There is no practicable way of using the internet without leaving some kind of digital footprint. However, there are ways to minimise the amount of data you leave behind – to maintain some privacy but also protect yourself from scammers. Here are five quick and easy solutions. Use a separate password manager The password managers…
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A “major online marketplace for hackers” has been shut down, following an international police operation. RaidForums hosted personal data typically stolen during hacks or data breaches. At the point where it was closed down, the forum was thought to have 10 billion unique records in total, including credit card details, usernames and passwords for UK…
If you’re one of the millions of people using Microsoft’s Outlook platform, take a look at these top 5 tips to make your days easier and more productive. Schedule emails Want to send a message so it reaches the recipient at the most opportune time? Well you can, with Outlook’s scheduling function. Instead of simply…
A teenager from Oxford has been accused of being the head of Lapsus$, a cybercrime organisation that has taken some huge scalps in recent months – not least Microsoft and Samsung. The 16 year old, who has autism, is one of seven teenagers arrested by City of London Police in connection with the Lapsus$ organisation…
Apple devices designed to locate lost keys or personal items could let hackers track your every move – with cases having already been reported in the USA. AirTags are small, electronic fobs created by Apple that affix to items such as keys or luggage so they can be tracked down if ever they get lost.…
Each new year brings with it excitement for the new products or solutions on the horizon, and 2022 is no exception. There are some huge tech developments on their way over the coming 12 months, so here are five of the most exciting or disruptive. End of passwords It’s long been known that passwords aren’t…
Hybrid working has gone from becoming a ‘nice-to-have’ to essential for the majority of Brits, who are now set on keeping this more flexible approach to their working patterns. Despite calls from some politicians and business leaders for a return to the ‘old normal’ once restrictions allow, the majority of British workers want remote working…
A ‘horrifying’ vulnerability in Apache logging library Log4j has been patched, but the threat to business is far from over. The so-called Log4Shell vulnerability emerged at the beginning of December, when Cisco and Cloudflare identified a huge security flaw in the open source software, built to allow users to keep track of what happens within…
Microsoft has used the recent COP26 summit to outline its sustainability plans for the years ahead. The tech giant has already made clear its ambitious plans to become fully carbon negative by 2030 – to remove more carbon than it creates every year. Furthermore, by 2050 Microsoft plans to have removed all the carbon it…
The UK government is considering new legislation that would force technology companies to keep users of their platforms safe from abuse. The Online Safety Bill would force companies such as Facebook and Twitter to regulate the content shared on their platforms. It would also provide Ofcom with new powers of regulation, in a bid to…
Ransomware presents the most immediate danger to UK businesses, according to the head of Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre. In a speech given earlier this month, Lindy Cameron warned that ransomware poses the most immediate danger – not just to businesses but also schools, local councils and national governments. In fact, recent attacks that hit…
The average employee receives 120 emails per day, and has 200 messages in their inbox. This results in them spending 28% of the working day on emails – or around 13 hours of every working week. If this sounds familiar, there are some easy and creative ways to cut down on time spent reading and…
With millions of people around the UK still working remotely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and many businesses choosing to keep some form of remote work in the longer-term, tech firms are ramping up their focus on productivity tools to help keep businesses connected. Among the largest of these are Microsoft and Google,…
The University of Lincoln has partnered with Microsoft to offer a new cloud computing course, in a bid to close a skills gap currently impacting the UK market. Part of a Shared Goals Agreement between the two parties, the MSc in Cloud Computing (a first in the UK) aims to prepare a new generation of…
A hacker thought to be behind one of the largest cryptocurrency heists ever recorded has gone on record to explain why they did it – saying simply it was for fun. Some $600 million was stolen from Poly Network – an American decentralised finance (DeFi) platform offering peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trading without the need for middlemen…
A new government-backed scheme has been launched to help businesses keep their data safe from hackers and demonstrate a commitment to cybersecurity. Cyber Essentials offers two levels of certification, so businesses can learn all about the most common attacks and ways of protecting themselves from becoming the next victims. The courses have been designed to…
Cybercrime has thrived during the pandemic, amid reports that the number of hacking, fraud and computer misuse offences rose sharply during the last year’s lockdowns. Figures from the Crime Service for England and Wales Report, compiled by the Office for National Statistics, show fraud offences for the year to March 2021 increased by 24%, to…
The scale and sophistication of a recent attack has left governments and organisations alike fearful of what may lie ahead in the world of cybersecurity. Some 1,500 organisations across the world were impacted earlier this month in a ransomware spree hitting supply chains. It was thought to have originated from Russian-speaking group REvil. Whilst the…
Technology could hold the key to making the burgeoning remote working trend a success, but only if it’s user-friendly, one report has claimed. With the pandemic forcing a re-think of how, where and when people work, focus is now shifting away from whether or not remote working is a possibility, to instead accept its arrival…
Microsoft has officially launched its next operating system, calling it a “major milestone” in the company’s history. Windows 11 will launch to developers as early as next week, with the wider roll out expected before the end of the year. It will be free for existing Windows 10 users, though a minimum of 64 gigabytes…
The return of office work could bring about a perfect storm of cyber security dangers, some experts have warned. With many of Britain’s workers gearing up to head back to the office, businesses have been urged to make sure their defences are up to scratch, to combat the myriad threats that could be brought into…
The benefits of connecting to public WiFi hotspots could be significantly outweighed by the inherent dangers, if they’ve not been sufficiently protected. This is a warning sounded by IT security firm Akita, which has urged anyone connecting to public WiFi to proceed with real caution. The warning is especially pertinent during the current coronavirus pandemic,…
Hackers have found a new way to put pressure on businesses that have been subject to a data breach – enlisting their own customers to call for a ransom to be paid. Tech news site Bleeping Computer discovered that one particular ransomware gang, Clop, has sent emails directly to customers, contacts and partners of its…
Microsoft has rolled out Dynamic View to Teams – giving both presenters and participants an improved meeting experience. Dynamic View shows specific users alongside the slides being presented, so that participants have a more real-world feel to their virtual meetings. It allows them to see other users throughout the display and will even utilise AI…
Businesses have gone through fundamental changes over the past 12 months – and technology has played a key role in keeping operations going. This is the conclusion of a new report from the EBC Group, in conjunction with the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce, which discovered that the coronavirus pandemic has brought about fundamental…
What’s the difference between Office 365 and Microsoft 365? No, that’s not the setup to a dreadful joke, but a legitimate question being asked by many businesses in light of Microsoft’s rebranding of its Office suite. So what are the differences between these rather confusingly titled solutions? Microsoft itself defines the difference thus: “Microsoft 365…
The recent remote working boom is thought to be behind huge investment in cyber security, as government and businesses alike look to boost digital resilience. Some £821 million has been invested in the cyber security industry since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest report from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media…
Cyber criminals have ditched audacious attempts to steal large sums of money, and instead moved to taking smaller amounts from many more victims. So-called ‘silent stealing’ sees hackers attempt to swindle in the region of £10 out of as many victims as possible, in the hope it’ll go entirely unnoticed – or at least not…
Companies around the world are becoming more well versed than ever before in the field of cyber security. High-profile data breaches, as well as the laws being introduced to protect customers, mean that organisations large and small have had to learn quickly and implement robust security practices of their own. However, it’s not all about…
A closer working relationship between humans and robots has been identified as one of the more exciting tech developments that could be on the cards for 2021. In an interview with the BBC, Professor Elizabeth Sklar of the University of Lincoln, forecast that the year ahead could see robots come out of closed factory floors…
Since the government tightened its Christmas lockdown rules, many of us are facing up to spending the big day away from relatives or loved ones. Thankfully, the humble video call – that staple of 2020 – will once again come to our aid, with forecasters expecting a huge surge in people logging into Zoom or…
With lockdown driving Brits to do more online shopping than ever before (and with the January sales looming large), retailers are anticipating a bumper few months ahead. Unfortunately, so too are cybercriminals, able to profit out of people’s unfamiliarity with online shopping safety measures. If you plan on buying anything online, be sure to read…
The debate of whether to return to traditional office environments or continue to work remotely may be solved by going instead between the two. To keep staff members happy and retain talent, companies have been giving more serious thought than ever before to flexible working, and just how much they should offer. Microsoft Ireland didn’t…
The rush to provide adequate technology to those working remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic has driven a huge increase in e-waste, one data security firm has warned. More people than ever are now working from home, for which their companies had to provide adequate technology with very little notice. The result was a stratospheric increase…
For all the benefits that technology brings small businesses, there are some huge challenges that need to be addressed too. IT system failures are perhaps the most important of these, as they can have huge ramifications – especially for smaller enterprises that rely on these systems for ‘business as usual’. Though system security and cybercrime…
