Established in 2000, Grant McGregor is a multi-award-winning Managed IT Service Provider (MSP) with over 20 years’ experience in delivering world-class IT Support and technology solutions. Grant McGregor is a profitable and mature business with a team of experienced and knowledgeable technology people who care for each and every one of our clients and their businesses.
We help to make your technology and your people work in harmony by providing our full services, people-centric Managed IT Service provision, or by complementing your existing, internal IT Team.
Our Purpose is enabling people to thrive by creating better, safer places for them to work. Our Mission is to deliver world-class Technology support, advice and services – that don’t cost the earth!
Our core services include:
- Helpdesk / IT Business As Usual Support
- Proactive Device IT Management
- System Management & Administration
- Essential Security Services
- IT Strategy & Planning
- Cyber Essentials & Cyber Essentials Plus
- Additional Subscriptions & Services
- Projects & IT Developments
Leading with Security and Compliance
Grant McGregor has been an IASME Gold Accredited Cyber Essentials (CE) Certification body since 2016 and we take our own security as seriously as we do for our clients. We have a long-standing relationship with IASME & NCSC and have helped nearly 100 different organisations achieve the CE certification. We are Cyber Essentials Plus certified and IASME Gold Audited accredited for our standards & security policies, processes, procedures, and practice.
Focused Teams
Our company has distinct and separate teams for Business As Usual IT Support, Professional/Technical Services, Consultancy and Cyber Services. So, you can be assured that whoever you are dealing with, will be 100% focussed on the task they’re working on.
Track Record of Trust
Our track record is one of trust right through our supply chains. We partner with trusted vendors that allow us to deliver world class services and to make sure that your infrastructure is proactively protected, 24x7x365. We work with your team to future-proof your organisation to develop your IT in line with your changing needs and to educate you on the latest IT opportunities and threats.
04/08/2023 -
Should your organisation be leasing your IT hardware? Have you ever considered a lease agreement for your IT equipment and devices? It’s a service that Grant McGregor offers and we explain more about it here.
03/08/2023 -
What can we learn from the Capita data breaches? Capita’s cyber security practices should be second to none. Yet recent events have illustrated how supply chain security cannot be taken for granted. Find out more...
02/06/2023 -
How to minimise the risk from phishing Cyber criminals are adopting ever more sophisticated ways to target their phishing activity. What can your organisation do to minimise the risk? Read on...
01/06/2023 -
The ethics of AI and the problem of bias Artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies are entering the mainstream – but are we ready for them?
27/02/2023 -
10 signs it's time to get a new IT support company Are you feeling a little less than satisfied with your IT support service? Here’s our team’s pick of 10 signs it's time to get a new IT support company.
27/02/2023 -
New changes to Cyber Essentials for 2023 Following last year's update, the NCSC and IASME have made additional changes and clarifications to the Cyber Essentials scheme this year. Read them here:
27/02/2023 -
The 2023 cyber threats for which you should prepare The cyber landscape is continually changing so we’ve compiled a list of the most pressing 2023 cyber threats for which we think you should be preparing.
10/02/2023 -
Choosing the right Business Intelligence tools Businesses need a strategic approach to storing, deleting and using data. Business Intelligence is about making that data work for your organisation's benefit.
10/02/2023 -
What is Microsoft Autopilot? And do I need it? Microsoft Windows Autopilot is a collection of technologies that can be used to set up and pre-configure new devices, making them ready for productive use.
07/11/2022 -
Tips for getting the most from Power Platform In this article, we’ll consider some of the approaches that organisations can take to get the most out of Microsoft Power Platform tools.
27/09/2022 -
AWS, Azure or Google: Which cloud should you choose? During the pandemic many organisations committed serious resources to the cloud for the first time. So which is the right cloud provider for your organisation?
24/08/2022 -
What can we learn from the great Steve Jobs? The Grant McGregor team considers what we can learn from the way Steve jobs approached his work, his ideas about innovation and his fanatical attention to detail.
15/08/2022 -
China: the new security risk? The heads of MI5 and FBI issued a joint warning to businesses in the UK, USA and Europe about the risks presented to business by Chinese state. We take a look at the scope of those warnings.
26/07/2022 -
What is Azure Virtual Desktop? And do I need it? Remote desktop solutions have garnered a lot of interest recently. In this article, we look at Azure Virtual Desktop and why it might be useful.
