Latest News

      • What is Spam Filtering?

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      • Donna Aplin

      SPAM FILTERING is a piece of software that exists either on one of your Organisation’s servers or in the cloud.  It’s a centrally configured tool to reduce or even prevent spam email and other junk email from arriving in your staff’s email inboxes.  There are basic filters, that catch the most well-known and easy to spot spam emails and there are more advanced filters that have been further developed to spot more complex attempts to send you bad emails. Obviously, these cost more than the basic filters, but they do offer more protection.

      • What is Patch Management?

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      • Donna Aplin

      PATCH MANAGEMENT is a piece of software that needs installing on every PC, Laptop, Tablet & Server in your organization or business.  It is designed to collect security updates (and some feature updates) from the vendor(s) (the makers) of the software installed on your PC and apply them automatically on a planned schedule.  In most business examples, Microsoft Windows and Office Software are the most important, but there are also many other software applications installed on business PCs and they need to be considered too.

      • What is Cloud Email Backup?

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      • Donna Aplin

      Cloud email backup is a piece of software that exists in the cloud.  It’s a centrally configured tool to make sure that all of the email boxes in your organisation are backed up to another location.  You can think of it like taking a copy of all of the emails in each mailbox (whether it’s a person’s mailbox or a group email box like marketing@mydomain.com) and putting that copy in another place.  If something goes wrong with the original mailbox, it allows you to restore the contents to allow your business to continue to operate.

      • Why is my business broadband cost increasing? 

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      • Donna Aplin

      As most people are aware, businesses across the country are increasing their prices due to the current economic climate.  So, why is my business broadband cost increasing? Businesses in the connectivity industry (Telephone lines & Internet Connections) are no different.  The larger providers, such as BT & Virgin Media are now rolling out their price increases and the reason they are giving is that their own costs are increasing.  See here for more information regarding BT in particular https://www.bt.com/tell-me-more .  Their costs for gas, electricity and staffing (amongst other things) are going up, just like the rest of us!  ESP & DE provide Internet Connections and Telephone lines to our customers and we’ve therefore stated below, the increases we have been informed about from the industry as a whole.  We always try to stay transparent where possible and we feel the best way we can do this is to communicate to our customers (and website visitors) what those increases look like.  The majority of these increases will take effect from the 1st April 2023 and be reflected in your bill from us. 

      • How can I choose the right IT Support Provider?

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      • Donna Aplin

      How can I choose the right IT Support Provider? 

      How can I choose the right IT Support Provider? OK, so if you’re reading this article, we’re going to assume that your Organisation/Company/Charity either don’t currently have an outsourced IT Support Provider OR that you are wanting to change from your current (sometimes called incumbent) provider. 

      • What is Antivirus?

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      • Donna Aplin

      Antivirus is a piece of software that needs installing on every PC, Laptop, Tablet & Server in your organization.  There is also an argument to install it onto mobile phones.  It is designed to detect and remove viruses and other kinds of malicious software from the devices that it is installed on.  It is also used to remove computer viruses where machines have already been infected.

      • What are the benefits of leasing IT equipment?

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      • Donna Aplin

      In the current climate, businesses in Sheffield and across the UK have all manner of expenses to contend with and those cost centres are constantly increasing.  These relate to all different aspects of the business, from Gas and Electricity, through to Vehicle costs and others.  One that stands out though is IT equipment.  The cost of IT equipment is relatively high and coupled with the other IT related expenses such as Software, Security and Outsourced labour, it can be difficult to find the cash to purchase the IT equipment outright.  One potential solution is leasing IT equipment.   

      • What should I do about a data breach? 

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      • Donna Aplin

      What should I do about a data breach? GDPR came into force back in 2018 (on the 25th of May actually!).  Data breaches were still ‘a thing’ before that of course, but the GDPR requirements mean that businesses need to do much better at protecting the personal data that they store about people.  Of course, data breaches are still going to occur, in both small businesses and huge enterprises.  If governments and massive, multi-national conglomerates can’t protect their networks 100% of the time, then of course small businesses in Sheffield and around the whole UK have a difficult job! 

