Insights
Answers to the questions businesses ask before they call an IT company
Costs, contracts, switching, security, Microsoft 365, backup and networks, written by the engineers who deal with them every day. No sales pitches, no filler.
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Most-read guides
Cyber Security
What is Cyber Essentials? (And does your business need it?)
Cyber Essentials explained for UK small businesses: the five controls, Cyber Essentials vs Plus, who requires it, and the process, timeline and cost.
VoIP & Communications
The PSTN switch-off: what UK businesses must do before January 2027
The UK PSTN and ISDN switch-off is now 31 January 2027. What stops working, from lines to alarms, lifts, card terminals and fax, plus a migration checklist.
Managed IT Support
How much does IT support cost in the UK? (2026 guide to per-user pricing)
What IT support costs in the UK in 2026: per-user, per-device, block-hour and break-fix pricing, what moves the price, a 25-person example and what to ask.
Choosing, costing and getting value from IT support.
Managed IT Support
Managed IT Support
Windows 10 is out of support: what businesses still on Windows 10 must do
Windows 10 support ended 14 October 2025. What UK businesses must do: Extended Security Updates, Windows 11 hardware requirements, Cyber Essentials and refresh.
Managed IT Support
What is an IT support SLA, and what response times are reasonable?
IT support SLAs explained: response versus resolution, P1 to P4 priority examples, business hours versus 24/7, what to check in the contract and the red flags.
Managed IT Support
What is an MSP (managed service provider)? MSP vs IT support company
What an MSP is, how a managed service provider differs from an IT support company, what an MSP does day to day, how MSPs charge and how to tell if you have one.
Managed IT Support
How much does IT support cost in the UK? (2026 guide to per-user pricing)
What IT support costs in the UK in 2026: per-user, per-device, block-hour and break-fix pricing, what moves the price, a 25-person example and what to ask.
Managed IT Support
What is shadow IT? Why staff build their own systems and how to find them
Shadow IT explained for UK businesses: why staff build workarounds outside approved systems, the security and data risks, and how to discover and manage it.
Managed IT Support
Why business owners shouldn't be managing IT, and the tasks that should never sit with non-IT staff
Why the owner or office manager should not be the IT department: the cost in time and risk, the tasks that need a specialist, and how to delegate safely.
Practical security for organisations without a security team.
Cyber Security
Cyber Security
What is MFA and why your business needs it
Multi-factor authentication explained for UK small businesses: authenticator apps vs SMS, phishing-resistant MFA, conditional access and shared mailboxes.
Cyber Security
What is Cyber Essentials? (And does your business need it?)
Cyber Essentials explained for UK small businesses: the five controls, Cyber Essentials vs Plus, who requires it, and the process, timeline and cost.
Cyber Security
Ransomware: how it gets in and how a small business stops it
How ransomware enters a UK small business (phishing, exposed remote access, stolen logins), the layered defences that stop it and how to recover without paying.
Cyber Security
How much does Cyber Essentials cost in 2026?
Cyber Essentials fees in 2026: IASME size bands from around £320 plus VAT, what Cyber Essentials Plus costs, and the remediation costs that really vary.
Cyber Security
UK GDPR: the IT controls a small business actually needs
The IT controls UK GDPR expects of a small business: access control, MFA, encryption, retention, backups, processor contracts and 72-hour breach reporting.
Cyber Security
EDR vs antivirus: what is the difference and which does your business need?
Endpoint detection and response compared with traditional antivirus for UK small businesses: how each works, what it catches, what it costs and who needs it.
Licensing, migration, security and getting more from the cloud.
Microsoft 365 & Cloud
Microsoft 365 & Cloud
Microsoft 365 migration checklist for small businesses
A phase-by-phase Microsoft 365 migration checklist for UK small businesses leaving Google Workspace, hosted IMAP or on-premise Exchange: DNS, pilot and staff.
Microsoft 365 & Cloud
Microsoft 365 Business Basic vs Standard vs Premium: which plan does your business need?
Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard and Premium compared for UK SMEs: apps, Intune, Defender for Business, Entra ID P1 and which plan each business needs.
Microsoft 365 & Cloud
Does Microsoft 365 back up your data? What Microsoft actually covers
Microsoft 365 keeps the service running but does not back up your data. What retention actually covers, where it stops, and why UK SMEs add third-party backup.
Microsoft 365 & Cloud
Conditional Access explained for small businesses
What Microsoft Entra Conditional Access does, which Microsoft 365 plan includes it, the first six policies a UK small business should enable, and lockout.
Microsoft 365 & Cloud
Microsoft 365 security settings checklist: 14 settings to check before an attacker does
A numbered Microsoft 365 security checklist for UK SMEs: MFA, legacy authentication, admin accounts, Conditional Access, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, audit logs, Intune.
Microsoft 365 & Cloud
Why businesses fail to get full value from Microsoft 365 (and the features they already pay for)
Most SMEs use Microsoft 365 for email and Office and ignore Teams Phone, Intune, Bookings, Loop and SharePoint. What is under-used, plus a licence-waste audit.
Backups, disaster recovery and keeping the business running.
Backup & Continuity
Backup & Continuity
RTO vs RPO explained: setting recovery targets for a small business
RTO is how long you can be down. RPO is how much data you can lose. What each means, how they drive backup spending, and a worked example for a 25-person firm.
Backup & Continuity
IT disaster recovery plan template for a small business
An IT disaster recovery plan template for UK small businesses: eleven sections, what goes in each, example wording and the test schedule that keeps it real.
Backup & Continuity
The 3-2-1 backup rule explained (and why immutable backups matter now)
The 3-2-1 backup rule: three copies, two media, one off-site. What it means for a UK SME, how ransomware changed it, and why one copy must now be immutable.
Backup & Continuity
Why IT recovery plans fail (and a test checklist that finds the gaps first)
Most IT recovery plans fail for the same reasons: untested backups, one person with the passwords, no priorities, no communication plan. Find the gaps first.
Backup & Continuity
Business continuity planning for SMEs: what a workable plan looks like
A practical guide to business continuity planning for UK SMEs: critical functions, realistic risks, RTO and RPO, backups, communication and a plan outline.
Backup & Continuity
On-site vs cloud vs hybrid backup: which is right for your business?
Compare on-site, cloud and hybrid backup for UK SMEs: restore speed, resilience, cost and management, plus why the 3-2-1 rule and immutable copies now matter.
Wi-Fi, cabling, connectivity and hardware decisions.
Networking & Infrastructure
Networking & Infrastructure
Leased line vs business broadband (FTTP/SoGEA): which does your office need?
How a leased line compares with FTTP and SoGEA broadband on speed, upload, contention, fix times, lead times and cost, with Hertfordshire and London notes.
Networking & Infrastructure
Hardware lifecycle strategy: how often to replace laptops, servers and network kit
A hardware refresh plan for UK businesses: replacement cycles by device type, the Windows 11 hardware floor, why mixed estates cost more, budgeting, disposal.
Networking & Infrastructure
Why faster internet doesn't fix a slow network (and what usually does)
Why a broadband upgrade often leaves an office just as slow: bandwidth versus latency, Wi-Fi design, switches, cabling, firewall load and the real bottleneck.
Networking & Infrastructure
Signs your business network needs an upgrade (and what to upgrade first)
The signs an office network has been outgrown, what modern kit looks like (Wi-Fi 6/6E/7, multi-gig switching, Cat6a, VLANs) and what to upgrade first.
Networking & Infrastructure
What is IT infrastructure and networking? A plain-English guide for business owners
IT infrastructure and networking explained without jargon: the components a business relies on, on-premise versus cloud, and why small firms need it managed.
Phone systems, the PSTN switch-off and staying reachable.
VoIP & Communications
VoIP & Communications
The PSTN switch-off: what UK businesses must do before January 2027
The UK PSTN and ISDN switch-off is now 31 January 2027. What stops working, from lines to alarms, lifts, card terminals and fax, plus a migration checklist.