18/07/2022 -
Your business is losing hundreds of hours to spam every year If one of your employees gets 30 external emails a day, they’d get around 30 spam emails each week. That would work out to around 5 hours each year wasted on sorting through and deleting them.
15/07/2022 -
Is LinkedIn the safe space you think it is? Last month, the FBI issued a warning about fraudsters using LinkedIn to target victims. Are you and your colleagues as aware of the risks as you need to be?
24/05/2022 -
Can we really achieve Net Zero in our data centres? Today’s organisations hold vast quantities of digital information. However, data centres are contributing to an increasing proportion of the world’s carbon footprint.
16/05/2022 -
The New Password Rules: 2022 Update It’s a while since the Grant McGregor team shared information about password best practice – and a lot has changed.
04/05/2022 -
What does the new normal look like now? In our rush to put the pandemic behind us, the conversation about the “new normal” has moved on. But there remain issues we need to be thinking about.
04/05/2022 -
How to implement multi-factor authentication Multi-factor authentication is a quick and easy way to add an extra layer of security. So, if you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to implement MFA.
04/05/2022 -
Should you have one IT Support Partner – or several? Should you stick to the one IT partner? Or is there a case to be made for working with more than one IT company? The Grant McGregor team considers your options.
04/05/2022 -
New report on phishing email activity reveals an increasingly active threat landscape The 2022 State of the Phish report has been published this month by security software firm Proofpoint. This year’s review of email-based cyber threats identifies some increased threats as well as detailing how well organisations are responding.
05/08/2021 -
Are your devices managed and secured to meet today’s evolving threats? We know that criminal cyber activity has increased since the beginning of the pandemic. Cyber criminals moved quickly to target the new vulnerabilities of our rapidly altered working arrangements. To meet these threats, the security and management of devices has become critical.
05/08/2021 -
How Long Does It Take to Switch IT Support Companies? Switching IT support companies needn’t be a headache – provided your new IT support partner takes a programmatic and practical approach to making the switch. We explain why.
22/07/2021 -
Everything You Need to Know About Heimdal Patch Management Grant McGregor recommends the use of Heimdal Patch Management to our customers. It’s an easy way to ensure your organisation reduces cyber security risk. Here’s why.
22/07/2021 -
The Dark Web: What It Is, What It Isn’t and What You Need to Know The dark web is known as a place where criminal activity takes place online – the refuge of weapons dealers, drug dealers and other nefarious activities. While your first response might be that it is nothing to do with you, it isn’t something that IT leaders can afford to dismiss out of hand. Here’s what you need to know.
22/07/2021 -
IT Pro with MDM Have you got a way to monitor the devices that access your data and applications on your network? How do you spot nefarious activity on the network? If you can’t answer either of these questions, this blog is for you. We’ll tell you about a quick, easy and low-fuss way to solve these problems.
22/07/2021 -
How to Develop an Incident Reporting Culture Incident response, incident response planning and the nurturing of a positive incident reporting culture within your organisation are all critical aspects of cyber security. This blog focuses on why you need to develop an incident reporting culture and how to do it.
04/06/2021 -
Are Your Microsoft 365 Backups Sufficient? If you read the title of this article and thought “Wait a minute! I need to back up Microsoft 365?” you wouldn’t be alone. It’s a pressing issue that is frequently overlooked by too many organisations and small businesses.
03/06/2021 -
What Your Organisation Needs to Know about 5G 5G seems to attract a lot of hype… but what is the truth? What are the real risks and benefits? And where are the opportunities for your organisation? We talk you through what your organisation needs to know about 5G.
Leading-edge technologies are often accompanied by wild claims.
02/06/2021 -
How Can You Streamline Your Digital Communications Channels? Remote working has required a plethora of new solutions to be introduced to help us collaborate more effectively throughout the lockdowns. As we remerge into the next “new normal”, it’s an opportunity to review and streamline the various tools and systems in play.
07/04/2021 -
Quick Q&A: Should You Be Reviewing Your Corporate VPN? The Grant McGregor team talks you through a quick Q&A to help you understand why it might time to review VPN provision, the factors at play and whether they relate to your organisation.