      • What is MFA? 

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      • Jason Francis
      Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is an important security measure for all businesses whether large or small. It adds an extra layer of protection to your login process by requiring users to provide two or more forms of identification before accessing sensitive information or systems. 
      • What’s Changing in the Cybersecurity Insurance Market?

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      • Donna Aplin

      Cybersecurity insurance is still a pretty new concept for many SMBs. It was initially introduced in the 1990s to provide coverage for large enterprises. It covered things like data processing errors and online media.

      Since that time, the policies for this type of liability coverage have changed. Today’s cyber insurance policies cover the typical costs of a data breach. Including remediating a malware infection or compromised account.

      • What are the best practices for password policies?

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      • Matthew James

      What are the best practices for password policies? Security Policies – and the eventual demise of the password 

      I did something unusual (for me) the other day – I went out for a drink in Sheffield city centre. Why does that matter to you? And why would I write about it here?  Well it was while I was out mingling with actual real live people that a conversation arose about security and passwords (seriously, I’m an absolute blast when I am out on the town, honestly) and what the best policies are around passwords. It came to my attention that there are still a lot of people still following best practices from a decade ago… 

      • Don’t Set Yourself Up to Fail: Tips for Safer Home Security Setups

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      • Donna Aplin

      The global home security market has been growing by leaps and bounds. By 2026, experts expect the market to expand at a rate of 20.1%. This is on top of an expected increase of 21.6% from 2021 to 2022.

      • ESP Achieves Microsoft 365 Solutions Partner for Modern Work 

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      • Jason Francis
      ESP Projects achieved this new designation in January 2023, meaning we are one of the first Microsoft Partners in Sheffield to gain the accreditation, showing our commitment to making sure that we are best placed to advise all our customers on all things Microsoft Cloud related.
      • Who are the best IT Support Providers in Sheffield, Yorkshire?

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      • Donna Aplin
      Who are the best IT Support Providers in Sheffield, Yorkshire?
      • What Cybersecurity Attack Trends Should You Watch Out for in 2023?

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      • Donna Aplin

      The new year has just begun and it’s a time of renewal as we plan for the possibilities to come in 2023. It’s also a time when you need to plan for resiliency in the face of ever-present cyberattacks.

      Sixty-eight percent of surveyed business leaders feel that cybersecurity risks are getting worse. They have a good reason. Attacks continue to get more sophisticated. They are also often perpetrated by large criminal organizations. These criminal groups treat these attacks like a business.

      • 5 Ways to Balance User Productivity with Solid Authentication Protocols

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      • Donna Aplin

      One constant struggle in offices is the balance between productivity and security. If you give users too much freedom in your network, risk increases. But add too many security gates, and productivity can dwindle.

      It’s a fine balance between the two, but one you can achieve. Organizations need to recognize the importance of both. And not sacrifice one for another.

      • Copper networks switch off in 2025 

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      • Jason Francis
      BT Openreach is intending to close off many copper connections by 2025. The idea is to bring consumers and businesses forward, into the SuperFast, UltraFast and HyperFast broadband spaces by forcing them onto Fibre based products.
      • IT Security. Why does my Sheffield business need to worry about IT Security? And how do I stop getting hacked?

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      • Jason Francis
      IT Security in Sheffield from ESP Projects. You need to ensure that your business is better protected than most. Find out how here.
      • What Are the Advantages of Implementing Conditional Access?

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      • Donna Aplin

      It seems that nearly as long as passwords have been around, they’ve been a major source of security concern. Eighty-one percent of security incidents happen due to stolen or weak passwords. Additionally, employees continue to neglect the basics of good cyber hygiene.

      • Tips for Overcoming Barriers to a Smooth BYOD Program

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      • Donna Aplin

      Bring your own device (BYOD) is a concept that took hold after the invention of the smartphone. When phones got smarter, software developers began creating apps for those phones. Over time, mobile device use has overtaken desktop use at work.

      According to Microsoft, mobile devices make up about 60% of the endpoints in a company network. They also handle about 80% of the workload. But they’re often neglected when it comes to strong cybersecurity measures.