IT support insights
Thought leadership on the IT support issues UK businesses actually face.
Product-specific perspectives and strategic, challenge-led pieces for IT and business leaders navigating the Microsoft ecosystem.
More from the series
- Strategy12 May 2026
The five IT support challenges every UK retailer is wrestling with
Tills going down isn't an IT problem, it's a trading problem. The challenges that make retail IT support genuinely different from anyone else's.
- Strategy12 May 2026
The five IT support challenges every UK construction firm is wrestling with
Sites move, drawings multiply, and tier-ones now ask for Cyber Essentials before they sign. The challenges that make construction IT support its own discipline.
- Strategy12 May 2026
The five IT support challenges every UK accountancy practice is wrestling with
Busy season is unforgiving, client data is sensitive at scale, and practice software has opinions. The challenges that make accountancy IT support its own discipline.
- Strategy12 May 2026
The five IT support challenges every UK law firm is wrestling with
Confidentiality is regulatory, email is the threat surface, and insurers want evidence. The challenges that make law firm IT support its own discipline.
- Strategy6 May 2026
Why segmenting OT from IT is the cheapest insurance a manufacturer can buy
Flat networks are how a phishing email in finance becomes a stopped production line. Segmentation isn't glamorous, but it's the single most effective control most manufacturers are missing.
- Strategy5 May 2026
Completion fraud and conveyancing: the email attack that keeps working
Friday-afternoon completion fraud has cost UK conveyancers millions. The attack hasn't changed in years. The defences haven't been adopted widely enough either.
- Strategy4 May 2026
EPOS resilience: planning for the Saturday afternoon, not the Tuesday morning
Most EPOS faults are tolerable on a quiet Tuesday. The same fault on a Saturday afternoon in December is a different conversation. Design for the worst trading hour, not the average.
- Strategy2 May 2026
Site mobilisation: the IT checklist your project managers wish you had
Every new site is, effectively, opening a small branch office in a field. The firms that mobilise well treat IT as part of the mobilisation pack, not an afterthought.
- Strategy1 May 2026
Designing IT for the 30th of January
An accountancy practice's IT setup should be designed for its worst fortnight, not its calmest. Most aren't.
- Strategy29 April 2026
Why ransomware groups love manufacturers - and what to do about it
Manufacturers pay because every hour of downtime costs more than the ransom. That's the calculation attackers are doing, and it's why the sector is being hit so hard.
- Strategy22 April 2026
Why Copilot rollouts stall before they pay back
Most Microsoft 365 Copilot pilots get bought, lit up, and quietly stall. The problem usually isn't the AI - it's the data and the habits underneath it.
- Product21 April 2026
How Microsoft 365 quietly drifts into PCI scope
Even if you've outsourced payment processing, the way your team handles refunds, exceptions and customer data can pull Microsoft 365 into PCI scope without anyone noticing.
- Product18 April 2026
Common Data Environments: when SharePoint is enough and when it isn't
SharePoint can be a competent CDE for smaller contractors. It can also be a disaster if it's left at default settings. Knowing where the line sits saves money.
- Product15 April 2026
Modernising a legacy ERP without stopping the factory
Most manufacturers are running an ERP that's at least one generation behind. Replacing it is daunting; living with it forever is worse. There's a middle path.
- Product14 April 2026
Why accountants are now a prime target for impersonation fraud
Business Email Compromise targeting accountants has moved from amateur to convincing. A practice-aware email defence is no longer optional.
- Product12 April 2026
Matter-centric working: why SharePoint at defaults isn't a DMS
SharePoint can run a law firm. It just can't do it at default settings. Matter-centric structure, ethical walls and retention are the difference between a DMS and a mess.
- Strategy10 April 2026
Joiner-leaver for retail: built for churn, not for a 9-to-5 head office
Retail hires and lets go faster than almost any other sector. Identity processes designed for a head office break the moment they meet a Black Friday hiring surge.
- Product8 April 2026
The hidden cost of unmanaged SharePoint
SharePoint sprawl rarely shows up as a line item. It shows up as slow projects, exposed data, and a Copilot rollout that has to be paused.
- Strategy2 April 2026
Cyber Essentials Plus is no longer optional for sub-contractors
Tier-one contractors are quietly making Cyber Essentials Plus a contractual prerequisite. If you're not ready, you'll find out at the worst possible moment.
- Product30 March 2026
Making IRIS, CCH and Microsoft 365 actually like each other
Practice software has its own opinions about hosting, performance and integration. Treat it as just another app and busy season will punish you.
- Strategy28 March 2026
What the SRA and your PII insurer actually want from your IT
Renewals are getting sharper. 'We have MFA' isn't an answer; 'here's the evidence' is. A short tour of what insurers and regulators are now expecting.
- Strategy25 March 2026
Internal IT hire or managed partner? Two different problems
The choice between hiring in-house and outsourcing isn't really about cost. It's about the kind of work you need someone to own.
- Product11 March 2026
Defender for Business vs Defender for Endpoint: which fits you?
Two products, very similar names, meaningfully different fit. A short guide for IT leaders sizing up Microsoft's endpoint security stack.
- Strategy18 February 2026
What 'good' looks like for hybrid working in 2026
Three years on from the post-pandemic scramble, hybrid working has stopped being a project and started being an operating model. Here's what the mature version looks like.