07/04/2021 -
If 2020 was about responding to COVID-19, what will 2021’s recovery look like? 2020 was a huge challenge for so many of us in so many different ways. As we approach the end of the latest lockdown and we begin to talk about the reopening of society, what is next for the worlds of work and technology?
11/11/2020 -
Cyber Essentials The way the Cyber Essentials scheme is run has changed significantly during 2020. Grant McGregor Ltd has now published a short guide to explain the changes and how they might affect you.
15/07/2020 -
Why have I not received my email? We’re so used to immediate communications these days, that waiting for a hotly anticipated email can be incredibly frustrating.
11/06/2020 -
5 Security Tips When Working From Home Some of us have always had the flexibility of working from home whereas others have had it forced upon them due to current circumstances.
11/06/2020 -
Can You Help Me with Remote Working? It might not surprise you too much to learn that one of the most common questions we get asked in these days of COVID-19 is: can you help me with remote working? The answer is “yes”, of course. But there are a few vital issues you will need to consider.
17/03/2020 -
What Can You Do about the New Phishing Threat? Phishing attacks are on the rise – again. And attackers are trying new ways of targeting your organisation and your staff. How can you stay one step ahead?
17/03/2020 -
The Importance of Online Backup for SMEs The single best change you can make to your IT systems and processes this year? Investing in a suitable and effective backup solution for your business.
17/03/2020 -
Why You Should be Using 2 Factor Authentication in Your Business Right Now! According to the Verizon 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report, 62% of breaches not involving an Error, Misuse, or Physical action (in other words, wounds that weren’t self-inflicted) involved the use of stolen credentials, brute force, or phishing.
17/02/2020 -
The new security threats As 2020 gets well underway, the Grant McGregor team is taking the opportunity to ask: what are the security threats we need to be aware of now? Here’s our take on the security issues you should be thinking about in 2020.
27/01/2020 -
How Phishing Got Social There’s a new attack vector in town: social media. Social is currently the fastest-growing type of phishing attack. Here’s what you need to know.
21/01/2020 -
Predictions 2020 At this time of year, it’s traditional to reflect on the year that’s been and think about the year ahead. What can we do better in 2020? And what does the year have in store for us?
21/01/2020 -
How much should IT support cost? The old maxim that “you get what you pay for” is true in so many service professions.
21/01/2020 -
Unhappy new data breach! The new year was barely hours old, when news started leaking about a troubling new data breach – the result of a ransomware attack on a major currency exchange business.
19/12/2019 -
The 6 questions to ask your IT provider about their own security How can you assess whether your IT provider is doing enough to protect your business, its systems and data? The Grant McGregor team suggests some of the key questions you should be asking.
19/12/2019 -
The Cyber Essentials Policies Your Business Needs Cyber Essentials is a UK Government scheme that all businesses and NFP organisations should undertake. It helps you to ensure that you have the basic security systems and processes in place to help mitigate a cyber-attack.
12/12/2019 -
The 6 questions to ask your IT provider about their own security How can you assess whether your IT provider is doing enough to protect your business, its systems and data? The Grant McGregor team suggests some of the key questions you should be asking.
25/11/2019 -
The 8 Warning Signs that Indicate You Need to Switch Your IT Provider Change can be scary – but changing IT support partner needn’t be. In fact, sticking with the devil you know can be a lot worse! We look at some of the signs that indicate it’s time to change your MSP.
25/11/2019 -
Are you doing enough to protect your staff against Phishing? In IT, we talk a lot about protecting our systems and data against cyber-attack. However, there is a growing realisation that this is only part of the picture. We need to do much more to protect our people too.
25/11/2019 -
Does Better the Devil You Know Hold True for IT Support? The maxim “better the devil you know” has a sidekick: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. In today’s world of fast-paced change, increasingly competitive markets and evolving security threats, both phrases are outliving their usefulness.
04/11/2019 -
Why SMEs Should Get Expert Help with Cyber Security Cyber security is a complex topic, so it is essential to get expert help. As a result, and particularly for SMEs, it is better to find an experienced IT partner than to try to do it all in house.
25/10/2019 -
Why Are Software Updates (or Patches) So Important? Software updates (or patching) is familiar to us all. We’ll update the apps on our mobile phones with some regularity and the same should apply to all the software applications we use on all devices we use. Unfortunately, we find that many businesses are still using out of date or older versions of the software they use daily.
