With the technical and complex nature of your work, combined with the pressure of industry regulation, strict budgets and deadlines; you need technology that just works.
At Netcom, we fully appreciate your challenges and consistently strive to be the step ahead in delivering for the unique needs that you have of your IT.
Whether you need to arm your team with the right tools to be efficient on the go, mitigate the risks posed by cyber threats or improve project collaboration and communication, we will build and support the tech that simply just works for you.
Aside from our great support packages and services we can support your business from setting up your first computers to managing your complex data centre environment.
Without protected data, your vulnerable to a host of threats. Data is key to your success, keep it secure and backed up.
Being able to communicate effectively and coherently across a number of different platforms, anywhere, anytime is paramount.
Directing and managing your often disparate workforce can be a struggle. We can help you keep your team focused on-task.
Compliance to industry regulation is heavily linked to your technology in this digital age. We help make the process pain free.
If you are looking for a friendly, secure and stable IT company for your evolving business, Netcom are the go-to strategic technology partner for you.
Everything we do is about reducing the risk your business faces and we have a range of services to help mitigate risk and protect your business.
Drive flexible, efficient working with innovative technology services tailored to your working practices.
Finding the right piece of hardware, software or component for your technology stack can be incredibly complex and time-consuming.
Get peace of mind when all else fails. Maintain continuity of business, or recover any lost data - quickly.
We are one of a handful of IASME Certified Assessors in the region, which means we not only work to the highest security standards but can also deliver and award Cyber Essentials certification.
Microsoft Teams is set for a rather fluid makeover Fluid components are coming to Microsoft Teams “soon”, according to a report that says dynamic widgets that can be edited in real-time by multiple team members are expected to start rolling out in mid-August. Government users...
Winning with Microsoft Teams in Retail Looking into Microsoft Teams as the central hub for your retail environment? You’re in the right place. Today, Microsoft Teams is one of the most popular tools for collaboration, communication and productivity in the current landscape. Not just suited...
The modern digital age that we live in has changed the way we work in many ways – none more so than the transition many have made to a remote work setting that has only been made possible by the Cloud. The Cloud has allowed...
Microsoft Teams will soon let you use your phone like an old-school walkie-talkie Microsoft is working on a new feature for its Teams video app. Arriving in public preview in September, Microsoft Teams is to get walkie-talkie with your phone, letting you easily communicate with...
New features coming to Microsoft Edge include tab groups and picture-in-picture Microsoft Edge, the company’s signature browser, has been receiving updates throughout the year — and there is more to come. The current feature road map for Edge reveals that some interesting changes to the...
Microsoft Building AI Upscaler to Compete with DLSS, FidelityFX Microsoft has begun to hire software engineers to develop machine learning-based upscaling algorithms implemented using its DirectX/DirectML application programming interface (API), which is designed for Xbox and Windows systems. The technology will compete both against AMD’s...
Microsoft Issues Serious Windows 10 Upgrade Warning Windows 10’s one billion users need to be on high alert because Microsoft has issued a serious update warning and everyone needs to take action. The warning is in response to ‘PrintNightmare’, a critical zero day flaw in...
Microsoft highlights upcoming Insight sessions for channel opportunities Microsoft has highlighted some of its upcoming sessions for its Inspire partner conference later this month, which is set to reveal opportunities within the tech giant’s channel network in the near future. The event, which runs virtually...
Microsoft details big performance improvements coming first to Teams for Consumers in the move away from Electron Last week, Microsoft announced that it’s making some major under the hood performance improvements to the existing architecture of Teams to improve its performance on all platforms. The...
Bye bye Skype: Microsoft integrating Teams into Windows 11 instead MICROSOFT is continuing its push to get people to turn their backs on Skype and move over to Microsoft Teams with its next major operating system upgrade, Windows 11. When you subscribe we will use...
New approaches for a new era: the mission-critical tools for post-Covid business success Environmental concerns, economic turbulence, the pandemic, and global trade issues – business leaders are juggling an ongoing range of challenges that are feeding uncertainty. As a result, they must ensure that their...
The world we work in is changing, and the technological age we live in – with all of the opportunities it offers for advanced levels of communication, collaboration, and productivity – can be a very difficult place to navigate. Recent circumstances have led many business...
Telephony is changing. BT are in the process of retiring their ISDN services and plan to be finished by 2025 – therefore, it is essential that you explore the alternatives on the market asap if you don’t want to be left behind. Understandably, it can...
Microsoft Teams is changing how you reply to messages MICROSOFT TEAMS has enjoyed immense success as an essential tool for remote working over the last year or so. With its latest update, Microsoft is making it harder to miss important messages from friends and colleagues...
Here’s the Top 4 things you need to know about calling in Microsoft Teams One of the areas you’re probably spending most your time in Microsoft Teams is with calling. You’re likely on video chats with your colleagues, turning chats into calls, handling voice calls...
Microsoft Teams update will make your next presentation less of a snoozefest Microsoft Teams will soon let you present like a news anchor Microsoft Teams Microsoft is preparing to launch two highly anticipated options for collaboration platform Teams that will give presenters the ability to...
Microsoft Teams is adding new features. Here’s what to know about the update. Even as companies anticipate a return to the office, Microsoft is betting on remote work and the role it will play in the future. Microsoft is preparing to launch two new features...
In the previous blog we explored some of the most famous features of Microsoft 365 from their conception to the pantheon on which they now reside. We also highlighted that, due to the world’s reliance on technology increasing so abruptly, many of Microsoft 365’s features...
