​Microsoft has announced that the current version of Windows 10, released in 2022, will be its final release. 

If you're currently using Windows 10, you might wonder what this means for your day-to-day operations. 

The good news is that your computers won’t suddenly stop working. The current updates and security patches for Windows 10 won’t disappear anytime soon either.

However, you may want to consider upgrading to Windows 11 sooner rather than later. Microsoft has made it clear that it will be devoting all its attention to the new operating system from now on, so future developments and innovation will be focused on Windows 11.

Upgrading can be a daunting task, but moving to Windows 11 has so many benefits:

Enhanced performance

Windows 11 has been designed to maximize efficiency and performance across all types of devices, making it a no-brainer for businesses looking for faster and more efficient technology.

Improved user experience

The interface has been updated with a more modern look, making it easier to navigate and customize.

Increased security

Windows 11 comes with Microsoft's most advanced security features, making it harder for cyber criminals to breach your system.

Better integration with cloud services

Windows 11 gives you access to a range of cloud-based services, making it easier to collaborate with other team members and enhance your business' productivity.

If you're still hesitant about upgrading, keep in mind that Microsoft will eventually stop releasing security updates for Windows 10. We’re expecting it to be in late 2025. This means staying with Windows 10 for too long could put your business at risk of security threats.

The sooner you upgrade, the better your protection against these threats, and the more significant the benefits you'll be able to reap from Windows 11.

Like any big project, making the move to Windows 11 needs to be planned and implemented properly. Your hardware needs to meet certain requirements and, of course, you’ll need to make sure it’s done without affecting day to day operations.

If you’d like help making the transition with as little disruption as possible, get in touch. 


Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

Microsoft has just announced an option for people to trial new features before their general release in Windows 11.
 
This isn’t about fixes to security flaws – everyone gets those at the same time.
 
This is an opportunity for businesses to jump the queue to receive new features and updates first.
 
Sound exciting?
 
Yes!
 
Worth the risk?
 
Not quite.
 
Our advice?
 
Patience is a virtue!
 
Sure, it may be tempting to give in to the tantalizing prospect of new features… nobody ever wants to wait. But jumping aboard any trial phase comes with risks.
 
Bugs, errors, and other stumbling blocks could have a significant impact on your operations, potentially causing chaos in your daily workflow.
 
Waiting until features have completed a thorough trial process gives you the advantage of other people’s experience. They’ve already dealt with the complexities so, by the time you get the new features, they’ll be polished and dependable. And isn’t that more important for the smooth running of your business?
 
Trust us, the safe road is the smart road, especially when your business systems are involved. The benefits of being an early adopter may seem enticing, but you don't want to end up being the guinea pig.
 
Remember the old adage… good things come to those who wait!
 
We’re all for keeping up with the latest technology and software updates, but there is a time to exercise caution, and this is one of those times. Don't be tempted by the shiny new features.
 

• Be patient
• Stay safe
• And ensure that when the time comes, you're getting something that’s proven to work

 
Microsoft already has a lot of (tested and approved) features that can boost productivity and make your work processes smoother. We spend a lot of time helping businesses find the right ones for them. If we can do the same for you, get in touch.
 
Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

​Cloud computing has quickly become a popular option for businesses that want to streamline their operations, reduce costs, and become more flexible. 

But are you swayed by the idea that cloud services are automatically better for the environment? Could the need to do your bit ‘cloud’ your decision-making?

Sorry. Bad pun.

It’s true that cloud services have environmental benefits compared to using your own servers. These include reduced energy consumption and a smaller carbon footprint.

Yet you shouldn’t view the cloud as a “green solution” without fully understanding the environmental impact.

One consideration of using cloud services is the location of the data centers where servers are housed. Some providers have made commitments to use renewable energy, but it’s not a guarantee. It is essential to do your research and choose a provider that sources renewable energy and uses energy storage where possible.

When thinking about switching to the cloud, there are other benefits besides environmental sustainability. They include improved data security, ease of collaboration, and scalability as your business grows.

Another key advantage of cloud computing is data backup and recovery. 

With all your data stored in the cloud, the risk of data loss due to equipment failure, damage, or theft is virtually eliminated. It means that in the event of an unforeseen disaster, like a fire or natural disaster, you can rest assured your data is safe and can be quickly recovered.

Cloud computing also enables better collaboration and communication, helping your team to work together more easily and efficiently, no matter where they’re working from. This can increase productivity and reduce your costs in comparison to maintaining traditional on-site systems.

Finally, cloud services provide better scalability as you grow, with the ability to increase storage and processing power as needed. 

Can you see the benefits of cloud computing are huge? It’s why so many businesses have already ditched their servers. 

If you’re considering migrating, get in touch – we can talk you through the process and what happens when.

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

​LinkedIn is introducing new verification features over the coming months to help tackle fake accounts.

The business-focused social platform is a fantastic place to connect with like-minded businesspeople, and to find new employees, jobs and opportunities.

But thanks to this popularity, we’re seeing an increase in fake profiles, created by scammers for more sinister purposes.

Bot-like accounts have been cropping up all over the platform. They’ve been spamming people, tricking genuine profiles into downloading malware, and scamming them into giving away personal data. 

LinkedIn holds a huge amount of information on each of its members, including their job history, contact details, professional interests and places of work – all valuable data that a determined criminal could put to use. 

