Latest News

      • What is the #ESPDuck all about? 

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      • Donna Aplin

      Firstly, what is the duck and where did it come from? Well, we decided that we should have a pet, here at ESP Headquarters.  Unfortunately, we’re always very busy delivering best in class IT Services to businesses in and around the Sheffield area to be able to look after a real-life one properly.  So, we decided that we should pick one that is a little more simple in the effort stakes (no need to feed or walk!).  

      • Simple Setup Checklist for Microsoft Teams

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      • Donna Aplin

      Microsoft Teams is a lot of things. It’s a video conferencing tool, a team messaging channel, and a tool for in-app co-authoring, just to name a few. During the pandemic, the popularity of Teams skyrocketed.

      User numbers for MS Teams jumped from 20 million in November 2019 to 75 million in April 2020. As of this year, Microsoft reports a user count of 270 million for the platform. This makes it the most popular business tool for team communications.

      • 7 Things to Consider When Getting a New Computer to Avoid Buyer’s Remorse

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      • Donna Aplin

      Have you ever bought a new computer and then had buyer’s remorse a few months later? Maybe you didn’t pay attention to the storage capacity and ran out of space. Or you may have glossed over memory and experienced constant freeze-ups.

      An investment in a new PC isn’t something you want to do lightly. Doing your research ahead of time and consulting with a trusted friend or IT shop can help. It will keep you from making major mistakes that could come back to haunt you later.

      • Simple Guide to Follow for Better Endpoint Protection

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      • Donna Aplin

      Endpoints make up much of a company’s network and IT infrastructure. This is a collection of computers, mobile devices, servers, and smart gadgets. As well as other IoT devices that all connect to the company network.

      The number of endpoints a company has will vary by business size. Companies with less than 50 employees have about 22 endpoints. Small businesses with 50-100 employees have roughly 114. Enterprise organizations with 1,000+ employees average 1,920 endpoints.

      • Insider Threats Are Getting More Dangerous! Here’s How to Stop Them

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      • Donna Aplin

      One of the most difficult types of attacks to detect are those performed by insiders. An “insider” would be anyone that has legitimate access to your company network and data. This would be via a login or other authorized connection.

      Because insiders have authorized system access, they bypass certain security defenses. Such as those designed to keep intruders out. Since a logged-in user isn’t seen as an intruder, those security protections aren’t triggered.

      • Everything You Need to Know About Microsoft Viva Sales

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      • Donna Aplin

      Data entry can be a real drag for salespeople. The time they spend on administrative tasks is time away from customer interactions. But that data is vital.

      It’s important to capture customer orders, quotes, needs, and more. Lead and sales reporting help sales managers know where to direct their attention. Analytics also help drive more efficient ways of closing the deal.

      • Introducing Microsoft’s New Surface Pro 9

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      • ESP Projects
      Surface Pro 9 gives you the tablet flexibility you want and the laptop performance and battery life you need to move through your day — all in one ultra-portable device.
      • 9 Urgent Security Tips for Online Holiday Shopping

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      • Donna Aplin

      The holiday shopping season is taking off. This means that scammers have also revved up their engines. They’re primed and ready to take advantage of all those online transactions.

      Don’t forget to stay safe online during the buying frenzy that occurs this time of year. An ounce of cybersecurity prevention is definitely worth a pound of cure. It can also save you from a financial or privacy nightmare.

      • What is a UPS and What Do They Protect Against? – Everything You Need to Know

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      • Jason Francis

      What is a UPS? 

      Firstly, what is a UPS? Well, the acronym stands for Uninterruptible Power Supply.   

      The easiest way to describe a UPS would be to say that it’s “A battery that keeps your equipment on when there is a power cut” but that does oversimplify what the UPS is for and doesn’t acknowledge some of its most important features. 

      • 7 Pro Tips for Microsoft 365

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      • Donna Aplin

      Microsoft 365 is the most popular of all major office productivity software. It has 48.8% of the global market share, just edging out Google’s apps, by a couple of percentage points.

      It’s used by individuals, small & mid-sized businesses, and larger enterprise organizations. It does everything a modern office needs. Including from word processing and spreadsheet work to cloud storage and video conferencing.