The world has evolved to rely more and more heavily on technology over recent years. This is partially due to advancements in technology and – more recently – the COVID-19 pandemic that forced organisations to adopt a remote working team at a moment’s notice in...
Microsoft Teams new update Microsoft Teams is finally rolling out a new update that brings support for adding external users in group chats. The feature was added to the Microsoft 365 roadmap earlier this month and Microsoft MVP Linus Cansby spotted that it’s already live...
Microsoft Teams is getting an old school feature from the 1980s Speed dial is coming to Microsoft Teams. Microsoft is working on an update for its collaboration platform Teams that pays homage to an old-school phone feature first popularized in the 1980s. As per a...
Microsoft officially retiring Internet Explorer next year, moving on to Edge Not even Microsoft wants to make Internet Explorer its default browser Microsoft is set to finally drop its 25-year-old Internet Explorer web browser next year so it can focus all of its attention on...
Microsoft just achieved something few ever thought possible Tech companies have often found this hard. It may well be that you have enormous technical skills. It may be that you have a ruthlessly motivated leader, ready to crush anything that twitches before him. It may...
Google Outlines Remote Working For Staff Going Forward Google backtracks on remote working restrictions, and offers staff more flexible options for working at the office or home Google has fine tuned its attendance policy for staff going forward, and whether they will work from home...
Can your business exist if you are not in the Cloud? For Global Executives, the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the cloud migration process. In a press conference with Morgan Stanley, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, stated that many Executives have realized, “I won’t exist if...
Remote working: why some people are less productive at home than others – new research Has working at home during lockdown made people more productive or not? This has been the subject of some lively debate recently. Many companies do not routinely measure productivity. A...
One year on: transformational IT lessons from remote working Proactive and personalized IT is key for optimal Digital Employee Experience in the hybrid workplace. Even though lockdown in the UK is easing and shops are reopening, there remains a question mark around the timing for...
Tech Tent: The audio revolution? An audio start-up without revenue gets valued at $4bn (£2.8bn), Facebook is launching what it calls social audio experiences, while Twitter has a new feature called Spaces allowing users to start an instant chat room. What’s going on? This week’s...
In this – the third blog in the series – we will take a close look at the questions asked in the Cyber Essentials Certification regarding Access Controls, and also explain what you need to do to be sure that you are reacting to /...
As we covered in the last blog in the series, the Cyber Essentials Certification can protect your organisation against 80% of common cyber attacks. We have already covered some of the ways to manage your Firewalls to guarantee you pass. In this – the second...
Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus are a set of basic – but fundamental – security requirements which, if implemented correctly, can protect your organisation against 80% of common cyber attacks. Cyber Essentials is a government-backed scheme aimed at small to medium businesses. We covered...
5 Resilience Benefits for a Newly Remote Working Environment Remember the long-ago working reality when seeking the support of your co-workers was a matter of visiting their cubicle for an impromptu knowledge-sharing session? Remember the unplanned conversations in the break room that not only provided...
Facebook: Our staff can carry on working from home after Covid Facebook says its employees can continue working from home, even as other tech giants appear to be going off the idea. The social media company told the BBC it thinks remote work is “the...
Nova Innovation has created the first-ever electric vehicle (EV) charge point where drivers can ‘fill up’ directly with energy from the sea. The EV charge point is located at Cullivoe harbour on the island of Yell in Shetland, where Nova’s tidal turbines have been powering...
Microsoft Teams Microsoft Teams added some new features to improve user experience, with some additions directed at meeting organizers and teachers. A new attendance report feature is being added that allows the meeting organizer to download an attendance report after a meeting has ended. The...
Microsoft Teams will soon allow admins to control how much bandwidth it gobbles up Microsoft is working on a new feature for its online collaboration platform Teams that will help ensure the service performs consistently, irrespective of the user’s location. As per an entry to...
NHS Trusts still not ready for WannaCry-like cyber-attacks In 2019, based on information obtained via a series of Freedom of Information requests sent to 159 NHS trusts, security firm Redscan found that the NHS was grappling with an alarming rise in the exodus of IT...
With cyber attacks on the rise, during this blog series we have explored the potentially catastrophic consequences of your Microsoft 365 account being breached, how to secure it to avoid this happening, and some of the security options, the risks they tackle, and how to...
As we explored in the previous blog in the series, small businesses are not immune to cyber threats, if anything they need to use the resources available to them to their full potential – with them often not having the budget of some of the...
Small business owners/managers have a lot to stay on top of, the pressures of which have only been accentuated by the unprecedented year we have all experienced due to COVID-19. Nevertheless, the security of your data should always be at the forefront of your concerns....
The impact of 5G and COVID-19 on the security landscape Cybersecurity in a 5G, post-COVID future The threat from cybercriminals is omnipresent and unceasing. Their approach to cybercrime is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Their tools, techniques, and technologies are evolving at rapid speeds. And they need...
Why do many organisations have a hard time keeping up with the evolving threat landscape and effectively managing their cyber-risks? Financial services companies have been a popular target for cybercriminals for a long time. Not without good reason, since beyond working with money, financial companies...
More than 1.5bn students around the world have been forced out of classrooms and seen their education disrupted by the Covid-led closure of schools and colleges. Yet while educational institutions shut their doors to comply with lockdown rules and ensure social distancing, many lessons have...