These fake accounts can be hard to spot. They look like real people (sometimes they’re AI-generated deepfake images), they seem to work for legitimate businesses, and the profiles have been carefully curated to look like the real deal. 

LinkedIn is making changes over the coming months to help tackle these fake accounts, by way of an improved account authentication process. 

Microsoft, which owns LinkedIn, is partnering with secure identity platform Clear to help verify accounts using work email addresses, government-issued ID, and a phone number. 

It’s initially only being tested in the US, but if it’s a success, we expect we’ll see a wider rollout over the coming months. 

Once the relevant information has been provided, accounts will receive a verification mark, like the ones introduced by Twitter. However, unlike Twitter, LinkedIn will be offering verification free of charge. 

We’ll keep you updated when we know more, but in the meantime, if you need help keeping all your accounts secure, get in touch.


Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

One of the many cool things about the new wave of Artificial Intelligence tools is their ability to sound convincingly human. 

AI chatbots can be prompted to generate text that you’d never know was written by a robot. And they can keep producing it – quickly, and with minimal human intervention.

So it’s no surprise that cyber criminals have been using AI chatbots to try to make their own lives easier.

Police have identified the three main ways crooks have found to use the chatbot for malicious reasons. 

 
1. Better phishing emailsUntil now, terrible spelling and grammar have made it easy to spot many phishing emails. These are intended to trick you into clicking a link to download malware or steal information.AI-written text is way harder to spot, simply because it isn’t riddled with mistakes.

Worse, criminals can make every phishing email they send unique, making it harder for spam filters to spot potentially dangerous content.
 

2. Spreading misinformation “Write me ten social media posts that accuse the CEO of the Acme Corporation of having an affair. Mention the following news outlets”. Spreading misinformation and disinformation may not seem like an immediate threat to you, but it could lead to your employees falling for scams, clicking malware links, or even damage the reputation of your business or members of your team.
 

3. Creating malicious code AI can already write pretty good computer code and is getting better all the time. Criminals could use it to create malware. 


It’s not the software’s fault – it’s just doing what it’s told – but until there’s a reliable way for the AI creators to safeguard against this, it remains a potential threat.

The creators of AI tools are not the ones responsible for criminals taking advantage of their powerful software. ChatGPT creator OpenAI, for example, is working to prevent its tools from being used maliciously.

What this does show is the need to stay one step ahead of the cyber crooks in everything we do. That’s why we work so hard with our clients to keep them protected from criminal threats, and informed about what’s coming next.

If you’re concerned about your people falling for increasingly sophisticated scams, be sure to keep them updated about how the scams work and what to look out for. ​

If you need help with that, get in touch. 
 
 
Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

Productivity tools are supposed to make you more, well… productive.
 
But if they’re not embedded properly within your business, tasks can actually end up taking longer than they should. That’s frustrating for employees and you. It wastes time, and it costs money – which is the opposite of being productive.

So how can this happen?

Often a lack of consistent training means everyone is using tools differently, or finding their own workarounds. Maybe the tools haven’t been properly integrated with other apps, creating additional work. Or perhaps employees simply don’t find some tools useful and give up on them.

Bringing new technology into your business can be a big step – so big that lots of owners try to avoid it completely. That might be because of understandable risk aversion, or because they simply don’t have enough information to choose the right solution from thethousands of available options. It doesn’t help that nearly all tools work differently and offer different advantages. 

What most business owners need is expert help. It’s easy to say you plan to introduce new productivity tools to keep employees happy and to gain a competitive advantage, but in practice it’s a lot more involved. 

One thing’s for sure. As AI solutions become more and more integrated into new solutions – and others in your industry start to benefit from the new tech landscape – businessesthat don’t keep up, risk being left behind. 

Working with professionals can not only help to identify the most suitable tools for your business…

But also to help get the most from them by ensuring all your people are fully trained. 

That means you’ll not only be getting all the productivity benefits you hoped for from your investment, you’ll also have a more engaged, better skilled and more productive workforce. ​

This is something we help businesses with all the time. Get in touch if you’d like us to do the same for you.
 
Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

Our phones are a goldmine of private information. Just think of all the financial details, personal messages, banking apps, photos and contact information that live behind that little glass screen.​

And if your team use phones for work, they’ll often have access straight into company systems– email, contact lists, network access, file systems. So if they’re not kept as secure as any other device in your workplace, they can become a gaping hole in your cyber security.

Criminals know this, of course, which is why they target us through our phones just as much as they do through our networks and servers. 

But cyber crime isn’t the only concern. Just losing your phone, or having it stolen, can put your data at huge risk.

So, whether you issue company smartphones, or your employees use their own, you should make sure everyone implements some simple security steps to protect your data and avoid disaster.

Start with making sure your people set up a PIN and a biometric login (like a fingerprint or face scan) to open the device. 

Only install apps from trusted sources to make sure you’re using genuine software. 

And enable Multi-Factor Authentication on all apps that store even a small amount of sensitive data. 

Be careful about where you connect to Wi-Fi. If you work remotely or often connect to public networks, consider using a VPN – a Virtual Private Network – to add another layer of security. You never know who’s monitoring traffic on a public network. 

Finally, ALWAYS make sure your phone is running the latest version of its operating software, and keep all apps up to date. 

Smartphones have changed so much about the way we live – at home, and at work – but it’s too easy to take them for granted. And that could be a costly mistake.

If you need help to keep your smartphones safe, just get in touch.
  
Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.