Of all the changes brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, remote working has had among the biggest impacts. Businesses of all sizes, working across countless industries, have found themselves in a world where remote working is the norm – and is forecast to stay this way for some time still, if not indefinitely. So as…
Multifactor authentication (MFA) has been promoted in recent years by banks, software vendors and website operators as a means to improve your overall security, but it is not a “silver bullet” and users must be aware that hacks continue. This is the warning from tech website darkreading.com in the light of a rising number of…
The COVID-19 pandemic has driven many more companies to work and collaborate remotely in 2020 than would otherwise have done so. But in a blog by Microsoft this month, it is claimed that for remote working to be a long-term success, we need to change how we think about it. Faced with the reality of…
UK businesses are signing up to Office 365 in their droves. This suite of packages from Microsoft provides all the best-known applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, as well as some new ones besides. Hosted in the cloud and available as a subscription-based model, Office 365 works differently to its predecessors, which means…
Android’s security credentials could take a huge leap forward this year, if an early developer preview is anything to go by. Though it may be the most popular operating system currently in use, Android has long been dogged by accusations of being less secure than its rivals – most notably Apple’s iOS. This is often…
More than 2,500 pieces of unique ransomware have been discovered in the past year alone, meaning UK businesses face the prospect of 38 new attacks emerging every single day. This was the alarming discovery from the 2018 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report, released in early March. Though the number of ransomware attacks actually dropped (from 645…
The bidding for 5G bandwidth can finally get underway, now the hold ups by EE and Three have been resolved. Five companies are expected to bid for their share, including the four main mobile networks (EE, O2, Three and Vodafone) as well as a new player to the market, Airspan Spectrum Holdings – a US…
The UK government has revealed an extensive report into the effectiveness of its Active Cyber Defence Programme (ACD), one year since it was launched. ACD was launched with the aim of creating an ecosystem of relatively simple services that worked together to better protect UK homes and businesses from cyber attack. It was to be…
Microsoft chief Satya Nadella has warned that quantum computing is needed to handle the processing power required for today’s tech developments. Nadella told delegates at the Davos forum how the celebrated Moore’s Law (that the processing power of computer chips doubles every two years) was “running out of steam”. As such, quantum computing would be…
Apple has rolled out the beta version of iOS 11.3, the latest in its long list of mobile operating systems. Whilst a smaller update such as this wouldn’t typically generate large-scale interest, a new feature that concerns battery throttling has caught the attention of developers and everyday iPhone users alike. Toward the end of 2017,…
Web browsers have evolved far beyond their original mission of providing one-way windows into the internet. Indeed, as more services migrate to the cloud, browsers only reinforce their role as multi-function boxes of digital magic. Now there are lots of browsers to choose from but with Google Chrome enjoying the lion’s share of the market…
Office 365 is booming with Microsoft’s published figures revealing the number of commercial monthly active users stood at 120 million in October 2017. This represents an increase of 20 million on the previous 6 months (100 million commercial users in April 2017). Indeed, Microsoft officials recently confirmed that the corporation expects two-thirds of its Office…
Apple finally released its beautiful, new iPhone X on 3rd November 2017 – although with delivery times initially set at 5-6 weeks, this took customers perilously close to Christmas. Many of the new iPhone features are intuitive although some are not quite so obvious. So, if you were lucky enough to receive your new model…
A global ransomware attack, an uncharacteristic leak of iPhone features and the misadventures of a self-driving vehicle proved to be some of the biggest tech stories of 2017. In its end-of-year round-up, BBC Technology identified its biggest stories of the past 12 months, taken from the number of views each article had. Perhaps unsurprisingly, announcements…
Amazon’s digital assistant Alexa is set to make the leap to Windows 10 devices, following a hold-up in cross-company collaboration. In the cutthroat world of big tech, it came as something of a surprise when Microsoft and Amazon announced last year their plans to integrate competing technologies with one another. It was promised at the…
Google has revealed its top searches of 2017, in what is always a clear indication as to the trends and topics that caught public attention over the past 12 months. It seems trying to get rich quick (or at least work out what all the hype is) was a major trend for 2017, with Bitcoin…
America’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to scrap net neutrality legislation, in a move that could impact how users view the web both in the US and around the world. Previously, American Internet Service Providers (ISPs) were governed by the Communications Act of 1934. A rule that went by the name of Title II…
High street bank Barclays has announced it will cease offering customers free Kaspersky antivirus software, amid fears it could be subject to Russian spying. Earlier this month the National Cyber Security Centre warned government agencies against using Russian antivirus products (of which Kaspersky is one) for services related to national security. Such products were, the…
An Android app that enabled users to create and customise keyboards has shown exactly how not to store data, by leaving a sensitive database accessible to anyone – without even requiring a password. AI.type has been downloaded around 40 million times, by a total of 31 million users. The personal details of these users was…
A £20 million initiative has been launched by the government to identify and train the next generation of cyber security experts – to keep Britain ahead of any would-be hackers. It’s hoped that the Cyber Discovery programme will not just get young people interested in security work but also fill an important skills gap in…
Microsoft has unveiled a new Surface device that is being dubbed a ‘portable powerhouse’. The Surface Book 2 offers five times the graphic processing power of the original Surface Book, twice the processing power of the MacBook Pro and 17 hours of battery life. It has 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processors, as well as…
A number of Google Drive users found their documents suddenly inaccessible last month, because they were supposedly in violation of Google’s terms of service. These users were presented with a Google Drive error message when trying to access their files, which said they could not be accessed but did not say whether it was a…
It wasn’t so long ago that anyone who obscured or covered their webcam was labelled a worrier at best, conspiracy theorist at worst. However, the practice has become much more widespread, with even the likes of whistle-blower Edward Snowden, former FBI director James Comey and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg admitting to covering theirs up. Do…
This month’s tips and tricks article is a challenge to power users of Excel – three useful shortcuts that you probably didn’t know before. Transpose data from a row to a column Sometimes, after you’ve already spent a lot of time laying out a new spreadsheet, you discover that the column headings you chose may…
Google and other major internet companies are promoting greater online security by encouraging business owners to install SSL (secure socket layer) certificates on every website. When an SSL certificate is used, it causes a padlock to be displayed in the browser’s address bar and for the URL to show as an ‘HTTPS’ address rather than…
Windows 10 is getting faster and more stable – at least according to Microsoft’s own figures. The company continually monitors the performance of its operating systems, to provide its strategists with the best, real-world data with which to influence future decisions. These most recent efforts have given both shareholders and users alike plenty to smile…
Internet companies need to go “further and faster” to fight terrorism online, according to Theresa May. The Prime Minister said that a “fundamental shift” is needed if internet companies and governments alike are to match the evolving nature of terrorists’ use of the internet. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last…
The covers have officially come off Apple’s latest iPhone, albeit after many key details were leaked to the media. Apple is notoriously secretive about its upcoming devices; frequently managing to keep everything under wraps until the official unveiling. This wasn’t the case for the iPhone X, however, after developers managed to work out what was…
It’s not just movement of people under the Brexit microscope, but also the movement of data. This is the result of a new government paper which says the UK will seek new arrangements with the EU to allow information to flow freely between the UK and Europe post-Brexit. British businesses, individuals and law enforcement agencies…
Microsoft has significantly increased the processing power of its UK datacentres, making it the country’s first hyperscale cloud provider offering virtual machines capable of running graphics-intensive workloads. Announcing this new cloud offering, Microsoft’s Senior Director of Business Strategy, Graham Hill, said the company could now offer unrivalled opportunities for companies of all sizes in the…
Salesforce, widely seen as the world’s premier CRM platform, has posted enormous quarterly growth figures. Its 22% year-on-year revenue jump means the company is on course for full-year revenues of $10 billion. These results, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff claims, can be attributed to the company’s competitors simply walking away from the market. Whether it’s a…
Microsoft has announced that AI will be one of its main priorities in the near future, whilst mobile and cloud-first operations will take a back seat. In its annual financial review, Microsoft placed great stock on AI technology, and mentioned it six times in total. By comparison, the term garnered zero mentions in the 2016…
Microsoft is testing eye-tracking software in a bid to make its devices much more accessible for people with disabilities. Eye-tracking is currently the best way for those with motor disabilities to use a computer – because it entirely removes the need for interaction with a physical mouse and keyboard. As such, Microsoft is looking to…
Apple Mac devices may have been unwittingly harbouring malware for years, without it ever being detected by antivirus software. An ex-NSA hacker has discovered a mysterious piece of software on Mac devices that he described as “unique” and “intriguing”. It’s thought the malware is a strain of ‘FruitFly’, which has been infecting systems for nearly…
When you’ve been using the same Microsoft Office applications for years, it’s easy to stick to the same old habits. But with Office 365, Microsoft is trying to challenge that way that businesses work. So are you a big fan of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Publisher or Outlook? Do you often use Skype for Business,…