Ransomware surged by 150% in 2020 with the average extortion amount doubling, according to a new report from Group-IB. The Singapore-based security firm analyzed over 500 attacks last year to compile its Ransomware Uncovered 2020-2021 report, which maps for the first time the most common tactics, techniques and...
Serious Linux Vulnerability Last month a newly discovered critical vulnerability in ‘sudo’, a fundamental program present in all Linux and Unix operating systems caught my eye. The sudo vulnerability aka CVE-2001-3156, seemed to go under the radar after it was announced and patches were released...
Worldwide, spending on cloud computing services is expected to climb to $1073 billion. It’s reshaped our vernacular too. A cloud is no longer just an amorphous, gaseous blob in the sky. It’s an ever-present technology in our lives. Snap a photo and it’ll likely be...
In the previous blogs in the series, we have explored some of the different types of cyber-attack, how to combat them and the ramifications of not combatting them effectively. In this, the third and final blog of the series, we will take a look at...
As previously mentioned, cyber threats are everywhere and the likelihood of them causing severe – potentially business defining – problems are greater than ever. We have also discussed three of the most prominent cyber-attack methods used by cybercriminals, which are as follows. Ransomware Phishing Malware...
Cyber threats are everywhere and are now more likely to cause potentially business-debilitating ramifications than ever before. Cybersecurity is largely about never letting your guard down, being aware and alert at all times. Many do not know how serious of a threat cyberattacks are. The...
Although 3,800 security jobs were created, recruitment, expansion and financial growth slowed sharply against the previous year The number of UK cybersecurity businesses surged by 21% between 2019 and 2020 to number 1,483, with the industry as a whole bucking wider economic trends to create...
Workers report feeling happier when working from home, though there seems to be a disconnect between staff sentiments and employer demands, according to research from Microsoft. Businesses need to look beyond remote working and think about introducing a wider array of flexible working options to...
At the end of January, a People in Law conference heard from Iain Harrison, a senior manager at EY about the difficulties and potential rewards of establishing a new hybrid working model once the pandemic has receded. Adam McCulloch listened in. Businesses must not confuse...
Workers in the UK are happier working from home but also feel more pressure to be always available to bosses, according to new research published today. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a dramatic shift to remote working over the past year, with a large number...
Peter says that the cyber-attacks on his company are relentless. “We see tens of different hacking attacks every single week. It is never ending.” A senior computer network manager for a global financial services company, Peter (who did not want to give his surname, or...
The cloud infrastructure market in 2020 reflected society itself, with the richest companies getting richer and the ones at the bottom of the market getting poorer. It grew to $129 billion for the year, according to data from Synergy Research Group. That’s up from around...
Corporate leaders are increasingly elevating the importance of cybersecurity to their companies. But recent high-profile attacks show how much more needs to be done in the year ahead. Here are the five biggest cybersecurity challenges that must be overcome. The far-reaching cybersecurity breaches of 2020,...
Two-thirds of remote workers risk potentially breaching GDPR guidelines by printing out work-related documents at home, according to a new study from Go Shred. The confidential shredding and records management company discovered that 66% of home workers have printed work-related documents since they began working...
Cyber Essentials – The Objective To prevent harmful code from causing damage or accessing sensitive data. The aim is to do this by restricting the execution of known malware and untrusted software. What is Malware? “Malware (a portmanteau for malicious software) is any software...
Cyber Essentials – The Objective To ensure that devices and software are not vulnerable to known security issues for which fixes are available. Keeping your devices and software up-to-date is of the utmost importance. If your devices aren’t equipped with the latest protection you are...
Cyber essentials – The Aim of Access Control The objective of Cyber Essentials is – with the assistance of access control – to ensure user accounts only provide access to applications, networks and computers that the user needs to perform their role – the keyword...
Continuing with our compliance theme, Matthew Locker, a Cyber Security Consultant at Apstorm has shared his ideas on how law firms can remain compliant in the modern world. The legal sector is rich in sensitive data and financial transactions, unfortunately, this makes it an attractive...
Presenteeism has long been associated with working life in the city, viewed by many employers and employees as essential for getting known and getting ahead. However, in response to the Covid 19 pandemic, businesses have had to cope with an abrupt move to mass remote...
The world witnessed a historic shift in the 2020 job market due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While some companies used to offer remote work as a perk, it has now become the norm for most businesses. By 2025, an estimated 70% of the workforce will be...
A majority of UK businesses are failing to adequately train their remote working employees to spot security threats, according to new research from iomart. The cloud services company based its Cyber Security Insights Report on the views of 1167 UK workers at C-level, director, manager and employee...
The security challenges posed by remote working aren’t solved through technology alone It is now almost a cliché to suggest 2020 has been a year like no other. From full national lockdowns to widespread limitations on social interaction, it’s hard to imagine how anyone, anywhere...
The second of the 5 controls is Secure configuration, which involves making device and software settings as secure as possible. This process requires a very proactive approach to your IT management. The default security settings ARE NOT the most secure It is often the...
Firewalls are one of the 5 key components required to achieve the Cyber Essentials certification. Let us take a look at how firewalls work, the different types and the various ways to configure them to ensure you satisfy the requirements of Cyber Essentials. Before we...
Cyber Essentials is a government backed scheme designed to help businesses protect themselves from some of the most common online threats. Since its introduction in 2014, 30,000 businesses have been awarded the highly regarded certification. In order to pass and achieve certification you must prove...