25/10/2019 -
Are You Doing Enough to Protect Your Data? Concern over cyber threats has hit an all-time high, with a recent global cyber risk perception survey finding that 79% of organisations now rank cyber risk as a top-five concern.
07/10/2019 -
Want to Get Back to Doing Your Day-Job? Whilst speaking with SME business owners, Finance Directors and other IT decision-makers at initial prospect meetings, I am increasingly hearing statements like these.
06/08/2019 -
The Ever-Growing Attack Surface of IoT: Your Questions Answered The impact of the Internet of Things is already making itself felt in our homes and in our everyday lives. This means an ever-growing threat for businesses as they try to keep pace with the new threats these devices present.
06/08/2019 -
Going to The Darkside? The internet has become an integral part of most people’s lives to the point that it’s hard to imagine a time when it didn’t exist – assuming you’re old enough to remember that it really hasn’t been around forever.
06/08/2019 -
The New Rules for Passwords in 2019 Access control is fundamental to security – whether in your home, your office or your IT infrastructure.
04/07/2019 -
Outlook – Cloudy We recently published an article relating to email and the evolution of cybercrime and another referring to the rising popularity of Microsoft’s Office 365 suite and the growing security risks associated with it.
04/07/2019 -
Doubling up: why two-factor authentication is your next step in digital security We’ve written about the need for additional layers of security for passwords, especially given the increased targeting of Microsoft’s Office 365 as more and more businesses and individuals migrate to the cloud, especially for email.
04/07/2019 -
One Year On from GDPR: What’s Changed? GDPR was the “four letters that put the fear into firms’ hearts in 2018” according to the Register’s review of the year’s events. But was that fear justified?
10/06/2019 -
From Spam to Phish – Cyber Crime on a Plate Email – love or hate it as a form of communication, it touches most of us everyday and shows no signs of going away. This is especially true in the workplace where it hasn’t yet been dislodged by the various messaging apps as the preferred medium to send information.
28/05/2019 -
How to Address the Dangers of Personal Devices for Work What happens when an employee downloads a virus onto one of their personal devices that you have allowed access your company systems? Grant McGregor takes a look at an emerging weak spot in many companies’ defences.
26/03/2019 -
Are You Doing Enough on Mobile Device Security? We all want to do our best to keep our corporate data and systems safe. Each year, organisations invest millions in firewalls, anti-virus software, training and patching programmes. But how much of this is directed at mobile devices?
26/03/2019 -
Office 365 Popularity Grows…as does its potential vulnerability Since its introduction, Microsoft’s Office suite products have clearly been the tools of choice for most of the world’s businesses – most of us using at least one of the applications on a daily basis.
26/03/2019 -
The (Free) First Step to Better IT! In over 30 years in IT, I still encounter many business owners and IT-decision makers who find themselves spending too much of their valuable time dealing with staff technology problems and continually looking for work-arounds to the IT issues.
06/03/2019 -
Passwords: Can we live without them? For thousands of years, passwords have been used as a means of authentication; a way in which people could be confident that security was maintained.
04/03/2019 -
Urgent Call to Action if You Are Using Windows 7 Are you using the Windows 7 operating system on your PCs and laptops? If so, it is time to take action and start planning an upgrade to Windows 10.
04/03/2019 -
Windows Server 2008 R2 Approaching End of Life Are you still using Windows Server 2008 R2 within your business IT environment? If so, it’s time to start planning a migration strategy as the server technology approaches its end of life.
04/12/2018 -
Why IT Cannot Be a Reactive Activity So much of the IT activity we all undertake is reactive – often it takes a malware attack to prompt us to upgrade our security software or a broken hard drive to make us think seriously about backups. Which is exactly why your IT approach shouldn’t be reactive.
15/10/2018 -
What NOT to do when you lose your mobile device We rely so much on our smartphones these days, losing our phone or device (or having it stolen) would seem like a real crisis wouldn’t it? So let’s walk through what NOT to do, as well as what you should do if you find yourself in this situation.
15/10/2018 -
Weighing in on Microsoft’s New Office 365 Subscription Model Despite consumers calling out planned obsolescence in the technology industry, companies are still graduating towards the subscription model for the simple fact that it works. When it comes to tech, it pays to charge monthly if the product is of good quality.