Whilst many of us Brits look forward to summertime – with its warmer weather and lighter evenings – it’s not quite such a happy time for our technology. Smartphones, in particular, are notorious for suffering during these hot spells; slowing down, overheating and draining battery very quickly. So why does this happen? Firstly, it’s worth…
Emails claiming to be from mobile messaging service WhatsApp should be treated with caution, users have been warned, following the discovery of a new phishing scam. Cyber criminals were found to be sending emails, complete with the WhatsApp branding, telling recipients that they need to pay a subscription fee in order to keep their messaging…
Small businesses may soon find it easier to be discovered, market to customers and get paid quickly, thanks to a new raft of features being added to Office 365 Business Premium. Microsoft has unveiled three new apps (Connections, Listings and Invoicing), to better serve the needs of its modern small business users. Connections, it says,…
They say that a picture paints a thousand words, so wouldn’t it be great to use an image to help illustrate an Excel chart? Well, this is actually possible because anything you copy onto your clipboard can be pasted onto a data series in Excel. In the example above, clicking on the picture of the…
A brand new phishing scam has been discovered which encourages victims to upload photos of themselves in order to ‘confirm’ their identities. The scam – which has yet to be officially named – sees cyber criminals send emails purporting to be from PayPal, warning users that their accounts have been compromised. When a user clicks through from…
The European Parliament has announced its plans to enforce end-to-end encryption across all digital communications. In direct opposition to plans being considered by the UK government, EU lawmakers want to add extra encryption to digital data, whether that’s website information, email content or messages sent through services like WhatsApp. It’s claimed that improved encryption would…
Microsoft has launched a new, streamlined version of Windows 10 – in a move that many have claimed is aimed at providing like-for-like competition to Apple’s existing offering. Named ‘Windows 10 S’, this new operating system is largely aimed at the education market, as it’s a modified, somewhat limited version of the full package. These limitations…
Using a smartphone within the EU may have recently got a lot cheaper, but consumers still need to be wary, consumer champion Which? has warned. New legislation came into force this month to prevent network providers from adding extra onto customers’ bills when they use their phone within the EU. It means that any calls,…
The global ransomware crisis was big news this month, not just because of its size and reach – but because of the victims. This wasn’t a calculated attack on a company that should have better systems in place, or a government with a chequered moral past, but instead an indiscriminate, worldwide attack. It affected local…
In its relatively short life, the popular messaging service WhatsApp has not just become a widespread communication tool but also emerged as a bastion of cybersecurity good practice. Now, that reputation has been bolstered further still, through the encryption of backups stored in Apple’s iCloud. By making message backups more difficult for hackers and spies…
Business email can be something of a minefield. Not only must the tone be just right, there’s also a whole load of politics at play (in a mirror of what goes on within the physical office). Despite all this, some people still get it so very wrong – and create real problems in the process.…
Did you know that Microsoft Excel allows you to define a specific name for any cell, something which can make locating and referencing that cell a lot easier? For example, in a basic Excel formula, you may need to multiple the value in cell A1 (average monthly overhead) by the value in cell B1 (number…
Google’s Android operating system continues to dominate the UK smartphone market, which means you’re more likely to be using one of these devices than an iPhone or any of the other brands. So we thought you may be interested to read the following three Android tips, designed to save time and make your mobile life a…
Don’t let the friendly website notifications about cookies fool you – it’s a good idea to delete them (and your browser history too). Though cookies allow web browsers to load frequently-visited pages a lot quicker, they can pose a real security threat – as Yahoo discovered just a year or so ago. The incident saw…
Microsoft has announced an expansion to its Office 365 Enterprise K1 plan, to offer frontline staff a significant functionality increase. PowerApps and Flow, Skype for Business, StaffHub, Teams and Office 365 Video will all be making their way across to K1 (the K representing ‘Kiosk’) – though Microsoft has been coy on when exactly the…
Android has overtaken Windows to become the internet’s most-used OS. Calling this result “the end of an era”, researchers StatCounter revealed that 37.93% of global web traffic in March was attributed to devices running Android, compared to the 37.91% from Windows. StatCounter claims its figures need no margin for error, as they’re based on 2.5…
Based on 2017 statistics from The Cloud Industry Forum, 82% of start-ups are now making use of at least one cloud computing service, compared with just 54% in 2016. Furthermore, around 70% will increase their use of the cloud in the next year, and 8% have moved their IT component exclusively to the cloud. Statistics…
The US Federal Trade Commission has found that one of the leading manufacturers of smart televisions recorded users’ viewing data without their explicit permission. So is Big Brother watching you? Orwell’s sinister suspicion is nearly 70 years old, but our reasons to be fearful keep on growing – not just from a super-state, but blackmailers,…
BT’s infrastructure division, Openreach, will split from the company and operate independently, under an agreement with the sector regulator Ofcom. The new operational landscape could bring investment in superfast broadband a step closer. However, the industry’s next flashpoint may be just around the corner. Openreach was born out of an Ofcom decision in 2005, when…
According to sales figures, Christmas 2016 did not see the fever pitch of demand for wearable technology that many had predicted, casting doubt over whether these products present solutions to genuine consumer needs. So is it a watch? Is it a dietary aid? Or is wearable technology simply a passing fad? Whether sat on the…
Her Majesty the Queen has officially opened the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in London. The Centre’s aim is to reduce the risk of cyber-attacks against the UK. Part of the GCHQ intelligence agency, the NCSC says the UK is facing 60 serious attacks each month. In the past three months alone, the NCSC classified…
Like many other sectors, the IT industry is coming to terms with the Donald Trump presidency, and the impact it may have on innovation and growth. Mr Trump’s own statements hint at drastic changes in certain areas, so this month we examine four key topics and what we know so far. Trump on private data…
Ask any Chief Technology Officer these days about their company’s current IT strategies and the answer will almost certainly include the word “cloud”. We’ve certainly come a long way since the late 90s when Larry Ellison, head of Oracle Corporation, tried to persuade the market to buy into thin computing. The idea was to have…
When you need to find information in a large spreadsheet or you’re always looking for the same kind of information, you can save time using the VLOOKUP function in Excel. VLOOKUP works a lot like a phonebook, where you start with some information you know (such as someone’s name) and use it to find some…
Google Chrome is probably the most widely used browser right now with an estimated share (depending on which report you read) of 63% from desktop users. So if you count yourself amongst the many Chrome users, here are some great tips and tricks that you might want to know about: Auto-launch your favourite pages Have…
Do you need to renew your antivirus software licence for 2017? You bet your bottom dollar you do. AV-test has reported that computer users are threatened with five new malware programs every second. Cybercrime is likely to remain one of the top IT stories of the New Year, and it’s easy to see why. The…
In January 2017, UK businesses saw a price increase on Office 365, with Microsoft citing Brexit and the fall in the value of sterling as the major contributory factors. However, this cloud-based solution remains the obvious choice for SMEs. More than half of businesses today say that their IT is either partly or wholly cloud-based…
The technology trends for 2017 will be dominated by artificial intelligence (AI) and cyber-crime, say several industry sources. With the adoption of machine learning gathering pace, and the internet of things creating a fully connected world, technologists predict that we will see rapid development of intelligent devices and apps this year. The current flagship product…
Most of us configure an auto responder once or maybe twice a year for Christmas and the weeks when we take annual leave. A hastily written line announcing your temporary departure from the rat race and providing alternative contact details should the enquiry be of an urgent nature. These are the email replies that Outlook…
In last month’s Autumn Statement, Chancellor Philip Hammond said that more than £1 billion will be invested into boosting broadband speeds for millions of homes and businesses. The announcement follows criticism of the high-speed broadband rollout. In his pledge, Mr Hammond said that two million more homes will receive access to full-fibre broadband, which can…
Researchers at the University of Central Florida have created a new high-powered battery capable of charging electronic devices, such as smartphones and wearables, in a matter of seconds. The battery is small and flexible too – it’s about the size of a fingernail and is very thin, making it easy to build into small devices.…
In a new paper titled ‘Enabling Compliance: Microsoft’s approach to the FCA’s finalised cloud guidance’, Microsoft has claimed that its cloud service, Azure, is the ideal choice for financial firms, as it complies with the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA’s) new guidelines. The new guidance, which was released in July, is designed to help firms from…
Excel Sparklines were introduced in Excel 2010 version. It is small line chart that could be easily embedded with the text and gives a great presentable output for easier depiction when aligned next to the tabular data. They are supported in Excel 2010 and above version only. Although sparkline’s design is not limited to lines…
Widespread distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks were recently responsible for bringing down a large proportion of the internet, including Twitter, Spotify and the PlayStation network, but how was it carried out? Let’s take a look at what DDoS attacks are and the risk they pose. What are DDoS attacks? If you’ve ever tried to…
Not one to fall behind its competitors, Microsoft has unveiled a new high-spec all-in-one PC as part of its popular Surface range. The Surface Studio boasts a 28-inch ‘PixelSense’ display – which its makers claim is the thinnest ever built – as well as a 2TB hybrid hard drive, integrated speakers and an NVIDIA graphics…
