoothly… but something in your IT just keeps getting in the way? Not a big dramatic failure. Just a constant sense that your systems are slower, fussier, or more fragile than they used to be. That’s...
Consider this before using AI browsers at work
Have you ever wondered what your browser is doing in the background while you work? Most people think of a browser as a simple window to the internet. But a new wave of AI browsers is changing that idea completely. These tools are clever, fast, and can automate...
PowerPoint drops its “Reuse Slides” feature
Have you noticed that some changes don’t feel like improvements? Microsoft has announced that it’s retiring PowerPoint’s much loved Reuse Slides feature. For anyone who builds presentations regularly, that’s a real blow. If you’ve never used it, Reuse Slides was...
At last: Sync passkeys across your devices
Be honest, when was the last time you forgot a password and ended up in that endless loop of “reset your password” emails? It’s one of the biggest frustrations of modern working life. But it might finally be coming to an end. Microsoft has announced that...
“Ask Copilot” is coming to your Taskbar (but only if you want it to)
Have you ever wished your computer just understood what you were trying to do, instead of making you dig through menus and search results to get there? Microsoft’s working on it. In the latest Windows 11 preview, there’s a new feature being tested called Ask Copilot....
Microsoft Edge introduces a new scam protection tool
When was the last time you saw one of those scary pop-ups claiming your computer was infected? You know the ones. They come complete with flashing red warnings and a fake phone number to “call Microsoft support”. It’s called scareware, and it’s designed to panic...
Is your team using AI well? Copilot can tell you
How do you really know if your people are making the most of AI at work? You’ve rolled out Microsoft Copilot. You’ve talked about how it can save time. How it can boost productivity. And how it can make day-to-day tasks easier. But how can you tell if your team is...
How to help your people be AI confident
How do your team really feel about using AI at work? Are they excited? Nervous? Maybe a bit of both? A new study has revealed just how widespread AI has become in the workplace. And how mixed people’s feelings still are about it. Four in five workers now use some kind...
How Much Should You Pay for IT Managed Services in the UK?
This article has been updated to reflect the market in 2026. If you are looking for managed IT services in the UK, you should understand that there is no "one-size-fits-all" solution. There are many managed service providers out there, and they offer a huge range of...
Never lose a Word document again
Be honest, how many times have you lost a Word document because you forgot to hit “Save”? We’ve all been there. The power cuts out, your laptop crashes, or you just close the window too fast… and hours of work vanish in an instant. Well, Microsoft’s decided that...
Copilot brings Microsoft and Google together
Ever found yourself juggling between Gmail, Outlook, and a dozen browser tabs just to find one email or check a meeting time? It’s the kind of digital chaos most of us have learned to live with… until now. Microsoft’s AI assistant, Copilot, is about to make life a lot...