11/09/2018 -
How Do You Stop a Phishing Attack? People are often the weakest link of any security infrastructure. Which means the best line of defence when it comes to preventing phishing attacks or other people-focused exploits is to ensure staff are aware of the risks.
13/08/2018 -
The Beginner’s Guide to Encryption With organisations under more pressure than ever to protect their customers’ data, and more and more information being stored digitally, Grant McGregor takes a look at encryption and the possibilities it offers to help small businesses protect their data.
13/08/2018 -
GDPR: the aftermath It’s now a little over two months since GDPR came into force. A little longer since those panicked conversations with your boss about what you actually need to do and that inbox full of marketing emails begging you to resubscribe. What have we learnt since then?
20/06/2018 -
Should You be Switching to Office 365? Microsoft Office is an essential for most organisations with office-based staff. The suite of products covers all the staples of the office environment – from PowerPoint presentations to Excel spreadsheets, Word and productivity apps
12/06/2018 -
Getting the Best Getting the best from your people is a delicate and multi-faceted issue – spanning recruitment, team-building, collaboration, management styles, flexible working options, benefits and rewards.
08/06/2018 -
Computer Says: User Error When I first started my working life, I worked for an organisation where, if you called the IT helpdesk, the “help” consisted of two standard responses:
01/06/2018 -
GDPR – the end of the beginning… Well, unlike some predicted, the sky did not actually fall in last Friday on 25th May when GDPR came into enforcement in UK law. But some significant changes did come into play that should not be ignored.
06/04/2018 -
Is it Time for an IT Spring Clean? The life of an IT manager can often feel like a thankless task. Staying on top of daily and weekly tasks can be difficult when problems and projects shift your focus away from basic housekeeping.
06/04/2018 -
GDPR: Do Business Emails Count as ‘Personal Data’? As we approach closer to the GDPR deadline, we’ve been getting a lot of questions regarding whether business email addresses and contact details will come under the GDPR as ‘personal data’.
22/03/2018 -
Is Employee Absence Affecting Your Business This Winter? One of the biggest business disruptions is unplanned employee absence. During winter there is always a high probability of bad weather and there are plenty of colds and illnesses going round, resulting in many businesses advising employees to stay at home rather than share their germs with the rest of the workforce.
22/03/2018 -
Best Practice Password Security For many an organisation today, the data it holds counts among its most valuable assets.
22/03/2018 -
The Dangers of Over-Sharing Online It’s true that some bosses think that checking your social media accounts is just due diligence these days. How many of us know someone whose photos of them partying on Facebook have cost them a potential job offer?
07/03/2018 -
5 Things Every BYOD Policy Needs Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies are rapidly gaining traction in the modern workplace owing to the flexibility and convenience they provide to both employees and their employers.
13/11/2017 -
The Beginner’s Guide to Cloud Security As increasing numbers of businesses shift their workloads to the cloud, the security threat we face is changing. Where our data goes, the hackers follow – and now cloud attacks are on the rise.
13/11/2017 -
Strategies for Surviving a Cyber Attack Another month, another high-profile attack… or so it seems at the moment. The latest in the long line was US data firm Equifax – with a breach that affected more than 143 million American consumers. Even if you aren’t holding that much customer data, how do you recover from a breach like that?
19/10/2017 -
Protect Your Business from Insider Attacks When we discuss cyber-attacks it often refers to those that come from the outside – the ones that are typically high profiles cases, such as malware, hacking, DDOS and ransomware.
05/10/2017 -
Two Thirds of UK Firms Hiring for GDPR – What are you doing? GDPR comes into effect on 25th May 2018. It is set to improve the control EU citizens have over the data that organisations hold on them. As a result, it has huge implications for the way organisations manage their data – and the staff they are recruiting.
29/09/2017 -
Evidence Suggests Looming GDPR Is Still Being Ignored by British Businesses Latest evidence shows that there remains a lot of confusion about GDPR and its likely impact on British Businesses, including around the role of Brexit. A new sense of urgency is required: the ICO has warned Brexit is no excuse and time is running out.
29/09/2017 -
How Should a Small Business Prioritise IT Spend? With so many new technologies on everyone’s radar at the moment – the Internet of Things, Big Data, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence – just how can you be sure your IT budget is being spent wisely?