Microsoft has announced that a new chat application, called Teams, has been created for Office 365. The idea of ‘Teams’ is to allow greater collaboration between creators. It will sit over the top of Office 365 applications, including Excel, Word, SharePoint, OneNote, Planner, PowerPoint, Delve and Power BI, allowing users to drop in data as…
Microsoft has announced plans to update its Office apps to make them smarter and more productive. New cloud-powered intelligent services are coming to all Office apps, building on July’s update, the company revealed during its Ignite Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Tap in Word and Outlook Microsoft states these services will help save people time and…
Allo, a new messaging app from Google, hopes to offer something a bit smarter than its competitors, by using the search engine organisation’s machine learning software. Unlike WhatsApp, Messenger and iMessage, Allo can generate appropriate responses automatically. The more messages the user sends, the better the responses will be, as it will learn the types…
Back in September, Microsoft revealed plans to integrate Yammer with Office 365 Groups, allowing team users fresh access to a host of useful features, including SharePoint sites, Planner and shared OneNote notebooks. Fast forward a few weeks and the Redmond company has unveiled more enhancements, proving that the push on collaboration isn’t over just yet.…
Just two days after Yahoo! admitted that hackers had stolen its database of at least 500 million accounts, two users in San Diego, California, filed the first class-action lawsuit against the company. Thanks to the break-in, the hackers now have millions of people’s personal information, including their names, email addresses, security questions (encrypted and unencrypted),…
A dramatic claim from Apple for the newly-announced iPhone 7 is that it is now able to work underwater, thanks to the removal of the headphone jack. Removing the headphone socket means the phone casing is more water resistant, and Apple boldly states that the phone can be kept under one metre of water for…
The United States will cease to be in control of the world’s domain names in October, since the US government has agreed to pass full control to ICANN – the body that oversees the Domain Name System. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has been managing DNS for years, but ultimate authority rested…
Android has announced its new operating system for smartphones, called Nougat, with a range of exciting features. LG was the first manufacturer to release a phone running the Android 7 OS. The South Korean firm is hoping its V20 phone with Android 7 Nougat on board will be enough to tempt people away from Samsung’s…
Samsung has stopped selling its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, just weeks after its launch, following 35 cases of exploding batteries. Buyers of the phone have been posting videos and photos showing the device with melted screens and battery packs, reporting that it just caught fire while charging. More than a million Note 7 phones have been sold…
Fifteen million UK internet users have undertaken a ‘digital detox’ in a bid to strike a healthier balance between technology and life beyond the screen, according to major new Ofcom research. The majority of internet users say they’re ‘hooked’, spending a day a week online and the Ofcom study revealed some of the effects of…
It’s clear from recent headlines that ransomware is a growing problem. The number of reported incidents is rising and the reason why is simple – people and businesses are paying their attackers. There is help on hand, though. ‘No More Ransom’ is a pan-European project dedicated to helping ransomware victims, so they can get their…
With the end of July came the deadline for PC users to claim their free download of Microsoft’s latest OS installation, Windows 10. If you choose to upgrade an old machine now, you’ll be required to pay at least £99.99 for the privilege. For those who did take the plunge before July 29, however, there’s…
Shattered phone screens could soon be a thing of the past, as Gorilla Glass manufacturer Corning claims its next-generation product is its strongest yet. Gorilla Glass 5 is so tough, it can survive a 5.25ft drop onto a hard surface with an 80 per cent success rate, its maker claims. It’s worth noting that the…
Sorry to interrupt, but this is important. Windows 10 free upgrade offer ends on 29th July 2016. These are both Microsoft’s words and our own this month. With the deadline to the free upgrade of Windows 10 looming, Microsoft is trying to persuade people to update their computers by serving them a full-screen reminder. Ever…
Ransomware attacks are rising in popularity, it seems, as almost four times as many Android devices were subjected to attempted attacks between 2015 and 2016 than between 2014 and 2015, according to Kaspersky Lab. The figures only apply to devices running Kaspersky Lab’s security software, and it is not known how many of the attacks…
Fraudsters are posing as legitimate internet service providers (ISPs) in the latest attempts to get hold of web users’ money and personal data, according to the BBC. The new scam, which has already been discovered in both the US and UK, involves attackers using web pages and pop-ups containing the branding of their victims’ ISPs…
Following the announcement in June that Microsoft had acquired LinkedIn, CEO Satya Nadella has told employees he hopes the deal will “accelerate [the site’s] growth and the value it brings to its members with Microsoft’s assets and scale.” In an open letter published by telegraph.co.uk, Microsoft told employees that the deal, which has an estimated…
Are you constantly being nagged by your accounts department for failing to prepare your travel expenses on time? Then this month’s tip promises to make your life a little easier. For many business people, their Outlook calendars already contain up-to-date records of the trips they have made to see customers and suppliers. So if only…
Microsoft and Facebook have teamed up to lay a 6,600km underwater cable connecting the US and Europe. This new project – the latest in a series of ventures where technology providers have moved into the telecoms space – will see a cable running between Virginia in the US and Bilbao in Spain. Named MAREA (Spanish…
Microsoft came in for some criticism last month, being accused of using underhand tactics to prompt late adopters to finally make the switch to Windows 10. Since it first offered a free upgrade to users of Windows 7 and Windows 8, it has been very apparent that Microsoft is keen to encourage users to take…
Facebook has yet again had to go on record to deny snooping allegations – this time around eavesdropping on mobile users’ phone calls. Upon downloading the Facebook app to their smartphones, users have to permit the app access to their microphone (among numerous other features). The social network has long claimed this is for recording…
Despite most of us knowing what constitutes a good, secure password, too few of us are actually applying this knowledge when we create new accounts. Countless studies have shown that many Brits still use ‘password’ or ‘123456’ to lock their accounts. Even when diverting from these easy-to-crack passwords, many of us stick with obvious words…
Android continues to tighten its grip on the mobile market, with new figures from Kantar Worldpanel putting Google’s operating service in a commanding lead over rival Apple. Data from Q1 2016 show the largest growth in Android usage for two years. In the EU5 marketplace (comprising the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain), some 75.6…
Microsoft has long been a dominant force in the IT sector, so it’s no real surprise that its cloud platform, OneDrive, is one of the most popular on the market. Back in November, though, the company announced plans to introduce changes that will have a major effect on most users. It said it would scrap…
Mention ‘disasters’ and most business owners will think of fires, floods and theft – all of which have the power to destroy a company if the right precautions aren’t in place. This is why recovery plans are crucial; files must be kept safe and backed up, with IT systems built in a way that minimises…
The political fallout of the Panama Papers scandal continues to reverberate around the globe as many high profile figures using offshore tax havens have been forced to defend their actions. Amongst them, Prime Minister David Cameron, who was implicated when leaked files from offshore law firm Mossack Fonseca revealed that he profited from his late…
In this month’s tips and tricks article, we bring you a couple of useful tips regarding the font section of Microsoft Word. There are two functions that we will specifically focus on in this article. These are the “change case” section and the “superscript” section. Changing Cases Have you ever pressed the Caps Lock key…
Apple recently announced a new, smaller version of its popular iPad Pro range – but are the best days for this ground-breaking tablet now behind it? A 12.9-inch version of the iPad Pro was first announced in September 2015, before going on sale two months later. Then, in March this year, Apple unveiled a smaller…
Ransomware is still highly popular amongst cybercriminals, because users continue to fall into their not-so-carefully-crafted traps. Security researchers discover more than 100,000 new malware variants every single day – indeed, it can be difficult to keep up. However, it seems that all this innovation is going to waste, as users are still vulnerable to the…
Fingerprint scanners may have been hailed by smartphone manufacturers as the next big thing in cyber security, but this notion has been cast into shadow after a Chinese company fooled one with a fake finger. Vkansee is a Chinese manufacturer of high-resolution fingerprint scanners. In a bid to show just how flimsy the current market…
Android users have been warned that new malware could give hackers access to the entire contents of their phone. Dubbed ‘MazarBOT’, the new piece of malware is delivered via a text that tells users they have a multimedia message which can be accessed by following a link. When clicked, the URL prompts users – via…
With email now accounting for 6.3 hours of the average worker’s day, journalist Kate Ashford has identified the ten biggest mistakes that people make with their corporate accounts. Number one on Ashford’s list was replying to all – albeit on a large scale. In smaller instances, she says, this may be acceptable, however it becomes…
The UK is the best market for cyber criminals to hack into online banking accounts or steal valuable information, a data analyst has claimed. Security consultant at Trend Micro, Bharat Mistry, has mapped the global trends for cyber crime to identify the areas where certain activities are most prevalent. Interestingly, these shine a mirror onto…
The rise of the mobile phone has been rapid, even by technology’s standards. There are more handsets than people in the UK in fact, with many users owning more than one. Now the average smartphone price is well into the hundreds, though, theft is also on the up. According to home office figures from 2013,…
We hear all the time of major firms being attacked by cyber-criminals. Sometimes it is a case of digital thieves taking valuable data to sell on, while others sabotage sites for financial or moral gain. It’s a little rarer to find stories of smaller organisations falling victim, but these attempts do happen – just ask…
Google continues to dominate the browser market with 2 out of every 3 users choosing Chrome over rivals Firefox, Safari and Microsoft Edge. So how good are your skills? Do you know the fastest way to enlarge everything on the website you are viewing? What about saving all open pages as bookmarks in a new…
