Guides we keep up to date
Longer than an article and maintained rather than published once. Each guide shows when it was last reviewed and what changed.
Microsoft 365 licensing & security guide
Basic, Standard or Premium? What each Microsoft 365 business plan includes, where the security gaps are, and why most UK SMEs end up on Business Premium.
Microsoft 365 suites guide
Business Premium is the suite most small businesses need. What is inside Basic, Standard, Premium, E3, E5 and the Frontline plans, and the add-ons.
Microsoft 365 security checklist
25 checks for a secure Microsoft 365 tenant: MFA, admin roles, sharing, devices, email protection, backup and monitoring. How to check and fix each one.
AI in your business guide
On Microsoft 365, use Copilot; on Google Workspace, use Gemini. What staff must never paste into a public chatbot, and how to set AI up safely.
Microsoft 365 Copilot guide
Copilot pays off for people who live in Outlook, Teams and Word. UK licence prices, who to license, and how to set it up without exposing overshared data.
Copilot readiness check
You are ready for Copilot when five tests pass: data in Microsoft 365, oversharing fixed, named use cases, a training plan and a pilot with set measures.
Email security guide (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
Anyone can send email as your domain until SPF, DKIM and DMARC are set. What each record does, what Google, Yahoo and Microsoft require, and a free check.
Domain and DNS guide
Your business should own its domain in its own account, with two-factor, transfer lock and auto-renew on, and DNS hosted somewhere you control.
Phishing and invoice fraud guide
Stop phishing and invoice fraud with the right Microsoft 365 settings, plus call-back checks for bank detail changes. How it happens and what to switch on.
Compromised account: what to do
Contain first: reset the password, revoke sessions, check mailbox rules. Then keep evidence and tell your bank, Action Fraud and the ICO if needed.
24/7 SOC guide
A 24/7 SOC is a team of analysts watching your security alerts around the clock and acting on real ones. What it does, what it misses, and who needs one.
Cyber Essentials guide
Cyber Essentials costs from £320 + VAT. The five controls, Cyber Essentials vs Plus, the question set, included insurance and how to pass first time.
Microsoft 365 backup guide
Yes, Microsoft 365 needs a separate backup. What it keeps by default for email, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams, where the gaps are and what backup costs.
Intune and BYOD guide
Manage company laptops with Intune MDM; protect company data on staff-owned phones with app protection policies. What each does and a setup order.
Apple device management guide
Link Apple Business Manager to Intune so every Mac, iPhone and iPad enrols itself, stays encrypted and patched, and only compliant ones reach company data.
Joiners and leavers guide
Handle accounts, devices, access and data the same way each time someone joins, moves role or leaves. A joiner, mover and leaver process for Microsoft 365.
Where should files live?
OneDrive for personal working files, SharePoint for the business, Teams as the front door. A file structure, sharing rules and moving off the old server.
Patch management guide
Critical updates should be applied within 14 days, and usually 7: operating systems, drivers, Microsoft apps and third-party apps like Chrome and Adobe.
Broadband installation guide
Be on site, know where the line terminates and leave notes for reception: aborted visits are charged. A checklist for a broadband or leased line install.
IT Health Check guide
What our free IT Health Check covers, how the 30 to 60 minute session with an engineer works, and the plain-English report you get afterwards. No IT knowledge needed.
Outsourced IT support guide
Under about 100 staff, outsourced IT usually costs less than an in-house hire and covers more. How the two compare, how it is priced, and what to ask.
How to choose an IT support company
Ask about onboarding, patching, security, support hours, contract term and exit. 20 questions for any UK IT provider, and what good answers sound like.
Switching IT providers
Switch IT provider without a gap in cover: check who owns your domains, admin accounts and licences before giving notice, then run a written handover.
How much should IT support cost?
Managed IT support in the UK is usually priced per user per month. What drives the price, what should be included and what to check in a quote.
Our services, explained
What each service includes, what it does not, what it costs, and the questions people ask before signing.
Managed IT Support
Office-hours helpdesk, 24/7 RMM monitoring and patching and security for small and medium-sized businesses, priced per user per month. Backup is a separate service.
ReadManaged XDR & 24/7 SOC
Microsoft Defender configured and watched: Defender Monitoring in office hours and Barracuda's SOC around the clock.