29/08/2017 -
The Impending SME Security Crisis The brutal fact is most small businesses are not spending enough time or money on cyber security – leaving them exposed to ransomware, severe regulatory fines, reputational damage and lost business opportunities.
29/08/2017 -
Cloud 101: SaaS, PaaS & IaaS Explained There has been a seismic change in the way IT is delivered over the past decade – and the hype about our continued move to “the Cloud” seems to continue unabated. What does it all mean?
17/08/2017 -
Comparing the Advantages with the Pitfalls of BYOD Research from Gartner has shown that 39% of employees surveyed rely on personally owned mobile devices in the workplace. Use of corporate owned devices was minor in comparison – just 10%. There are of course obvious reasons for the decline of corporate devices – primarily being the high cost burden for businesses.
27/07/2017 -
What is the “right” level of security for my business? So far, 2017 has been the year of the cyber-attack. Cases of cyber-crime and cyber-terrorism are on the rise, but never before have the general public seen the scope and scale of cyber-crime committed by groups on the government and public services.
14/07/2017 -
An Introduction to GDPR: Give Data Proper Respect! The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is getting a lot of column space, yet many businesses still have their head in the sand when it comes to its implications. We bust some myths and tell you what you need to know.
14/06/2017 -
Your IT perimeter: where is it and how do you best defend it? Gone are the days when the limits of your security cordon were the walls of the datacentre. Now, it isn’t the stray floppy disk or errant memory stick we need to worry about – many of us are wondering where the limits of our IT perimeter are.
05/06/2017 -
Empowering Employees Through Mobilisation The traditional employment model of jobs for life and a 9-5, Mon-Fri has undergone a major shake-up over the last couple of decades.
22/05/2017 -
Is Your Disaster Recovery Plan & Process Up to Scratch? In recent years, the IT landscape has been transformed by digitalisation, Cloud, social and mobile – probably with significant impact on what a business-critical system looks like and what constitutes an IT disaster for your business.
11/05/2017 -
3 Ways a Small & Medium Business (SMB) Can Benefit From YouTube Content Marketing It is not uncommon for SMBs to find themselves swallowed amongst the mass of business across their diverse market. So, in today’s market your content marketing strategy needs to be somewhat unique in order to get your brand out there. For the astute SMB, there is no better option than YouTube content marketing.
26/04/2017 -
Support for Windows Vista Comes To An End On April 11th 2017, Microsoft officially ended support for Vista, meaning they will no longer be releasing security updates, patches or technical support for it. Therefore if your business computers are still running Windows Vista then now is the time to upgrade to a more recent version.
26/04/2017 -
Ten Straightforward Social Media Tips & Tricks As a small business or organisation, it’s becoming ever-more important to have an active social media presence so that you can connect with clients, potential customers or others in your industry.
27/03/2017 -
Cyber Security Experts Warn of Rise in Ransomware A joint report from the NCA and the NCSC warns that cybercrime is becoming more aggressive. The increase in devices connecting to the internet is providing more opportunities for criminals to hold people to ransom over personal data.
22/03/2017 -
(Not Always Obvious) Things You Should Look Out for to Avoid Phishing Scams Phishing scams are incredibly common nowadays. Luckily anyone who uses a computer on a daily basis is now very used to ignoring the most obvious types of phishing emails with poor spelling or grammar in the content; not to mention that those that are sent out en masse will nearly always be caught by professional spam filters.
13/03/2017 -
8 Top Tips for Managing a Virtual Work Team With flexible working on the increase, more small businesses than ever are effectively working in a virtual office.
22/02/2017 -
How SMEs Can Benefit from Keeping Up to Speed with Mobile Technology Just as the internet transformed business processes and marketing, mobile technology is a game-changer for SMEs. Keeping up with the pace of technology can seem daunting, but there’s much to be gained from keeping up to speed with mobile technology and embracing the opportunities it offers.
14/02/2017 -
IoT Security Tips for SMEs There’s much hype about the Internet of Things (IoT) and the endless possibilities of a hyperconnected future.
07/02/2017 -
Is Windows 7 no longer fit for business use? In a recent post, one of Microsoft’s Worldwide divisions stated that its Windows 7 operating system is outdated and no longer fit for business use.