VoIP & Communications
How much does VoIP cost in the UK? Per-user prices, handsets, porting and the hidden extras
What UK businesses actually pay for VoIP: observed per-user monthly ranges, handset prices, porting fees, call bundles, contract terms and the hidden extras.
VoIP & Communications
VoIP and business continuity: keeping the phones working when the office cannot open
How hosted VoIP keeps a UK business answering calls during office closures, power cuts, broadband faults and bad weather, and what to set up before you need it.
VoIP & Communications
Signs you need a new business phone system (and what it is costing you)
Missed calls, workarounds, no reporting, staff who cannot answer from home, a PBX out of support: the signs a phone system is holding you back, and what to do.
VoIP & Communications
PSTN vs VoIP: how to choose before the January 2027 switch-off
PSTN and ISDN lines are withdrawn on 31 January 2027. Compare PSTN and VoIP on cost, reliability, features and resilience, and see what the switch-off means.
VoIP & Communications
VoIP for multi-site and growing businesses: one phone system across every location
How hosted VoIP gives multi-site and growing UK businesses one phone system, central call routing, free inter-site calls and new users added in minutes.
Sector-specific IT guidance for the industries we support.
Industry Guides
Industry Guides
IT support for estate agents: branches, portals, AML and payment fraud
What UK estate and letting agents need from IT support: branch networks, Reapit and Alto, portal feeds, AML checks, deposit fraud, phones and backup.
Industry Guides
IT support for accountants: what an accountancy practice actually needs
What UK accountancy firms need from IT support: HMRC agent services, Making Tax Digital, January peaks, IRIS, Sage, Xero and CCH, client data and backup.
Industry Guides
IT for golf clubs and leisure venues: Wi-Fi, EPOS, bookings and CCTV
Practical IT guidance for UK golf clubs and leisure venues: member and guest Wi-Fi, EPOS and PCI, booking systems, listed buildings and CCTV.
Industry Guides
IT support for healthcare practices: clinics, dental and physio
What UK private clinics, dental and physio practices need from IT support: CQC expectations, NHS DSPT, clinical systems, patient records and backup.
Industry Guides
IT support for construction companies: depots, sites and a mobile workforce
What UK construction and plant hire firms need from IT support: depot networks, site connectivity, 4G failover, mobile devices, CIS deadlines and backup.
Industry Guides
IT support for law firms: what solicitors need from their IT, and why
What UK law firms need from IT support: SRA and Lexcel expectations, conveyancing payment fraud controls, case management systems, cloud, backup and retention.
Step-by-step guides for office moves, onboarding, hybrid work and growth.
Guides & Checklists
Guides & Checklists
IT support contracts: terms, notice periods and exclusions to check
What to check in a UK IT support contract before signing: minimum term, auto-renewal, notice, pricing basis, exclusions, exit terms, liability and SLA credits.
Guides & Checklists
New office IT setup checklist: connectivity, cabling, Wi-Fi, phones and move day
A step-by-step IT checklist for a new office or office move: connectivity lead times, cabling, Wi-Fi survey, phones and the PSTN switch-off, and move day.
Guides & Checklists
IT for multi-site businesses: keeping depots, branches and offices on one network
How to run IT across several locations: cloud identity and site-to-site VPNs, connectivity with 4G failover, Wi-Fi at every branch, phones and security.
Guides & Checklists
IT onboarding checklist for new starters (what to have ready before day one)
An IT onboarding checklist for UK small businesses: information to collect, accounts and licences, device build, security, phones and access, with a timeline.
Guides & Checklists
Opening a second office: how your IT requirements change and what to plan first
IT decisions to make before a second office opens: connectivity lead times, linking sites, cloud as the shared layer, one identity and one phone system.
Guides & Checklists
The first 30 days with a new IT provider: what onboarding should look like, week by week
What happens in the first 30 days with a new IT provider: discovery, credentials, audit, monitoring, security fixes, backup test, helpdesk briefing and report.
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