ReadMicrosoft Defender Suite
The Defender Suite add-on to Business Premium, configured and monitored, with what each component actually does.
ReadMicrosoft 365 Business Premium
The licence we recommend for most SMEs, £16.90 per user, supplied, migrated to and with the security actually switched on.
ReadIntune & Device Management
Laptops, Macs and phones encrypted, compliant and recoverable through Intune, with Autopilot for new kit.
ReadMicrosoft 365 Management
Licences, identities, MFA, joiners and leavers administered for you, priced per user per month.
ReadGoogle Workspace Management
Google Workspace administered and secured for you: 2-Step Verification, sharing controls, joiners and leavers, priced per user per month.
ReadMicrosoft 365 Backup
Mail, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams backed up outside Microsoft, kept seven years in the UK, priced per user.
ReadBackup & Disaster Recovery
Servers and devices backed up offsite and immutable, recovery objectives agreed per system, restores tested every quarter.
ReadGoogle Workspace Backup
Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Contacts backed up outside Google, kept seven years in the UK, priced per user.
ReadCopilot Readiness & Licences
Which Copilot licence, what it costs, and the permissions and pilot work to do before anyone gets one.
ReadFree Microsoft 365 Security Review
A read-only review of your tenant: MFA, Conditional Access, Defender, Intune, backup and Secure Score, with written findings. Free.
ReadIT Support for Manufacturing
Manufacturers and engineering firms: ERP supported, production machines kept off the office network, Cyber Essentials for customer and MOD supply chains.
ReadIT Support for Construction
Contractors and trades: site cabins connected, phones and tablets managed, drawings shared properly, CIS and invoice fraud designed out.
ReadIT Support for Logistics & Distribution
Hauliers, couriers and warehouses: WMS and scanners on solid Wi-Fi, drivers' phones managed, transport office systems kept running.
ReadIT Support for Wholesale & Retail
Wholesalers, food distributors and retailers: ERP and stock systems, EPOS and card payments, online store accounts secured, failover for the tills.
ReadIT Support for Recruitment Agencies
Agencies: CRM and candidate data protected under UK GDPR, consultants' phones and Teams calling, leavers locked out before they take the database.
ReadIT Support for the Motor Trade
Dealers and garages: DMS supported, showroom and workshop networks, card payments and customer finance documents handled securely.
ReadIT Support for Hospitality
Restaurants, pubs and bars: EPOS and card terminals on their own network, guest Wi-Fi kept separate, 4G failover, head office in Microsoft 365.
ReadIT Support for Professional Services
Consultancies, agencies and service firms: Microsoft 365 as the office, client data protected, client security questionnaires answered.
ReadIT Support for Accountants
Accountancy practices: Microsoft 365 set up for client confidentiality, practice software supported, tested backup, deadline-season change freeze.
ReadIT Support for Law Firms
Law firms: mailboxes locked down against conveyancing fraud, case management supported, SRA, Lexcel and insurer evidence.
ReadIT Support for Charities
Microsoft nonprofit grants claimed, volunteers and shared devices handled properly, trustee-ready reporting.
ReadIT Support for Schools & Colleges
Schools, academies and colleges: DfE cyber and backup standards met, Cyber Essentials, education licensing, filtering kept working.
ReadCyber Essentials
Gap assessment, the fixes, the questionnaire and the Plus audit, at a fixed price.
ReadBroadband, Leased Lines & Mobile
Connectivity from the carriers that serve your building, with faults chased by us.
ReadBusiness VoIP & Phone Systems
Hosted phones or Teams calling, numbers ported with no gap, before the analogue switch-off.
ReadMicrosoft Teams Phone
Calling inside Teams from £7.70 per user: numbers ported, queues and attendants built, the right carrier connection chosen.
ReadBusiness Wi-Fi, Firewalls & CCTV
UniFi Wi-Fi, firewalls, switching and cameras, surveyed, installed and supported by a UniFi partner.
ReadBusiness Hardware
Laptops, desktops, servers and monitors at trade pricing, configured before they arrive.
ReadOffice Moves & IT Relocation
Connectivity ordered in time, network in before move day, phones working on Monday.
ReadCloud Migration & Server Decommissioning
SharePoint designed properly, files moved with permissions intact, the old server wiped and gone.
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