Large-scale online identity theft is a pretty regular occurrence these days; major organisations from all industries have been attacked. Notable victims in 2015 included TalkTalk, VTech and controversial dating site Ashley Madison – so it seems no business is safe. Those attacked stand to lose more than just money; most will find their reputations damaged…
David Bowie was one of the most influential recording artists Britain has ever produced. He will be best remembered for his many hits, which include “Rebel, Rebel”, “Space Oddity” and “Life on Mars”, but the great man will also go down as a pioneer of web technology thanks to an innovative use of the internet…
The year 2015 will be remembered for many things, including a surprise election victory for the Conservatives, terrorist attacks in Paris and a dress that nobody could decide whether it was white and gold or blue and black. For businesses, though, 2015 will be remembered as the year of the security breach. Countless companies –…
It’s quite hard to believe, but a recent study found the average UK consumer to have a whopping 118 different accounts registered online. That includes social media profiles as well as accounts with e-retailers, gaming services, email providers and even banks. For each one of these accounts, you probably have a username and a password;…
Windows 10 is set for record levels of adoption, as half of businesses are planning to roll it out before the end of the year. According to Gartner research, 50 per cent of enterprises will have started deploying Windows 10 by January 2017, making it the most widely-installed version of Windows ever. A number of…
Some users prefer to store thousands of emails in their inboxes whilst others ruthlessly delete messages that have been dealt with or forwarded to colleagues. But whether you’re a hoarder or a spring cleaner, all of us struggle to find the email we’re looking for sometimes. Outlook offers a search bar, which you may have…
The Daily Telegraph has compiled a top 10 list of mobile phone apps that can make your Christmas period less stressful. So take a deep breathe, sit back, reach for a mince pie and install the following to your mobile device. 1. Gophr App available on iOS and Android, free A service that puts you…
Facebook users that found out their most-used words on the social networking site could have opened themselves up to a world of data insecurity. Though it boasts more than 1.44 billion users across the world, Facebook has long been plagued by complaints of data harvesting, with some even going so far as to suggest that…
The idea of connectivity passing via light into our devices may seem fanciful, but teams of researchers from Edinburgh and Estonia have created a system to do exactly that. This so-called ‘Li-Fi’ technology works by flickering the light in a way that would be impossible to spot with the human eye. However, this flickering can…
Every web user in the UK will have their browsing history stored and made available to the police and security services, if home secretary Theresa May’s controversial new laws are approved by parliament. The so-called Draft Investigatory Powers Bill would see the sites – but not individual pages – that every single UK web user…
October 2015 saw one of most high-profile corporate cyber-attacks ever, although this incident may be remembered as much for the ineptitude of the public relations that followed as for the breach itself. Indeed several weeks after TalkTalk suffered one of the most significant hacks in recent memory, the company had still not offered its customers…
Most people are already wary of phishing, but businesses now find themselves having to defend against a new type of cyber-threat: ‘whaling’. This scam tactic sees the criminal pretending to be a company boss and sending a spoof message to the finance department, asking for a payment to a supplier to be rushed through while…
Microsoft is to scale back the storage volumes on offer through its OneDrive platform, after users turned to it for entire film collections and computer backups. The tech giant revealed in October 2014 that it was to remove storage limits on its OneDrive platform for Office 365 users – a move that many put down…
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have unveiled a computer that is “mathematically guaranteed” not to lose data in a crash. Whilst many media sources have been quick to proclaim the computer as being “unable to crash”, this isn’t strictly the case. Instead, it’s unlikely to crash, but in the case that it…
Data validation is an Excel feature that you can use to define restrictions on what data can or should be entered in a cell. You can configure data validation to prevent users from entering data that is not valid. If you prefer, you can allow users to enter invalid data but warn them when they…
Most companies would like to benefit from the business agility and cost savings that result from a move to the cloud. But with the bewildering amount of contradictory information floating around on the Internet, there is always room for confusion. Take Microsoft Office 365, for example. Many businesses are looking to embrace this software suite…
Forecasters have long been predicting the demise of the humble password but now a new contender has emerged as a potential successor – the selfie. MasterCard has been looking at ways of making online payments quicker and more secure, whilst also trying to do away with the effort of remembering old passwords. It settled on…
BT has revealed ambitious plans to help make the UK’s broadband speeds the fastest on earth, despite being under Ofcom review over its market dominance. Gavin Patterson, BT chief executive, used the company’s ‘Delivering Britain’s Digital Future’ conference in London to make his future vision clear. This included improvements to broadband speeds across the board,…
Adobe Flash has taken another serious hit in what analysts are calling its “death by a thousand cuts”, after Google announced it would block Flash ads from auto-playing on its Chrome browser. Making its position clear earlier this month, Google announced it would pause Flash animations on adverts by default in a bid to speed…
Holidaymakers using their mobiles outside of the EU could unwittingly rack up “life-changing” debts totalling more than their holiday actually cost, Citizens Advice has warned. The charity said many travelling Brits rack up bills in the thousands without even realising. Most don’t know how quickly the cost is rising, whilst others are completely unaware that…
Users of Outlook frequently find themselves using the same standard text in a range of situations, such as drafting sales proposals, following up on client meetings and chasing in payments. But did you know you can avoid typing out these same paragraphs time after time with the Quick Parts feature, which allows snippets of both text and images to be…
President Barack Obama has issued an executive order for US computer scientists to build the fastest computer in the world by 2025. However, the US will continue to face stiff competition from China, which currently leads the way. The National Strategic Computing Initiative (NSCI) is “designed to advance core technologies to solve difficult computational problems…
Computing giant HP tested the security credentials of ten smartwatches, and found that all exhibited “significant” vulnerabilities and flaws. With smartwatches roundly hyped as the next revolution in mobile communication, talk has inevitably turned to their security features – or in this case, flaws. In its test of ten smartwatches, HP found that each one…
Too many people use easy-to-crack passwords because they are unaware of just how hackers manage to get into their accounts, it has been claimed. The Hollywood image of a hacker involves a youngster (typically male, invariably wearing a hoodie) entering passwords into a user account before they magically stumble upon the right one. With most…
Smartphone owners could be seeing their battery power plummet and data usage rocket – thanks to fraudsters running invisible ads. According to online ad fraud detectors Forensiq, legitimate-looking applications are being utilised to “show” users a rapid succession of invisible apps. Then, human behaviour is emulated to make it appear as though they have interacted…
July has certainly got off to a hot start and weather forecasters are predicting more soaring temperatures for the weeks ahead. So spare a thought for your computer systems, which are liable to overheat if certain basic precautions are not taken. Open doors or windows and increase ventilation using desk fans and mobile air conditioning…
Six categories of hacker have been identified, in a bid to help webmasters better understand them – and protect against attacks. Cyber security firm Cloudmark has outlined six different types of hacker: secret agents, voyeurs, hacktivists, white hats, glory hunters and cyber thieves. Whilst no two attackers are identical, these categories serve to illustrate the…
Google has been working for years to create a system that allows users to undo the sending of emails, so they can be recalled before reaching the recipient. It’s been a journey driven by the demands of users who all too often hit ‘send’ before they’ve finished writing or attaching files. Gone in 30 seconds…
Our appetite for IT innovation is seemingly insatiable and this is particularly true of smart phone technology. Just days after the rollout of iOS 8.4 at the end of June 2015, attention turned to the new features and specifications of Apple’s next big release: iOS 9. Expected to be unveiled later this year (to coincide…
Your working environment now stretches far beyond the bounds of the traditional office workspace. Most business people spend a significant part of their time operating from mobile devices, making calls, sending emails and browsing the web. So what are the tricks that would make you even more productive on the move? Here are our favourite tips…
Tensions between Russia and the US show no signs of abating, and the rift is even finding its way into the global smartphone race. According to some reports, Russia is looking to develop a new mobile operating system in a bid to reduce Android and iOS dominance in the market – but what does it…
There are lots of rumours and speculation surrounding Apple’s latest iPad, the Pro, which is due for launch later this year. So here are all of the leaks, gathered together in one place, to give you a better idea of what to expect from the new tablet. The biggest iPad yet Unconfirmed reports suggest that…
New laws proposed in the Investigatory Powers Bill will allow spies and police to have greater power to monitor the public’s phone and internet use. Civil liberties campaigners are against the new powers, as they believe that they would infringe the privacy rights of UK citizens. A similar bill, known as the ‘snooper’s charter’ was…
Internet Explorer has become something of a joke in tech circles over the past few years with a wide variety of commentators lambasting its sluggishness and unreliability. Once the world’s most popular browser (perhaps by default), it has been overtaken by both Google Chrome and Mozilla’s Firefox in the usage tables, forcing Microsoft to take decisive…
Further to last year’s end of support for Windows XP, consumers are now facing the final months of another Microsoft product support cycle. Extended support for Windows Server 2003 ends on 14th July 2015 and, despite Microsoft first announcing this line in the sand back in April 2013, many organisations are yet to formulate a clear…
