Ideas on cloud, cost & security
Practical guidance from our team on getting more from Microsoft, from cutting Azure waste to adopting AI safely.
More posts, page 2
What Microsoft 365 backup really costs
Microsoft 365Microsoft charges per gigabyte, most third-party vendors charge per user, and the two cannot be compared without knowing what your tenant holds. Here is what actually drives the price.
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Your Microsoft 365 renewal after the price rise: the questions to ask
Cost OptimisationThe July 2026 increase lands on your next renewal, not the day it was announced. If yours falls this autumn, these are the questions that decide whether you absorb it or offset it.
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Writing an AI use policy people will actually follow
AIMost AI policies fail the same way: they ban everything, so everyone ignores them. A policy that works names the approved tools, draws one clear line about data, and gives people a route to ask.
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Shadow AI: how to find out what your team is actually using
AISurveys put unsanctioned AI use somewhere between 45 and 66 percent of staff. Arguing about the exact number is a waste of time. Here is how to find out what is happening in your own tenant this week.
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Windows 10 ESU year two: the price doubles in October
Cost OptimisationYear one of Extended Security Updates cost about 61 dollars a device. Year two doubles, year three doubles again, and you cannot skip a year to save money. The maths now favours moving.
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The EU AI Act was not delayed: what actually started in August 2026
AIMost coverage said the AI Act had been pushed back. The high risk rules were, to December 2027. The transparency rules were not, and they have applied since 2 August 2026 whether or not your AI is high risk.
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Windows Server 2016 end of support: what to do before January 2027
Legacy ModernisationExtended support for Windows Server 2016 ends on 12 January 2027, roughly one budget cycle away. The route you pick now decides what it costs.
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Compliance packs without the off-the-shelf templates
ComplianceTemplate packs always need days of rewriting to fit your business. Here's how to generate policies, SOPs and audit-ready evidence around your actual systems in seconds, and self-audit before an assessor does.
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Copilot readiness: a practical checklist for SMBs
AISwitch Copilot on before your data and permissions are ready, and it will happily surface files nobody should see. Here's the checklist we run first.
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Cutting Azure waste: where the 40% actually hides
Cost OptimisationYou're almost certainly overspending on Azure by a third or more, and it's not one big mistake. It's idle resources, oversized VMs and forgotten test environments quietly draining your budget every single month.
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The Microsoft 365 security gaps MSPs see most (and how to close them)
SecurityTurning on MFA isn't the same as being secure. The Microsoft 365 security gaps MSPs see most, token theft, Conditional Access holes, oversharing, and how to close them.
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Intune management and reporting: keeping every device in sync, patched and in control
Device ManagementIntune only protects the devices it manages, and only if someone watches the reports. What good Intune management looks like, and how our managed device service keeps your estate patched.
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