Security officials race to probe one of the most sophisticated cyber attacks of recent years. The US government has put out an emergency warning about what appears to be one of the most sophisticated cyberespionage campaigns in recent years. Hackers working for a nation-state managed...
Report finds many attacks focus on companies least impacted by COVID-19 outbreak Web application attacks have increased by over 800%, according to the State of the Web Security for H1 2020 report. Published by CDN and cloud security provider CDNetworks, the report found that during...
According to last year’s Gartner forecast, public cloud services are anticipated to grow to $USD 266.4 billion by the end of this year, up from $USD 227.8 billion just a year ago. Clearly, cloud computing is making its way to cloud nine, (See what I...
The National Cyber Security Centre has said it handled a record 723 cyber incidents between September 2019 and August this year, 200 of which were related to the coronavirus, and also removed 22,000 malicious URLs that were set up to target individuals and organisations. In...
The pandemic has changed so much about our lives, including how we work. COVID-19 forced companies to switch to remote working quickly, but as more and more people work from home for more extended periods, many believe it will become the new normal for the...
Security researchers have uncovered a major Facebook scam exploiting hundreds of thousands of users after the scammers left an Elasticsearch server unsecured. Among the 5.5GB haul discovered by vpnMentor on September 21, was 150,000-200,000 Facebook usernames and passwords, and personal info including emails, names and phone...
A British ticketing company has been financially penalized over a 2018 data breach that exposed the personal information of millions of customers across Europe. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined Ticketmaster UK Limited £1.25m for failing to keep its customers’ personal data secure. Ticketmaster issued a data breach notice in...
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is ‘stepping up support’ for the National Health Service to help protect UK hospitals and other healthcare organisations against cyberattacks. The NCSC’s Annual Review 2020 reveals that the cyber arm of GCHQ has handled more 200 cyber incidents related to...
A hotel software provider has exposed the personal data of millions of guests around the world after misconfiguring an AWS bucket, according to a new report from Website Planet. The tech site’s security team discovered an exposed cloud database belonging to Spanish developer Prestige Software,...
The events of 2020 have turned most predictions for 2021 on their head. Top trends such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT) will still define the ways in which tech reshapes our lives in the next year. However, the most significant...
2020 has come with a unique set of challenges to everyone’s lives across all backgrounds. Businesses have had to adapt to a different way of working. They have had to produce a place of work that is productive whilst allowing for the 2-meter distancing measures...
The world of IT can be a minefield to manoeuvre if inexperienced. Many business owners are spending time trawling the internet looking for tools to improve their remote working environment, to no fruition. Unfortunately many don’t have any idea what they are looking for; most...
The world is a challenging place to live at the moment. Whether that be on a personal level, financial level, or a business level. Covid has forced us all to change the way we live our daily lives, our days’ work is no exception. Many...
The number of publicly reported data breaches fell in the third quarter of 2020, but billions of more records were exposed globally to bring the total this year to 36 billion, according to Risk Based Security. The security vendor’s 2020 Q3 Data Breach QuickView Report was compiled...
Around 65,000 cyber-attacks are attempted on UK SMEs daily, with about 4,500 of them carried out successfully, according to Hiscox. This means that every 19 seconds, one SME in the UK is suffering from a cyber breach/attack – and a survey by cyber insurance firm...
Rising cybercrime and remote working have become a serious concern for cybersecurity professionals. Covid-19 has drastically changed the working environment in all corporate environments all over the globe. Working from home has become the new normal, creating a cybersecurity threat in the process. To know...
There’s a significant movement in cybersecurity right now that is seeing organizations approach the problem of cyber defence through the eyes of an attacker. This is very different from the check-box approach often associated with standard security or compliance frameworks – and it requires specialist...
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been chatting with people at four multi-national companies I work with who’ve seen productivity and revenue increase during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been surprisingly consistent about why they’ve benefited from this New Normal. I’ve also been following...
The fine against British Airways for GDPR failings has been reduced to £20m from the original £183m intent to fine issued last July. An ICO investigation found the airline was processing a significant amount of personal data without adequate security measures in place, leading to...
An important development of Microsoft 365 in 2020 has been the launch of the new Microsoft lists app. Until now the ‘Lists’ feature has only been accessible through SharePoint, but now finally the ‘Lists’ feature has been made available through its own standalone platform. There...
Lacking meeting productivity? This is a problem! A recent study suggests 70% of company executives fear meetings are affecting their productivity. This is reinforced by a recent survey that stated that over 50% of remote workers would rather spend less time in video calls. Additionally,...
In Microsoft 365 there are often many ways to achieve the same goal. One example of this is when scheduling team meetings. This feature allows users to organise meetings through the Teams app or through Outlook. Below we shall explore both methods. Scheduling meetings...
More than one in five (21%) UK workers feel more vulnerable to cybercrime since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study by PwC. Stress or fatigue was the most common factor (35%) cited by those workers, followed by lack of skills and...
UK school payment service Wisepay has revealed that the card details of parents who made transactions on its site between October 2 and 5 have been compromised. This was after Wisepay’s website was hacked, resulting in an attacker harvesting payment details via a spoof page....
Ransomware was the most observed threat in 2020, according to a global corporate investigations and risk consulting firm based in New York City. Kroll‘s proprietary data on cyber incident response cases shows that ransomware attacks accounted for over one-third of all cases as of September...