Thousands of companies across the world are waiting anxiously to see whether the latest search change implemented by Google might have a detrimental effect on their website’s visibility. The search giant announced recently that it would place a higher value on sites that are optimised for mobile phones – something which should come as no great surprise, given that…
Apple’s revolutionary iPad tablet was first launched five years ago last month, on 3 April 2010. Now, 1,825 days, six generations, and nine incarnations later, more than 225 million iPads have been sold. But with sales declining through 2014, is the tablet revolution coming to an end? When the late Steve Jobs first unveiled the…
More people than ever are now storing documents in the cloud, so cyber criminals are now targeting these services to nab people’s credentials, according to security specialists Proofpoint. The most common email-related threats that Proofpoint detects are phishing scams aimed at stealing information from Google apps, which are particularly vulnerable to this type of campaign.…
The recently announced Surface 3 from Microsoft will be the thinnest and lightest iteration yet, the manufacturer has said. Similar to the Surface Pro 3, the new model is crafted from the very same premium materials and offers a similar look. The only real difference is its size – the Surface 3 being not only…
The Internet Explorer (IE) brand will soon be no more, as Microsoft feels the public’s perception of its long-standing browser has become too negative. Microsoft isn’t moving away from the web browser market completely though; instead it will overhaul its current offering. This new version doesn’t yet have a name; it is simply known as…
Google users across the world are unknowingly being exposed to security vulnerabilities by their internet browsers, according to an official study from the search giant. This latest research found that tens of millions of people are at risk from rogue browser extensions. While most add-ons are created to offer new features and functions, many cause…
It seems with every passing month that there is news of another high profile security breach. Now telecoms company TalkTalk confirms it has been the victim of a hacking scandal affecting thousands of users. TalkTalk has emailed customers to warn them of the scam in which hackers stole account numbers and names from the company’s…
In 2014, the cloud was hitting the headlines on almost a weekly basis. Online storage was being talked about for all the wrong reasons, such as ‘The Snappening’, where thousands of Snapchat images were leaked by hackers, and the iCloud breach that saw nude pictures of Jennifer Lawrence and other celebrities distributed online. Questions and…
By combining three different spectrum bands, EE has managed to achieve impressive mobile broadband speeds of 400Mbps. The mobile operator has been showing off its accomplishment at Wembley Stadium with partners Qualcomm and Huawei. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 CAT 9 processor was used in a bid to help EE make Wembley the world’s most connected…
A new bug has been discovered that could compromise encrypted data, even that which was previously thought to have been secure. The flaw – which has been named “Freak” – was first discovered by encryption and security expert Karthikeyan Bhargavan. The flaw forces data travelling between visitors and vulnerable sites into using weak encryption making…
Technology giants like Google, Microsoft and Apple often polarise the marketplace, evoking strong differences of opinions between fans and detractors of the products and services they provide. But love them or hate them, it turns out most people actually do love Apple, with the firm declaring the largest profits ever made by a public company…
When Microsoft announced it would be making Windows 10 available as a free upgrade to users of Windows 7 and Windows 8, it was the prospect of the tech giant offering something for nothing that grabbed the biggest headlines. But as the dust settles, following last month’s grand unveiling, much of the hype regarding Microsoft’s…
Users were given a stark reminder last month that they should exercise the same level of caution when installing apps onto mobile devices as they do when downloading software onto their work PCs. Three Android apps have since been removed from the app store by Google, but not before they’d managed to infect millions of phones…
Here at Condies Tech we pride ourselves on our proactive IT support, the expertise of our engineers and the vast knowledge of our account managers, which helps our clients to protect, manage and develop their business networks. We’re happy to say we win far more contracts than we ever lose, so what are we doing…
They say you can tell a lot about a person from the applications installed on their mobile devices. Apps certainly have become a common feature of everyday life and, when it comes to fitness or travel, work or pleasure, there’s one out there to fit most needs. So what are the must-have apps for 2015? The Daily…
UK businesses strive all year round to protect their confidential data, implementing systems to keep cyber criminals at bay and avoid viruses and malware that would bring down their systems. Unfortunately, not all are successful and it’s the high-profile targets that attract the biggest headlines. So let’s cast our eye back over some of the…
After being the subject of Internet Explorer-based ridicule for a number of years, Microsoft is set to release a brand new web browser to compete with the likes of Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, according to reports this month. The program, which is being developed under the code name ‘Spartan’, will be Microsoft’s first new…
It can happen to the best of us. A new study reveals that the majority of IT professionals have fallen victim to hardware failure, with many instances causing data loss and downtime. Furthermore some are warning that this problem is being exacerbated by delays in upgrading hardware. Carried out by research company Vanson Bourne, a…
Widespread Office 365 and Azure outages last month drew negative headlines that Microsoft could easily have done without. But how worried should businesses be about the general reliability of cloud services being rolled out by major vendors. Many websites were knocked offline by faults, which developed on Microsoft’s Azure platform soon after midnight on 19th…
The UK High Court has added 53 new sites to the piracy blacklist, more than doubling the number of blocked sites. Now, some 93 sites have been officially blocked, including Rapid Moviez, Warez BB, Sumotorrent, Torrentfunk, Torrentz, watchseries.It, BitSoup, Isohunt, Stream TV, IP Torrents, Tor Movies and Torrentdb. The sites themselves do not host the…
Wearable technology is coming to town this Christmas, with over £105 million worth of sales predicted for the festive period. Figures released by the Centre for Retail Research suggest that a plethora of exciting ‘futuristic’ wearable products are going to provide the ultimate stocking fillers in 2014. Gadgets including smartwatches, health and fitness tracking wristbands…
Sony has created a watch made from e-paper, a technology similar to that used in e-book readers, such as the Amazon Kindle. The so-called Fes Watch has a battery that can last for 60 days, much longer than the majority of smartwatches currently on the market. However, it is lacking in features when compared to…
Is it just us or has there been a deluge of new malware attacks over the past month, delivered using infected email attachments in messages which purport to be from legitimate organisations? Amazon – or rather emails containing intriguing subject lines such as ‘Your Amazon Order Details’ – appear to be the worst culprit right…
Microsoft has confirmed that subscribers to Office 365 are to be offered unlimited OneDrive storage in a move that will give rivals Dropbox and Google something to think about. Anyone interested in the deal, which is currently being rolled out, just needs to sign up to OneDrive to receive their unlimited storage space, although the…
We all use Google but not everybody knows its hidden secrets – the tricks and short cuts that can help you find things faster and make your searches more specific. So here are 10 of our favourite Google tips to get you started. If you want more, you could always Google them! Use search operators…
Microsoft has taken further steps to move users onto newer versions of its desktop operating system, by officially ending the retail availability of Windows 7 and 8. As of 31st October 2014, consumers can no longer purchase copies of Windows 8, or the Home Basic, Home Premium or Ultimate versions of Windows 7. This decision affects not…
Formatting, such as number type, alignment, and font style, determines how Excel displays the value within a cell. But did you know about ‘conditional formatting’, which is a more dynamic way of applying specified formatting only when certain conditions are met? Conditional formatting provides a flexible range of rule-based options helping you to simplify many…
Broadband users across the UK could soon have access to much faster connections, with telecoms firm BT saying that it has made a major breakthrough in the development of its fibre service. The company claims to have successfully tested download speeds of 800Mbps and upload speeds of 200Mbps using its G-Fast technology, and that customers…
Computer users are now able to store more data on a single memory card than ever before, after storage specialist SanDisk created an SD card with a capacity of 512GB. The launch, which was announced last month, comes ten years after SanDisk released its first 512MB SD card. This was a major breakthrough at the…
Microsoft has given us a sneak preview of its next operating system and amongst the biggest surprises was the name. So after 8 comes 10. But what happened to Windows 9? Maybe it was just considered too negative for the German-speaking market, although various other reasons have been offered – some more technical then others.…
We have become worryingly used to seeing large-scale data breaches making headlines around the world, although these stories usually concern well-known multinational organisations. Recent examples have included tech giants such as Apple and Sony, with public sector organisations also falling victim. It is less common for these stories to focus on individuals, although smartphone owners…
Pickpockets are more likely to target Brits for their smartphones than their wallets, according to a new report published by mobile security firm Lookout. After carrying out a detailed survey of more than 2,400 respondents across the UK, Germany, France and the US, the company’s analysts found that 23 per cent of smartphone-owning Brits have…
According to figures published by credit-check specialist Experian, the average UK citizen had 26 different online accounts in 2012. Two years later and an increased reliance on the internet suggests this figure will have grown further, as more people shop, bank and do pretty much everything else online. This is all very well, but the…
Latest figures reveal that PC sales are down whilst Google Chromebooks continue to fly off the shelves. So what do these trends mean for your business? Researchers at Gartner expect 5.2 million Chromebooks to be shipped by the end of 2014 and predict this figure will triple by 2017. Meanwhile, IDC forecasts PC sales to…
We all use email to communicate with our staff, our customers and our peers, but effectively managing our inboxes can sometimes seem like a full-time job in itself. Here, we’ve listed five things you can do in Microsoft Outlook 2013 to take the hassle out of email management and make your working day more productive…
