Windows 11 is here, but should you upgrade?
So this week (5th October) Microsoft launched Windows 11. As with previous Microsoft Operating System releases, Microsoft has stated that some Users will be able to upgrade for FREE for…
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Inside the mind of a hacker
Inside the mind of a hacker I recently reviewed some information from our backup and replication partner – Veeam – in their document 5 Ransomware Protection Best Practices, which I…
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Too Small to Target? Nope!
Too Small to Target? Nope! Obviously, I tend to post a lot of content focusing on research from vendors with whom we partner and trust like Fortinet, Trend Micro,, Datto, Inc., Veeam Software and Microsoft. But…
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The Ultimate Disaster Recovery Checklist
The Ultimate Disaster Recovery Checklist Just this week a business near to us (but not a client) suffered an intense fire, which effectively burnt their premises to the ground. They…
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Cyber Insurance. Are you covered?
Cyber Insurance. Are you covered? In a recent post by Shaun Freeman here, the author references the critical elements required to protect your business from Ransomware using a very useful checklist.…
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Do you use a DrayTek router?
Do you use a DrayTek router? Do you think it is protecting your perimeter as much as you need it to? In the last few days’, I have come across…
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11 ‘Magnificent’ New Features in Microsoft Teams for 2021
11 New Features in Microsoft Teams for 2021 The Magnificent 11 🤠! As we enter 2021, Microsoft has announced 11 ‘magnificent’ features to enhance the MS Teams experience as follows …
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Going in for the Kill (chain)!
Last week I was party to a discussion on LinkedIn regarding recruitment agencies being approached by companies offering them work, mainly just to payroll some employees due to some difficulty…
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7 Scary Cybersecurity Statistics
7 Scary Cybersecurity Statistics and Recommendations to Improve Security A cyberattack is a scary event. It can shut down your business, cripple government agencies and incapacitate hospitals and other healthcare…
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We love Veeam!
Many of our team have recommended and sold Veeam over the years, because it’s simply great! Why? Well for over a decade, Veeam has been the leading provider of backup, recovery, and…
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Are you a sitting duck?
Small businesses are under attack. Right now, extremely dangerous and well funded cybercrime rings in China, Russia and the Ukraine are using sophisticated software systems to hack into thousands of…
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How ‘capable’ is your Backup plan?
How ‘capable’ is your Backup/Disaster Recovery plan? Can you recover to an hour, a day or a week ago? How long will it take to recover? Recent press stories have…
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Cyber Essentials Accreditation
Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus Certifications Here at CTO we take IT Security very seriously and have published several posts in the Insight section of our website. These include…
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The 3P’s of IT Security
As a marketing graduate from long ago (1992 – longer than I care to remember) I can recall the fuss made over the concept of the 4P’s – namely Product, Price, Promotion…
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The CTO Difference – the next generation MSP
The CTO difference – the next generation MSP As we approach 6 months since the Coronavirus Pandemic took hold over the UK, it is clear many Managed Service Providers (MSPs)…
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Co-Managed IT – Supporting an internal IT team
What is Co-Managed IT? Co-Managed IT refers to the collaboration between a Managed Service Provider (MSP) and a client’s internal IT department. It is common among MSP’s that serve larger…
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Reopening the Workplace After COVID-19
Reopening the Workplace After COVID-19: A Checklist for Businesses The CTO team have done a sterling job supporting businesses during the Pandemic. I, myself, have come back into the business…
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It’s nice to be appreciated!
It’s nice to be appreciated! With the country currently in ‘lock-down due to COVID-19 and everyone scrambling to work from home, Managed IT Service Providers have been put under significant…
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Infections, infections everywhere! Ransomware!
Who’s most susceptible to Ransomware? Whilst the country goes into mass hysteria regarding the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), CTO has turned its attention to those sectors that are most likely to…
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10 Good Reasons to Adopt Microsoft Teams
A recent post that popped-up on my personal LinkedIn account highlighted the useful privacy (blurring) feature when using video chat in Microsoft Teams. Some cynics may say ‘that’s a nice…
Read Post Core Team One joins Fortinet Partner Program
WEST YORKSHIRE – 13 FEB 2020 – Core Team One, Managed Service Provider today announced that it has achieved Authorized Partner status from Fortinet. Fortinet Partners are among the most…
Read Post What is a Next Generation Firewall?
What’s so ‘next generation’ about a Next Generation Firewall? In a recent post I discussed Phishing and attempted to demystify the term for the benefit of the average User. Today,…
Read Post Break/Fix vs Managed Service Provider (MSP)
When it comes to IT support you have two options – Break/Fix or Managed Service Provider (MSP).
Office 365 Security Defaults
It’s time for Multi-Factor Authentication Following our Insight post stating 99.9% of organisation account compromise could be stopped by simply using MFA, we are encouraging customers to take another step…
Read Post What is Phishing all about?
Here at CTO we often like to flesh-out a topic in layman’s terms, so Users can understand more about the technology they interact with on a daily basis. Today we…
Read Post GCHQ: don’t use Windows 7 machines for Banking
A statement from GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Over the last month or so I have been posting regularly on my own and the CTO’s LinkedIn pages about upgrading…
Read Post New Year IT Resolutions
Getting fit as part of your New Year Resolutions? Here at Core Team One – we want your IT environment to be equally healthy, which is why we are offering…
Read Post Windows 7 Pro is going EoL, but it’s not all bad news
Windows 7 Pro is going End of Life On the 14th January 2020 Windows 7 Pro will go End-of-Life (EoL). After this date Windows 7 will no longer receive patches…
Read Post Your laptop could be worth millions…in fines!
Passwords alone do not protect data Each year, millions of laptop computers are misplaced, stolen, or lost, many of them containing important and sensitive data. Passwords alone do not protect…
Read Post Multi-factor authentication to block automated attacks
Microsoft see 300 million fraudulent sign-in attempts EVERY DAY on their cloud services. They say that users who enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for their accounts will end up blocking 99.9%…
Read Post Should I protect Office 365 data?
Microsoft Office 365 is fantastic, and Microsoft provide a great service to the customers. They focus a lot of energy on the Office 365 infrastructure, maintain good uptime, and allow your users to work with confidence. They also empower YOU with the responsibility of your data.
Protect your privacy when using free WiFi
Many businesses are now always on and availability to access company data at any time of the day has dramatically increased. End users are commonly accessing company data through a variety of methods. One of these is free or public WiFi.