The world’s second-biggest fashion retailer was today handed a monumental fine for violating the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). A German subsidiary of Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) was fined €35,258,707.95 by regulatory body the Hamburg Data Protection Authority (HmbBfDI) for excessive use...
More than half of businesses have cited scaling endpoint security as their main pain point in 2020. According to new research of 1005 key business stakeholders including C-Suite, IT and cybersecurity leaders by Asavie, 53% cited endpoint as their number one issue, followed by protecting against vulnerabilities (44%),...
Around one in three (31%) people in the UK are not actively concerned about cybersecurity, according to a study by ESET. In a survey of 2000 UK citizens, which looked at their cybersecurity habits, more than half (57%) do not believe they’ve been hacked and 46%...
A European fashion retailer has become the latest big-name brand to expose personal data on millions of its customers after misconfiguring a cloud database. Researchers at vpnMentor discovered the unencrypted Elasticsearch server on June 28 and parent company BrandBQ finally secured it around a month...
Most UK firms are set to increase digital adoption after admitting that the cloud saved their business from collapse during the early months of the COVID-19 crisis, but security remains a persistent challenge, according to new research. Identity management vendor Centrify surveyed 200 business decision-makers...
The way cybersecurity awareness training is conducted in organizations has a huge bearing on employees’ subsequent security outlook and behaviors, according to a new report from Osterman Research. The researchers discovered that users who found security training “very interesting” were over 13-times more likely to make “fundamental...
Over a third of government and enterprise users have been given privileged access despite not needing it, potentially exposing their organization to greater cyber-risk, according to Forcepoint. The security vendor polled nearly 1900 privileged users in the UK and US to better understand the current...
The COVID-19 pandemic – and the lockdowns that followed last spring – wrought changes across IT operations and strategy as businesses and employees adjusted to a new environment. But what changes were made, and which ones are likely to last? Spiceworks Ziff Davis, a B2B...
IT leaders have suffered significantly higher numbers of data breaches as a result of outbound email in the last 12 months. According to research by Egress, 93% of 538 IT leaders surveyed reported a breach in the past year due to an email error, with 70% of those...
A large proportion of employees are using their own devices to access data belonging to their company, according to a new study by Trend Micro. Researchers found that 39% of workers use personal smartphones, tablets, and laptops to access corporate data, often via services and applications...
Over half (56%) of UK businesses plan to increase their digital skills training budgets for staff next year, suggesting changes to working practices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic will be sustained. This is according to a survey of 200 senior business decision makers...
Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman today announced £500,000 in fresh government funding to help medical suppliers, primary care providers, and other businesses in the healthcare sector boost their cyber security. The fresh government funding comes in response to the National Cyber Security Centre’s assessment that...
Global gaming hardware manufacturing company Razer leaked the personal information of around 100,000 customers by storing their data in an Elasticsearch cluster that was misconfigured to enable public access, security researcher Bob Diachenko has revealed. The personal information of around 100,000 Razer customers was stored...
Security researchers have discovered hundreds of vulnerabilities across major hotel and airline and travel booking websites, some of which have already suffered major breaches. UK-based consumer rights group Which? and tech consultancy 6point6 studied 98 travel sector companies, probing websites, subdomains, employee portals and other...
New research from Kaspersky has discovered that of the 32% of Brits provided with a corporate desktop computer, only 77% have adequate anti-virus or cybersecurity software installed, leaving 23% of company desktops significantly insecure and exposed to cyber-threats. This is also the case for company...
A leading UK university has warned staff and students that it will take weeks to recover from a recent ransomware incident, with a well-known threat group already posting stolen documents. Newcastle University in the north-east of England is part of the elite Russell Group. It...
Millions of WordPress sites are being probed in automated attacks looking to exploit a recently discovered plugin vulnerability, according to security researchers. Wordfence, which itself produces a plugin for the platform, revealed news of the zero-day bug at the start of September. It affects File Manager which,...
Before we start…what is a VPN? For the purposes of online security, a VPN provides a network with private, encrypted access to the internet using the internet connection of a remote server. All data that passes between devices on your network and this server is...
Ransomware refers to a type of malware designed to force victims into paying a fee in order to restore encrypted files or regain access to a disabled system. Ransomware is most commonly associated with file encryption. The hackers will infect a device, encrypt files and...
Phishing scams…what are they? Phishing scams come in a variety of forms but typically they involve the use of a false identity to extract sensitive information from a victim. Phishing scammers use various methods to perform such scams, but the fraudulent practice is most strongly...
Luminate Education Group suffered a cyber attack last week that affected a number of Leeds-based colleges such as Leeds City College, Harrogate College, Keighley College, and University Centre Leeds. Earlier today, Luminate Education Group said the cyberattacks took place on 11th August and resulted in...
A vulnerability in the TeamViewer app could allow malicious actors to steal passwords. The high-severity flaw was discovered in the desktop version of the app for Windows before 15.8.3. By exploiting the weakness, authenticated threat actors operating remotely could execute code on victims’ systems or crack their TeamViewer...
Popular stock photo site Freepik has disclosed a major data breach affecting over eight million customers. The incident also affected users of the sister site Flaticon, which claims to run the world’s largest database of free icons. In a breach notice over the weekend, the...
Nearly half (47%) of UK IT leaders have not updated their security strategies to account for their move to cloud environments, putting their organizations at higher risk of cyber-attack, according to a new study by Trend Micro commissioned for CLOUDSEC Online. This is despite the fact that traditional...
Almost two-fifths (39%) of British business decision makers have sacked employees because they breached corporate security policy during the pandemic, according to new data from Centrify. The IAM specialist polled 200 UK respondents to find out more about how COVID-19 and mass remote working has impacted...
The company behind one of India’s most popular travel booking sites exposed 43GB of customer and corporate data before it was deleted by the infamous “Meow” attacker, according to researchers. A team at SafetyDetectives led by Anurag Sen discovered an Elasticsearch server without password protection...
Nearly a quarter (23%) of UK office workers rely on unauthorized devices to work from home, a new study by CybSafe has found. The research revealed that poor personal cybersecurity practices are commonplace amongst workers operating outside of corporate environments, which is worrying as home working is expected...
A social media data broker has exposed the public-facing profiles of 235 million users via a misconfigured online database, according to researchers. Comparitech teamed up with Bob Diachenko to uncover three identical copies of the data on August 1, left online with no password or...
Over the last 5 months, the constantly evolving nature of the Covid-19 pandemic has made it harder for businesses to focus solely on their service delivery. With the pressure to adapt to the ‘new ways of working’ it’s likely many business owners will have been...
2020 has been a turbulent year, requiring businesses to adapt and implement massive changes often at breakneck speed. When the initial lockdown restrictions were imposed in March many businesses were likely caught off guard and were forced to adopt less than ideal practices to ensure...
We’ve been in business for over 15 years, and during that time we’ve seen a lot, but we’ve never experienced a period of greater upheaval and uncertainty as to the situation we’re all finding ourselves in now. The Covid-19 pandemic has turned the business world...
Whilst we wait with bated breath for guidelines and the end of formal restrictions on movement and work, we are starting to see our neighbours in other countries starting to lift restrictions. We don’t yet know the extent of these and how successful they may...
What is the secret recipe to success in any organisation ’Great teamwork’ that’s what! Our organisations depend on multiple staff with differing experiences and expertise, to make sure everything runs the way we want it too. Only when things work well can we chart a...
Remote and flexible working has been high on the agenda for many years, in Social App, Buffers annual report “The State of Remote Working” they found that of the 2500 workers surveyed, a staggering 99% had the desire to work remotely. In the World’s Best...
It can be hard to concentrate when working from home as you can be surrounded by distractions such as kids, the dog, the news or that wandering cat who likes to sit near you or worse still on your laptop. With the COVID pandemic, more of us are having to adjust to working...
A Message For Our Clients Dear Client, We have been facing unprecedented challenges during the last couple of weeks, and our teams have been working hard to ensure we can continue to deliver and help with what you need at this challenging time. In...
If you have not already do so, we would strongly recommend having a plan in place to combat any closures or forced quarantine measure that may be introduced. As part of this strategy, you need to make plans for the following; Effective Communication through mobile, landline or softphones. Computers, Laptops...
What happens If a member of your staff gets quarantined from a deadly disease or what if all of them do? How would your business continue to survive? The threat of the Corona virus or another outbreak is always looming and with the latest outbreak...
Overview On many occasions Microsoft have tried to get us to use their own search engine “Bing” rather than other engines such as google. This has had limited success (like Bing results), but Microsoft are now upping the ante and starting to apply devious ways to push us to Bing. The team at Microsoft are now looking to force users to using Bing by simply setting the search engine to default in...
Last year was an interesting year for technology. We saw the introduction of foldable smart phones (that admittedly flopped), a rise in demand for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the form of Amazons Alexa and continued growth as people continued to adopt Smart Tech for their homes. In addition, we also saw how Virtual Reality (VR) can have the ability to help dementia patients, letting them...
The New Decade As we wave goodbye to another decade, we look forward (with hope) and try to guess what the future might bring. But where did people think we would be 10 years’ ago? or even further into the past. How would technology and...
We hope all our Customers and Visitors have a wonderful holiday this Christmas. If you are working and do need us are opening hours are as follows. Tuesday 24th ‘Christmas Eve’ 10am – 4pm Wednesday 25th ‘Christmas Day’ – Closed Thursday 26th ‘Boxing Day’...
Don’t expect any Golden Rings, French Hens or Leaping Lords, and instead of your true love sending you gifts, it will be us giving you a Christmas gift of advice to help keep you secure and your Xmas merry indeed. This year our festive gift...
HP have released a firmware update after it was revealed that certain Serial-Attached SCSI solid state drives had a significant glitch resulting in them failing at exactly 32,768 hours of operational time. Whilst we don’t have clients using these, they are not uncommon and are...
On Wednesday 20th November we will be attending the South Yorkshire Business Expo. Aside from exhibiting, we have been invited to deliver a seminar on Cyber Security. Our Head of Sales and Marketing, Simon Dobson, will be talking about Cyber Security and offering some business...
Aside from October being the month of autumnal change, clocks going back and small witches knocking on doors to get a fuel filled sugar rush! It was also something else. National Cyber Security Month. Whilst its not quite as exciting as dressing as a zombie...
The Cyber Security Industry – What are they trying to achieve? Everyone in the cyber security industry (including us) are focused on the same goal. That goal is simple, to keep businesses secure from the huge variety of threats that exist in the cyber wilderness....
Following the collapse of Thomas Cook, criminals are already exploiting people who have experienced a significant impact to their holidays. These criminals will attempt to scam anyone into revealing personal and financial information under the guise of assisting with refunds. This can include: • Pretending...
Bank holidays, a time for fun and enjoyment, but best of all, not having to get up at half six in the morning, jumping on the half seven bus and still only just making it to work on time. These days are a teat to...
This is a short and true-life story; the names have been changed to protect the blundering fools. Donald is a forty something bloke, working in middle management, he still likes to think that he has something cool about him, but the reality is he’s secretly...
ALERT: Internet Criminals are sending phishing attacks where they try to trick you into listening to a fake “Audio Note”. They show you screen shots and attempt to scam you into clicking on links or even log into a fake Microsoft login page. Phishing scammers...
What kind of world do we live in when we have to submit to the will of the bad guys? Sometimes it may be necessary to do so, or the consequences could lead to the infrastructure and services of entire cities, being down for days...
As an IT Service Provider, we spend a lot of time talking to businesses about the risk posed by cyber threats. We don’t do this to scare monger, every IT Service Provider is at war! The 21st century has forced us to enlist in the...
Our Technical team are the heart of the company and the emergency service that keep our customers working. So, what is it like to be an engineer at Netcom? And what does an average day look like? To find out, we asked one of our...
Technology is constantly evolving, creating amazing new innovations that have the ability to change our lifestyles in ways that were previously impossible. With the consumerisation of technology there is no surprise that smart tech has trickled down to our homes. From being able to turn the...
Technology has undoubtedly helped to evolve manufacturing, making it more efficient and even more profitable. Automation, Robots, IOT and even 3D printing have contributed to the continued success of the manufacturing sector. VR and AR could also have a huge impact on the industries future....
Did you know that over 33% of all businesses know that they are not GDPR compliant? That’s the companies that know what the new data protection law’s are!!! Some still have no idea what the General Data Protection laws (GDPR) are?, if they are compliant?...
A finding recently unveiled how someone managed to hack and acquire 773 million email addresses as well as 21 million unique passwords (the biggest data breach ever). It is astonishing that one person could get hold of this amount of data. It seems a scary thought...
Technology is changing every aspect of our lives. From the way we communicate to one another to how we order food and even how we pay for our wildest desires. One of the biggest changes that has come with the evolution of technology is its...
For some companies,2019 heralded an escape from what had been a bad year, and not necessarily because of poor results or mismanaged finances. Ticketfly, Facebook and even Google fell victim to cyber-attack in 2018, leaking vast amounts of data including addresses, telephone numbers, bank and...
2019 has kicked off with a bang and we would like to introduce you to the latest member of the Netcom team. Lucas Brown has joined our Sales and Marketing team, and will be helping us to execute and deliver on our ambitious plans...
Whilst most Children really do deserve coal in their stocking (mine especially) a huge number of adorable little urchins, will be tucking into their selection box whilst excitedly unwrapping small rectangular boxes containing wonderfully expensive electronic devices made by Apple. Christmas 2017 saw a staggering...
Yesterday saw some of the Netcom Team go head to head with our customer Samuel Hodge group in an epic Go karting battle in Sheffield. Once the suits were on, engines started and vizors down the battle commenced. Karts screeched round corners, bumped one another...
Why Do We Need Cyber Essentials? We live in a world where cyber-attacks are now a lucrative business model and used by criminals and states. This is partly due to speed of growth and our increasing reliance on connected technologies, both personally and professionally. The...
If you think that these Cyber threats people talk about just won’t happen to you, then it’s time to think again as Scottish brewery Arran recently found out. Arran brewery has since warned firms to be vigilant after it was locked out of its own...
You’ve put in the hours, missed school plays and sacrificed time to make a better life for you and you loved ones and have achieved that executive position with your feet firmly under the board room table. You’re comfortably that everything is on order, shareholders are...
We are seeing the emergence of wide spread Phishing Email attack and need to make everyone aware. Many companies and individuals, have today received emails from a malicious team, advising that devices have been hacked and will shortly be encrypted and erased unless a fine...
Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2017 The Cyber Security Breaches Survey measures how well UK businesses are approaching cyber security, and the level, nature, cost and impact of cyber attacks on businesses. For more a more detailed look at the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2017, Please click...
There are still many SME businesses that shy away from investing in IT support, and prefer to opt for a self-managed option. The reasons for this vary, but often it’s a lack of understanding or perception around paying out a monthly fee to protect things that may...
You may be aware of the recent news reports, that vulnerabilities have been discovered with Intel and other computing processors that need to be addressed. These vulnerabilities are broken into two different issues; Although recently discovered “Spectre” affects all processors and exploits a fundamental design flaw in...
Uber, Sage, Tesco Bank, Experian, this isn’t a who’s who of global brand names and successful companies, but just a few of the companies hacked in 2017. Data breaches are becoming commonplace and when these happen, the effects on customer confidence and the brand can...
Most of the time we love our technology, and even though we can’t live without it, we’re all are guilty of threatening the poor devices for getting it wrong or moaning when they take slightly longer than we want. No wonder they’re out to get their own back! iPod Lightning Strikes Vancouver 2007, young jogger was left with burns...
Symantec recently reported that 96% of UK businesses are not prepared for the new General Data Protection Regulations – GDPR Whilst we cannot confirm the statistic, In our experience, many organisations have not acted upon the changes, and some are not even aware of any...
It seems today that everything requires sign up, a loyalty card for coffee to paying your car tax online, we constantly need to create user names and passwords. Aside from the age of information overload, we now need databanks in our heads to store and...
Latest update: It is now being reported that the virus may not be spread by email and the data suggests that Petya was deployed onto possibly millions of computers by hacking popular Ukrainian Accounting software “MeDoc” then using the automatic update feature to download the...
We have moved into a digital age where the cloud subscription model has become king and we are seeing the consumerisation of IT services changing the way both home users and business procure IT. However, a common question we are often asked is “Should I...
We live in the most exciting and fast-paced period of technological innovation ever and whilst this sees us controlling our homes from mobiles and heading down the road in Self-driving Cars such as the TESLA I can’t help thinking back to the old movies such...
There is no hiding from it, the UK and potentially world had a huge wake-up call to the future of crime and potentially warfare with the Wannacrypt ransomware wreaking havoc across the NHS and commercial enterprise. What do we know about this latest threat? Research...
Over the weekend seven fire appliances attended a large industrial fire that took place at Yarra Industrial estate in Ecclesfield. We are pleased nobody was hurt but a number of businesses have been destroyed and we hope these are back up and running with minimal...
Not many films have such a profound as the Starwars franchise (okay, so we can forget episodes one to three as a bad dream) but going back to 1977 the dark brooding Vader and baby-faced skywalker has certainly stood the test of time. With May,...
When you ask anyone from outside of Yorkshire about the place, the images conjured will be that of a Flat Cap, Whippet or Compo from “Last of the Summer Wine” whilst partially accurate we have a much richer heritage. A Hotspot For Growth And Innovation...
As a provider of initiative support and systems Netcom is always on the lookout for new systems to help our customers. One of the main difficulties for any business is managing their customers, CRM systems make this a lot easier. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is one...
If you could get brand new £25k car at half price, you would probably jump at the opportunity and that’s exactly what is happening in South Yorkshire this Year – albeit with Business Funding for Digital Projects. 2015 saw the launch of the Super-Fast South...
4 small steps which will incease your laptop or tablets battery ‘on time’ For many out there working out of the office is vital for their Job role but they still need access to a computer. The obvious choice of this is of course a...
Reasons to move to Office 365 As Take That once sang “Everything Changes” just look at music. We shifted from Vinyl to Tape, Tape to Minidisc, Minidisc to CD, CD to MP3 and so forth. The world of software is no different, and most software and gaming vendors...
Netcom Technologies Sheffield or Vase.Limbs.Stared? This probably makes it seem like I’m going crazy but not according to What3Words. What3Words or W3W for short are a London company that has developed a solution to trying to describe where you are without the need of a...
Whether at work or at home, the cost of printing has always surprised me. Just head to any store or online stationary supplier and check out the cost of replacement Ink, it’s not cheap. I remember a few years back, you could buy well featured...
Choosing your Managed Services or IT Support partner, a few tips to help you on your way. Netcom have been supporting and guiding businesses in Sheffield for over 14 years, working with them, to ensure the technology meets the business needs and any challenges can...
What does your desk say about you? If you are sitting at your desk now, take a look around and ask yourself: “What is this desk saying about me?” For example, what messages does a photo of your mum send to your co-workers, or...
How to Calculate the Size of a Server Room Air Conditioner As IT professionals, we frequently find ourselves needing to cross over the IT boundaries past the usual server support and network support and explore other disciplines, one such time is when refitting and setting up server rooms....
Keeping you Safe at Christmas and Beyond Every year the scale and complexity of Cyber Attacks on our customer’s businesses increase, with new innovative and complex ways to turn technology and malicious intent into a lucrative business model. Whilst no security is 100% secure, building...
Have you ever emailed your finance team or accountant to ask them to pay a bill for you? If so did they question this? If not then why not? We’re all busy, we all try to save time but potentially losing tens of...
Microsoft will increase the prices it charges British businesses by up to 22% to account for the slump in the value of the pound following the EU referendum result, the software company has announced. Microsoft announced in its UK tech blog that from January 2017 the software...
Yahoo have admitted that, back in 2014, 500m Yahoo accounts were hacked. Because of this BT and Sky have advised customers that have not changed account passwords post December 2014 to change them as soon as possible, this is because both @Sky.com emails and some...
As an apprentice I have many roles at Netcom, some of which can be quite challenging. My main role at Netcom to respond to customer inquiries and help resolve any issues they may have with their IT. Most of the time when people call there...
The latest evolution of Microsoft operating system has arrived, and unlike the launch of Windows 8 which was reported to have cost an estimated $1.8 billion in Marketing spend alone, the new king has silently risen to the throne without pomp and ceremony. That said...
The internet is an essential part of our lives both at work and at home. Its okay at work because its taken care of and Netcom are here to help but what about when you are at home when your workplace IT people are not...
Technology can be complicated! Every day almost every one of us, juggle multiple devices. It is not uncommon to be using a Mobile, Tablet or Laptop and that’s without the addition of a computer at work. Add to this the very nature of our technology,...
Our newest apprentice IT support engineer, Macauley Cupitt tells us about his first few weeks. Starting an apprenticeship with new people and new jobs might sound daunting, but when I first started at Netcom Technologies, I was more than impressed with just how nice and welcoming people...
Last month Netcom supported Nina, one of our clients daughters, to travel to Africa to work in a school in Du Noon for 2 weeks. Nina dropped me and email last week so i thought id share. It was a pleasure Nina! Hi Mark, I...