Developed by two of the biggest names in the technology sector, Microsoft Office 365 and Google Apps for Business are arguably the go-to hosted office suites for modern workplaces. Both cloud computing solutions are affordable, scalable and designed to cater for all the professional needs of today’s fast-paced businesses, so choosing between the two is…
The next version of Microsoft Windows will merge different software for individual devices into “one single converged operating system”, it has been announced. The software, expected to be called Windows 9, will work on all Microsoft devices including desktops, smartphones, tablets and Xbox consoles. By unifying the operating systems, developers will be able to build…
Does it sometimes seem like nobody understands how you’re feeling? Well, pretty soon, your computer could be providing some much needed emotional support in the workplace. That’s if an innovative new mood-reading application, which is currently being developed by Dell, is made available to businesses and consumers within the next three years, as the company…
What is the opposite to on? Off, right? Well, things are not always that simple where PCs and laptops are concerned. Operating systems such as Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 actually offer four power states: mechanical off, soft off, sleep and hibernate. So what is the difference between them? Mechanical Off is as close as…
Amazon has gone head-to-head with Samsung and Apple by entering the smartphone market. While the e-retail giant has already released a number of tablet computers as part of its Kindle range, the Fire Phone is its first ever smartphone. The gadget boasts a 4.7-inch high-definition display, which uses face-tracking cameras to provide users with a…
With a never-ending torrent of advice on IT security floating around the web, users might become confused by the vast array of threats. From bots to botnets and Trojans to worms, the sea of terminology can leave the uninitiated feeling overwhelmed. Trojans Trojans are named after the Trojan horse, which was famously used to infiltrate…
In an attempt to quash the growing concerns around privacy, Microsoft has launched a series of initiatives aimed at improving both security and corporate transparency. According to the Microsoft blog, technet.com, the Redmond firm is focusing on three key areas: expanding encryption, reinforcing legal protections for customers’ data and enhancing the transparency of software code.…
The Microsoft Surface Pro has never been a straight alternative to an iPad and, despite the firm’s marketing messages, is not necessarily a direct replacement for your trusty laptop. So exactly what is it and what’s new about the latest version due to hit the shelves later this summer? Well, in many ways, the Surface…
People across Europe can now ask Google to remove their personal details from its search results after new legislation was introduced giving internet users the “right to be forgotten” online. Those seeking the removal of certain information must first complete and submit a form to a Google panel which then decides whether the data is…
Do not be tempted. Users of Microsoft’s now defunct Windows XP operating system could face problems if they try to access new, unauthorised security patches, the company claims. Microsoft officially ended support for XP in April 2014, but some users who are yet to migrate to a newer release have started to perform “simple registry…
There is good news this month for mobile sales people looking for an integrated cloud computing solution. Microsoft and long-term rival, Salesforce, have put their differences to one side, to form a strategic alliance. While Microsoft has its own CRM suite, this new partnership will allow Salesforce apps to integrate seamlessly with Office 365. This…
It certainly makes a shock headline. A recent survey by Microsoft has revealed that Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems run a greater risk of infection by malware than the obsolete Windows XP. In its biannual Security Intelligence Report (SIR), Microsoft published figures for the final quarter of 2013 which reveal infection rates of…
Two of the largest cloud storage providers have come under scrutiny after it was revealed that users may be inadvertently leaking data. Both Dropbox and Box have been criticised for their link-sharing services, which may be resulting in users leaking data without their knowledge. Not a security flaw – just a lack of user knowledge…
Windows XP users will be given the chance to download a security patch for Internet Explorer, despite Microsoft previously saying that support for the operating system would end in April. So following months of stark warnings regarding the need to upgrade operating systems and the risk of being left high and dry in the event…
When the news of Heartbleed broke a few weeks ago, business owners understandably started to panic. The OpenSSL vulnerability was seen by many as a significant blow for both web security and the concept of open source development. While the scare has since died down a little, some businesses still have some work to do…
The government has put together a dedicated team to deal with large-scale cyber-attacks. The UK Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-UK) will be tasked with keeping the country’s industries, universities and government secure against the threats posed by hackers. More than 90 per cent of businesses affected in 2013 According to Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude,…
Microsoft and Apple have been peddling rival technologies for many a long year but, on some things, common sense and public demand dictate that there needs to be some element of cooperation. So it was music to the ears of businesses everywhere this month when Microsoft announced the long-awaited release of the iPad version of…
What’s next for small businesses now that the Microsoft server software that bore their name has gone end-of-life? When Microsoft announced the retirement of Small Business Server 2011, they were accused by some of removing choice and imposing their vision for cloud-based email solutions on millions of loyal customers. So what does the future hold…
You may have noticed ‘Libraries’ nestling in the left-hand pane of Windows Explorer and wondered what exactly they were for. Well, attention please. We’re about to explain more. In older versions of Windows, organising files on your PC meant creating lots of folders and subfolders. It still does really, but the introduction of ‘Libraries’ in…
The fact that cyber criminals have started to attack internet gateways instead of actual machines shows how technology is evolving, according to one researcher. Steve Santorelli from internet security firm Team Cymru made the claims after his organisation discovered a sizeable network of infiltrated routers stretching right around the world. More than 300,000 devices were…
The new version of Google Maps has been making its way onto desktops around the world, just as Google said it would. Following a preview campaign by many members of the public that has been running since May last year, the search engine giant is extending availability with high hopes for its new version. In a…
Microsoft has used its opening slot at the Mobile World Congress show to announce that Windows Phone has replaced Blackberry as the world’s third most popular mobile operating system. This is big news for the Redmond firm as it looks to close the gap behind Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS, which are in first and…
By now you should know that Microsoft is ending its support for Windows XP on April 8th. The software giant is well aware that this message has been reported on, blogged about and tweeted ad infinitum over recent months and is keen to begin pushing some more positive, forward-looking advice to business owners as the…
The technological world is about to become decidedly less boxy, according to the manufacturers of Gorilla Glass. Last month, the company behind the speciality glass used in almost all smartphones, showed off its latest innovation – 3D Gorilla Glass – at CES 2014. The new glass is able to bend as much as 80 degrees…
The Outlook search function is a handy way to locate important messages in a busy inbox. But do you ever find it running slowly, only returning half the information you expect to see or – worse still – not working at all? The good news is that, quite often, rebuilding the search index can help…
BT and Alcatel-Lucent have successfully completed tests of the fastest real-world broadband speeds ever recorded. According to the BBC, speeds of 1.4 terabits per second (TB/s) were achieved over a 255-mile link between BT Tower and Ipswich. The blisteringly fast connection would have been able to send 44 uncompressed Full HD films in just one…
Security remains a hot topic in the IT world with 2013 seeing more than enough high-profile data breaches to test any user’s comfort zone. After seeing companies as big as Facebook and Apple fall victim to hackers, it’s easy to forgive internet browsers for feeling a little uneasy. And still the search goes on for…
One consequence of the bad weather the UK has been suffering in recent weeks has been a rising number of power cuts. So we thought some information on Excel’s AutoRecover feature would make interesting reading for anyone who has ever lost work when the power failed. AutoRecover saves copies of all open Excel files at…
A new report predicts that one billion Android devices are likely to ship in 2014. Research firm Gartner is forecasting that 1.1 billion Android systems will be sold over the coming year, representing a 26 per cent increase. The Google-owned platform has been dominating the mobile operating system market, primarily because of its open source…
Windows XP users have been urged to make it their New Year’s resolution to upgrade their operating system before the April 2014 support deadline. In less than four months, Microsoft will cease all support for what has become the most popular operating system of all time and many have warned that this date will act…
A new report has highlighted the shifting dynamic in the PC and tablet marketplaces, indicating trends we are likely to see continue into 2014. This American study, published by npd.com, provides a snapshot of commercial sales, painting a picture in which PC sales are flat-lining, Apple computer sales are in decline and ultra-portables are selling…
A zero-day exploit affecting XP and Server 2003 in December 2013 has given users a glimpse of what lies ahead when support for these products is discontinued by Microsoft. Although the software giant announced it was working on a fix for this particular security threat, users were reminded that, after April next year, patches and…
Our appetite for data on the move just keeps growing and several high street stores have been rolling out free wi-fi for use by their customers. But who stands to gain the most from this? Rob Bamforth, principal analyst at Quocirca, told computerweekly.com that the increased implementation of wi-fi in shops and other high street…
Password crackers are becoming increasingly efficient at what they do, helped along by more sophisticated software, previous hacks and lazy password choices. So here are some things to bear in mind the next time you’re asked to create a user account on a new website. How not to choose a password This month, BBC security…
You may have read reports last month of a man desperately combing his local landfill site for a PC he had thrown away several months previously. The reason for his hunt was that the hard drive held his digital wallet, containing 7,500 Bitcoins worth an estimated £4 million. Mr Howells, has since called off the…