      • What Is Microsoft Defender for Individuals & What Does It Do?

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      • Donna Aplin

      When you hear about Microsoft adding security apps to M365, it’s often the business versions. But the pandemic has changed the way that we see the workplace. It’s now a hybrid world. One made up of several connected “mini-offices” located in employee homes.

      The outsourcing market has also contributed to the change in company networks. Freelancers are often contracted to work the same hours as employees. This means less overhead and taxes to pay. Approximately 68% of large consumer products companies outsource a part of their workforce.

      • The Biggest Vulnerabilities that Hackers are Feasting on Right Now

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      • Donna Aplin

      Software vulnerabilities are an unfortunate part of working with technology. A developer puts out a software release with millions of lines of code. Then, hackers look for loopholes that allow them to breach a system through that code.

      The developer issues a patch to fix the vulnerability. But it’s not long before a new feature update causes more. It’s like a game of “whack-a-mole” to keep your systems secure.

      • Microsoft Office to become Microsoft 365

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      • Donna Aplin
      The change will be effective from next month (November 2022), and the new service will be full of extra tools ‘to make you more productive’.
      • Small Businesses Are Attacked by Hackers 3x More than Larger Ones

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      • Donna Aplin

      Have you felt more secure from cyberattacks because you have a smaller business? Maybe you thought that you couldn’t possibly have anything that a hacker could want? Didn’t think they even knew about your small business.

      Well, a new report by cybersecurity firm Barracuda Networks debunks this myth. Their report analyzed millions of emails across thousands of organizations. It found that small companies have a lot to worry about when it comes to their IT security.

      • Internet Explorer Has Lost All Support (What You Need to Know)

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      • Donna Aplin

      After being the main entry to the internet in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Internet Explorer (IE) is gone. As of June 15, 2022, Microsoft dropped the web browser from support.

      • 5 Mistakes Companies Are Making in the Digital Workplace

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      • Donna Aplin

      The pandemic has been a reality that companies around the world have shared. It required major changes in how they operate. No longer, did the status quo of having everyone work in the office make sense for everyone. Many organizations had to quickly evolve to working through remote means.

      During the worst of the pandemic, it’s estimated that 70% of full-time workers were working from home. Even now that the pandemic has hit a new waning phase, remote work is still very much a reality. 92% of surveyed employees expect to still work from home at least 1 or more days per week.

      • Watch Out for Reply-Chain Phishing Attacks

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      • Donna Aplin

      Phishing. It seems you can’t read an article on cybersecurity without it coming up. That’s because phishing is still the number one delivery vehicle for cyberattacks.

      A cybercriminal may want to steal employee login credentials. Or wish to launch a ransomware attack for a payout. Or possibly plant spyware to steal sensitive info. Sending a phishing email can do them all

      • What Should You Do to Reduce Risk When Your Mobile Device Goes Missing?

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      • Donna Aplin

      Few things invoke instant panic like a missing smartphone or laptop. These devices hold a good part of our lives. This includes files, personal financials, apps, passwords, pictures, videos, and so much more.

      The information they hold is more personal than even that which is in your wallet. It’s because of all your digital footprints. This makes a lost or stolen device a cause for alarm.

      • Helpful Tips for Keeping Your Shared Cloud Storage Organized

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      • Donna Aplin

      Cloud file storage revolutionized the way we handle documents. No more having to email files back and forth. No more wondering which person in the office has the most recent copy of a document.

      Between 2015 and 2022, the percentage of worldwide corporate data stored in the cloud doubled. It went from 30% to 60%. A majority of organizations use cloud storage of some type. Typical services include OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, and others.

      • Remembering Her Majesty The Queen and Her Use of Technology

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      • Donna Aplin

      After the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th, we take a look at the technology the 96-year-old monarch was known to use during her reign.

      Did Queen Elizabeth Embrace or Avoid Tech?

      Queen Elizabeth II very much embraced and enjoyed technology, particularly what we would recognise as the most up-to-date tech for communication during the pandemic. However, the Queen’s reign of 70 years meant that she was able to witness, use, and enjoy technology as we would understand it right from its earliest development. So, what kinds of tech did the late monarch famously use and enjoy most of all?