The top 3 IT industry developments that have impacted businesses are: 

  • The adoption  and  utilisation  of Microsoft Office 365  
  • An increase in the awareness of Cyber Security incidents  
  • Windows 7 and Server 2008 end of life migrations  have been taking place in full force 

Microsoft Office 365 

Launched in 2011, Microsoft Office 365 provided a new way for businesses to purchase their Microsoft products. Offered as a subscription service, a suite of products were made available for the duration of the subscription.  

Traditionally, Microsoft products had only been available as a one-off purchase. The cracks had begun to appear with this method of purchasing – updates weren’t available, hardware would move on quicker than software versions and there was the risk that support for old software would be removed by Microsoft. Basically, the software was potentially out of date as soon as it was purchased; as we all know, hardware and software is continually being updated, so the traditional method of purchasing software was proving outdated and cumbersome. Conversely, subscriptions allowed the user to always have the very latest versions of software, new applications as they were introduced to the suite as well as cloud-based services.  

These two methods of purchasing Microsoft products have co-existed for that last 8 years and in 2017 sales of the subscription services overtook one-off software purchases. Office 365 now makes up over 80% of cloud-software usage and in 2018 there were over 155 million users globally! 

At Net Primates we also provide Microsoft Office 365 Enhanced, providing additional security protection. Find out how we can help your business adopt the software, and use all the latest applications available in the suite.

CALL Net Primates on 02381 800 800
Email [email protected]
Visit www.netprimates.com/contact

You can also learn more on the Microsoft Office 365 YouTube channel

Cyber Security awareness 

During 2019 a business would fall victim to a ransomware attack EVERY 14 SECONDS, so predicted the 2019 Official Annual Cybercrime Report! Until the end of the year we won’t know the exact figures, but we do know that during October 2019 421 million records were breached! 

Whilst awareness of Cyber Security incidents is rising to the fore in businesses that fully understand the associated risks, there is still a severe lack of understanding, particularly among SMEs. Whilst we only hear about the big breaches on the news headlines, sole traders and SMEs are also prime targets (particularly as they may not realise how valuable they can be to unscrupulous cyber criminals). We hear about incidents taking place in Hampshire on a regular basis. 

Awareness of the UK Government’s ‘Cyber Essentials’ accreditation scheme is rising, but again reinforces how small businesses are less aware. According to Statista, 46% of large firms are aware of the scheme this year, whilst just 8% of micro firms, and 19% of small businesses share the same knowledge. 

Here at Net Primates we’re doing our best to educate businesses in Hampshire about the cyber risks they could well be facing, and how to significantly reduce the risk of a breach. If you haven’t joined us at a Cyber Security Seminar then we’d encourage you to do so. Not only will we provide you with information on the risks that you face, but arm you with the tools to help keep your business safe.  

To book your place on our seminar: 
Email [email protected] 
CALL Net Primates on 02381 800 800 

Windows 7 and Server 2008 end of life migrations  

After 10 years, support for Windows 7 is being withdrawn by Microsoft on 14th January 2020 and, as such, many businesses have been migrating away from the old software. Alongside will be a similar outcome for Windows Server 2008. 

Businesses have been updating their software and servers since Microsoft announced the changes, ensuring that their systems are more efficient and better protected against viruses and malware. 

For those businesses that don’t migrate by the January deadline they will no longer be able access Microsoft support for technical issues, they won’t receive any updates, and security fixes will be unavailable.  

Significant software and hardware improvements have taken place over the last decade and businesses that don’t enjoy the advantages brought by these risk falling behind their competitors. They are also jeopardising the security of their systems and risk devasting consequences of a security breach. Sound harsh? Yes, we appreciate that the withdraw of support can sound scary and unnecessary, but even the tech giants can’t afford to support software and systems that are simply outdated and no longer fit for purpose in today’s businesses. 

Are you running Windows 7 and/or Server 2008? Ask Net Primates for assistance – we’ll run through what’s involved with migration and the advantages you’ll receive when you do.

CALL Net Primates on 02381 800 800
Email [email protected]
Visit www.netprimates.com/contact