We’re past the mid-point of March already and heading toward the end of Q1, and financial year end for some. I hope business is good for you and will continue to be so !
A selection of topics that may be of interest follows.
Windows 10 – End Of Support
It only seems like a couple of years since Windows 10 arrived, announcing it would be “the last windows ever” (which we all laughed at), but as part of Microsoft’s “Modern Lifecycle Policy” it will formally reach “End of support” on October 12th, 2025.
What does this mean:
Practically, this means that the software keeps working but that updates cease. So, there will be no new security updates, or non-security updates, or assisted support, meaning that if any security holes or bugs are uncovered, they won’t be fixed on your machine.
What to do:
- ignore the deadline, continue working as before.
Consequences – possible security issues, invalidation of cyber insurances & security accreditations. - Upgrade your machine’s operating system: this should be a free option, but there are strict minimum system requirements set by Microsoft to allow a machine to upgrade to Windows 11.
Machines over 5 years old will most likely not meet the requirements - Buy a new PC / laptop: it will come with the correct Operating System (Windows 11) and give you the added bonus of being faster in use.
If in doubt, ask us.
Managed Print Services
I think we all know how testing printers can be sometimes – even for us in IT. What a lot of companies don’t know though is the overall cost for running their fleet of printers – with toners, servicing, downtime etc. So, in response to many enquiries, we’ve created a new partnership with a nationwide Managed Print Service, which will deliver the following benefits for our clients who want a better way of doing it:
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- New, correctly specced business-grade printer(s)
- Service contract covering installation & maintenance
- Pre-emptive delivery of new toner cartridges
- Manufacturer service hotline for speedy on-site fixes
- No long-term contracts
…and all of this will be financially demonstrated to save the company money, putting you back in control of your print fleet.
Print Audit: the part that kicks all of this off is a little piece of software we install within your network that monitors the usage your fleet of printers get, and then translate the info (using the manufacturers published running costs) into a recommendation to save you money and improve your current situation. It’s pretty intuitive when the numbers are presented.
Refurbished PCs / Laptops
Just a reminder, we usually have a good stock of used machines – a lot of ex-business Lenovo laptops currently – 2 to 4 years old, but still of good quality, lightly used, and still powerful enough to provide a good experience for business or personal use. Ask us for a quote if you don’t want to splash out for something brand new.
Penetration Testing
Another area we’re getting asked about more and more frequently is ‘Penetration Testing’ – more commonly referred to as PenTesting.
PenTesting is a security exercise where a cyber-security expert attempts to find and exploit vulnerabilities in a computer system. The purpose of this simulated attack is to identify any weak spots in a system’s defences which attackers could take advantage of.
Historically Pen Tests have been performed by groups of external 3rd-parties (ethical hackers) who will attempt to gain access to your data & systems by various methods at their disposal, at a single point during the year. Cost-wise these groups charge by the day – between £1,000 to £3,000 per day, depending on what type of PenTest is being requested… and they will take several days to complete including the production of their report. This will give a snapshot view of your security arrangements – an MOT if you will. Like all MOTs though, they only represent the situation at the point in time that the review was conducted and give you no indication if the situation changes later on.
We do not want to do it this way. We want to offer a monthly chargeable PenTesting service – rather than a substantial one-off annual bill – that gives you more regular checks and reports during the year.
We will offer 2 different types of service:
- External penetration Testing – looking outside in
2. Internal penetration Testing – starting inside, checking internal controls for lateral movement
I’ll update when we’ve formalised an offering, but if you have any queries or requests in the meantime, please fire them my way.
The National Cyber Security Centre’s guidance on Penetration Testing is here with a fuller description of all the various factors involved.
Managed Device Support – an update
We’re starting to see the first monthly reports go out to early clients on the service, as they have now reached a stable quantity of machines.
Patch Management seems to be the consistent area lagging behind at the moment, down to the backlog of patches machines need to catch up with. We should see numbers improve as time goes by.
Initial comments by clients indicate surprise at the quantity of alerts their machines are raising behind the scenes – all of which are manually cleared, and most of which we deal with without disturbing the user !
As usual, I’m happy to chat about anything on your mind and any of the topics above in more detail. If you wanted to slide a web meeting into my calendar for when’s convenient to you then feel free to use the following link:
