WFH? There’s an app for that

WFH? There’s an app for that

by | Sep 22, 2020 | News 2020

Did having your team working from home open your eyes to a new way of life?

OK, it probably did for most of us.

Eating, sleeping, working and relaxing all in the same place was a little overwhelming at times. But for some of us, it worked just fine.

Some people really enjoyed working from home and the benefits it brought.

  • No more painful commute
  • No more distraction when you really didn’t need it
  • No more wasting money on over-priced coffee each day

If that’s the case, it stands to reason you’ve probably allowed some of your people to work from home on a more permanent basis.

But if you have, have you also factored in keeping in touch remotely?

You’re probably sick to death of Zoom by now. But it’s important to keep face-to-face communication going when someone works remotely.

It helps your team to feel connected, motivates employees, and helps them to not feel overlooked for projects, promotion and on other occasions.

We’d also highly recommend Microsoft Teams for making keeping in touch easy, making project work simple, and documents accessible.

If you’d like more information on the right apps to keep your team a team when they’re not all working together, get in touch.

Call us on 01732 617744 or drop us a line at [email protected] to arrange a Zoom/Teams meeting,

There’s a new kid in town…

There’s a new kid in town…

by | Sep 15, 2020 | News 2020

You’ve heard of phishing I’m sure, where a criminal sends an email pretending to be someone else, to try and get info out of you.

But have you heard about the new kid in town?

Smishing.

Yep. It sounds… like nonsense really. But trust me when I say you want to avoid it.

It’s SMS phishing. So basically, a text message that’s a phishing scam.

It works in the same way as a phishing email. You get a message, click the link and BANG, you’ve given someone access to data that you needed to keep private.

And just like the emails, many of these texts are convincing. You need to have your wits about you and know how to spot the signs of a dodgy text.

First, does it look genuine? Are there spelling errors? Is the grammar poor? Has it come from a random number or is it a sender you recognize?

Often a scammer will make little mistakes that really give the game away. But not always.

Also beware of messages from your bank, or PayPal for example, that don’t address you by name. When was the last time you were addressed by your bank as ‘Customer’?

Is the message warning you of a risk to your account? Closure or perhaps suspicious activity?

They’re looking to panic you into clicking the link and entering your details so that they can access your real account.

If you’re unsure whether to take action, either call the company in question, or go to the usual log in page and check for yourself. Don’t click on any links in the text, and don’t call any numbers from the text. Use the real, secured website to stay safe.

Forward the text to 7726. This is how you report a spam text to Ofcom. You should receive an automated message in return with a link for further advice if you need it.

Finally, don’t respond to the text. It might seem funny to try and call the scammer out, but it just means that you’ll be targeted again and again because they can see that your number is active. Ignore and delete. And block the number for good measure.

One last point: don’t forget to tell your team! Just because you know what to look for, it doesn’t mean one of them won’t fall for a scam and put your business’s data at risk.

Any time you want to arrange data security awareness training for your team, we can help. Just call us on 01732 617744 or drop us a line at [email protected].

Take our 60 minute security challenge

Take our 60 minute security challenge

by | Sep 8, 2020 | News 2020

We’re the local data security experts. And one of the things our team prides itself on, is quickly finding ways that hackers could damage your business.

In fact, if you give us just 60 minutes, we’re confident we’d find something wrong with your IT setup that places your data security at risk.

Watch our new video to find out more – then contact us to start your 60 minute security challenge. You can call us on 01732 617744 or drop us a line at [email protected].

 

Back to school… I mean, work

Back to school… I mean, work

by | Sep 1, 2020 | Guides, News 2020

If you’re starting to get that back to school feeling – even if you don’t have kids – it’s no surprise.

More of us are getting back to the office now after a long and very strange few months.

There’s a sense of excitement and worry, and a little bit of dread:

  • Are all the correct safety measures in place?
  • Will things still feel the same?
  • How am I going to go back to office dress when I’ve been used to loungewear all summer?!

But with these usual concerns, as a business owner you also have a whole new host of things to consider.

  • Is your workplace ready for your team to come back?
  • Is the office still the right workplace for some of your team?
  • Can anyone work on any device, anywhere?

There are more questions. It feels like an endless list. But as ever, we’re here to help.

My team and I have put together a guide to help you ensure you’ve covered all bases while keeping everyone’s health and safety in mind.

Get your copy right now