The latest State of the Internet report by Akamai has found that the UK saw one of the largest increases in terms of internet speeds over the past 12 months – now standing at around 8.4Mbps – representing a huge rise of 48 per cent. In terms of world rankings, this puts us in joint…
Ransomware presents a serious threat to business data, as it has the ability to lock access to files until the victim pays the attacker. It is a form of malware that works by encrypting user data until the correct decryption key has been entered. However, users can only gain access to that key by paying…
A cloud computing expert has warned IT departments they must have a fall-back position in case their cloud provider goes out of business. Expert Thoran Rodrigues makes the point that when it comes to using cloud resources, the business utilising that service doesn’t actually own anything. With physical equipment, companies won’t lose anything if the…
The tech giant’s initial offering of its flagship operating system – Windows 8 – was met with mixed reviews back in August last year. Microsoft took a big gamble by moving away from the iconic desktop, choosing to opt instead for the Metro theme – a tiled approach, similar to Xbox. This strategy, which was designed…
Britain is to become one of the first countries in the world to trial white space technology, an initiative which it is hoped will help free up some much needed space for an ever increasing number of connected devices. The electromagnetic spectrum is a finite resource which is quickly being consumed by the huge demands…
You may have seen an option on certain websites to ‘sign in using your Facebook account’ and wondered what this means and how it might affect your privacy. Well, now might be a good time to find out as you could be seeing more of this in the future. In August of this year, Facebook…
If you’ve ever worried about the security implications of connecting your mobile device to the web in a coffee shop or airport lounge, you’ll be interested to learn that a new generation of Wi-Fi hotspots is moving ever closer. The Wi-Fi Alliance’s new Passpoint programme will increase the security of public hotspots and make accessing…
Whilst recent figures show a rapid reduction in Windows XP usage over the third quarter of 2013, rather than this having a positive impact on the sales of Microsoft’s latest Windows 8 operating system, it seems customers are still opting to run their machines on its predecessor instead. Infoworld.com says that while Windows 8 increased…
Android devices are the target for 79 per cent of all mobile malware, according to US authorities. Whilst the OS is by far the most popular in the global smartphone market, its fame has come at a price for users. Public information website Public Intelligence has uploaded findings from the Department of Homeland Security and…
Analysts have predicted that the number of businesses using tablets will double by 2017 as they become increasingly popular in the commercial sector. Analyst firm, IDC, says that ten per cent of worldwide tablet sales are made in the commercial sector and predicts that this figure could double to 20 per cent, as more businesses…
Your backup solution is vital in ensuring your business can continue to function should a crisis befall your systems. But do you know how long it would take to get back up and running if the worst happened? When it comes to disaster recovery, many companies still have no discernible plan and, even those who…
Microsoft’s marketing would have you believe you can’t live without Office 365. But is this purely hype? Whilst it’s the company’s fastest selling product, shifting at a $1.5 billion run rate, it’s disappointed not to have sold more. Since its launch in 2011, Microsoft’s Office 365 cloud solution has enjoyed an impressive take-up – but…
Reports suggest that faster download speeds are not all that is required to reverse the slow uptake of 4G mobile connections. When it was first rolled out across the UK last year, many had expected demand for superfast 4G services to be huge, especially amongst business audiences. The reality, however, has been somewhat different, with…
Google has launched Chromecast, a pen drive style attachment that connects to your television through an HDMI port. This small device will allow you to access online entertainment through your HD set. Chromecast is Google’s replacement for its failed Nexus Q. The company’s former attempt at a media streaming dongle came and went in 2012,…
Most of us know how to use Microsoft Word and do so regularly. But often our knowledge of everyday programs barely scratches the surface of their capabilities. Here are five things you may not realise you can do in Word. 1. Configure paste options When you paste text into a document, Word tries to lend a…
In a case of life imitating art, memory crystals such as those dreamt up in the iconic Superman movies could soon be boosting computer memory in the real world. Researchers from Southampton University have utilised lasers to rearrange the individual atoms in a single piece of glass. In doing this, the piece of glass can…
After months of speculation, a preview for Windows 8.1 has been released and it looks like Microsoft has listened to consumer demands for an improved user interface and enhanced functionality. The highly-anticipated Windows 8 faced a backlash from critics and consumers upon its release in October last year, with many bemoaning the loss of the…
According to recent statistics revealing the current positions of the major platforms, Windows phone has doubled its market share, while Apple and BlackBerry have taken a tumble. The data released by kantarworldpanel.com found that Microsoft’s share of the smartphone market increased from 4 per cent to 8.4 per cent in the three months leading up…
Most of us use the Outlook calendar as our main diary, so it’s useful to have a record of upcoming public holidays. But adding these dates manually would be time-consuming. The good news is that you don’t have to. There is a far quicker and easier way – simply follow the instructions below. Instructions for…
Cyber criminals target admin accounts in order to gain enhanced access to an organisation’s computer systems. Businesses must up their defences to protect themselves against hacking attacks. When trying to gain access to your company’s IT systems, hackers prefer to target accounts with privileged administrator rights. However, many businesses take a lackadaisical approach to managing…
It’s reputed to be one of the most secure devices on the market, but don’t take that for granted – the iPad can still be left vulnerable without due care from its owner. Here are our tips to make your iPad as safe as possible. 1. Creating a strong passcode and encrypting your data The…
Holidaymakers travelling outside of the European Union (EU) this summer are being warned to switch data off on their mobile devices or face the financial consequences. The warning comes from you uSwitch.com, which found that nearly a fifth of travellers failed to switch off data roaming while abroad. The price comparison website calculated that an…
While Apple’s iOS gets the lion’s share of press coverage when it comes to applications (apps), Google’s Android boasts some of the most innovative business solutions around. Below is a rundown of its top business apps. 1. LogMeIn Ignition Ignition allows users to access their PC or Mac from their smartphone or tablet. LogMeIn has…
Locating free WiFi hotspots can take a chunk off monthly phone bills and prove useful when trying to get online via a laptop or tablet device. Yahoo has been outlining a range of ways to locate the closest free WiFi hotspot, from using Apple Store’s free network, to hooking up to a BT WiFi hotspot.…
People need to wake up to the harsh realities of online security, says a visiting professor at the University of Surrey. Professor Alan Woodward, who advises the government and several FTSE 100 companies on security related matters, highlighted a collection of urban myths which need to be dispelled. “I cannot be infected simply by visiting…
According to the government department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) small to medium enterprises are becoming increasingly susceptible to cyber attacks, putting their confidential information at risk. In its 2013 Information Security Breaches Survey, the BIS reported that a startling 87 per cent of all SMEs have been hit by a security breach of some description…
Modern technology allows us to work from pretty much any location. But there are restrictions – so, when travelling, plan your time in advance and understand your resources to optimise productivity. These days, when we travel, be it for work or for pleasure, we have the capability to remain productive from any location. But working…
The number of payment protection insurance (PPI) spam text messages being sent has significantly reduced since the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) fined two individuals last November, it has been revealed. Data collected by Cloudmark, the organisation responsible for GSMA global spam monitoring, found that the proportion of PPI SMS messages made up 57 per cent…
Microsoft is thought to be planning an update to Windows 8 for release later this year. So what are the new features we should be looking out for? Following the launch of Windows 8 at the end of last year, Microsoft is working on the first major update. Depending who you listen to, the new…
You may already be using some of the many convenient keyboard shortcuts available in Excel. But with so many on offer, just how many do you actually know about? Many users love Microsoft’s keyboard shortcuts. These controls let us perform commands quickly, without the need to reach for our mouse, saving a bit of time…
American tech giant Apple is rumoured to be starting production on its newest iPhone ahead of a launch planned for this summer. Apple typically releases its mobile devices once a year, often coming at the end of the summer. Whilst the notoriously secretive company hasn’t officially confirmed the rumours, whispers in the tech world claim…
The mobile phone celebrated its 40th birthday this month with the anniversary highlighting just how far the technology has come. From humble beginnings, the invention has since evolved from a nine-inch tall ‘brick’ containing 30 circuit boards to a video-playing, GPS-enabled pocket jukebox. Anyone who refutes the claim this device has become an everyday essential…
As hackers make advancements in cracking techniques and users continue to choose unsophisticated passwords, is it time to move away from conventional thinking in search of new ways of user identification? The online payment merchant is spearheading a campaign for the industry to embrace new methods including biometrics. Voice identification, fingerprint scanning and keystroke analysis…
The new version of this popular email client is out and with it comes a number of changes. Here’s our selection of those we feel will make your life just that little bit easier. 1. Unread Mail Search Folder It takes a dedicated practitioner of inbox-zero techniques to avoid a clutter of both read and…
It seems mobile networks are currently evaluating different ways that they can spread their influence in the WiFi sector, in a bid to assert their dominance over their rivals. Reports have been circulating that there is a “landgrab” going on, with mobile networks attempting to buy the rights to install their own WiFi in as…
We’re all aware of the need to run updates on our software to stay secure. But last month you may have had to run more than usual, with three security patches released for Adobe Flash Player in February. Last month, Adobe advised customers to protect their PCs against “targeted attacks” by issuing three separate security…