30/01/2017 -
How to Combat the ‘Insider Threat’ Many businesses consider cyber threats as external forces, attempting to penetrate their defences from the outside in. In truth, however, threats often originate from within.
23/01/2017 -
How to Use Technology to Attract the Best Talent to Your Business There are many things you can do in order to give your business the best chance of success. Creating great products and services, using the right software and marketing your business in a strategic way are all great things to do.
23/01/2017 -
3 Top Tips for Improving Office Connectivity in 2017 Technology moves on quickly these days. The start of a new year is a great time to reassess how you use technology within your business, what can be changed for improved results and what is available that’s not currently being utilised, but may be beneficial.
12/01/2017 -
Its a New Year…Is It Time for a New IT Company In 2017? Is your IT Company slow responding to problems, unable to cope with your demands, recommending software you don’t really need or overcharging you? If so, maybe it’s time to look for a new IT company this year!
19/12/2016 -
How to be a Savvy Web User this Christmas More people are opting to do their Christmas shopping online and although it is quick, easy and convenient, it is important that you are aware of fraudsters looking to take advantage of online shoppers by creating fake websites and selling counterfeit goods.
12/12/2016 -
5 Signs That Security in Your Business Needs to be Improved Security is a huge issue for businesses in the digital age. With more businesses now switching to the cloud than ever before, there is a greater need to protect data and ensure that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
30/11/2016 -
Grant McGregor Wins SolarWinds MSP Community Partner of the Year! Grant McGregor are proud to have received another fantastic award and IT industry accolade. This first of only three Partner of the Year Awards was given to Grant McGregor from SolarWinds MSP for Community Partner of the Year.
26/10/2016 -
A Guide to MOVEit Transfer Being able to transfer files securely within your business as well as with customers and partners is an absolute must for businesses today.
10/10/2016 -
Why SMEs Should Take Cyber Security Seriously Whilst cyber security has frequented news headlines in recent times, these high-profile breaches almost always involve large corporations which can lead smaller businesses and organisations into a false sense of security (no pun intended).
07/09/2016 -
10 Tips to Get The Most Out of Windows 10 Windows 10 has now reached it’s 1st anniversary date, although there are still many businesses that have yet to make the switch.
30/08/2016 -
How Technology Can Help You Grow Your Business Technology is about innovation and innovation in business is all about doing things differently in order to provide better products and solutions, and an improved service to customers.
18/08/2016 -
Back to school… already?! Can you believe that schools are back already? (Well here in Edinburgh anyway). And everyone’s getting ready for the new term.
19/07/2016 -
5 Practical Steps to Improve IT Security in Your Business In the digital age, data is one of the most valuable parts of your business. Therefore, data security is something that should be a concern for every business owner. Security threats like phishing scams and CEO fraud are very real, so you should take any steps you can in order to keep your business safe.
06/07/2016 -
How to Implement a New IT System with Minimal Disruption As your business grows, so too will the demands you have of your IT systems. Therefore it’s very likely that you’ll need to implement new systems – whether it’s updating your ERP or CRM software or switching from an on-premise system to a cloud-based solution.
03/05/2016 -
How to Protect Your Business from CryptoLocker Your data is vitally important to your business so you need to take every step possible to keep it secure. There is no shortage of malware programs out there that are designed to extort money by interfering with the functionality of your computer and targeting your data. One of the most troublesome pieces of software currently out there is known as CryptoLocker.
26/04/2016 -
Back to Basics…Is GFI LanGuard Right for Securing Your Business?
Security is one of the most important aspects of running a business. If you don’t have good security software then your company data might be vulnerable to attacks from hackers. Having your company data hacked, especially customer data – could prove to be disastrous.
20/04/2016 -
Pulling Together – 5 Key Benefits of Co-sourcing IT Support Services One of the biggest challenges for SMEs and relatively small organisations is budgeting sensibly without compromising on quality. This is certainly true where IT services, support and, increasingly, IT security is concerned.
05/04/2016 -
The Three Most Common Access Control Issues Security is a huge issue for SMBs. Keeping your data secure is essential, especially when you’re collecting customer data that’s highly sensitive. The best way to keep data secure when it’s being stored remotely is through access control measures using authentication.
30/03/2016 -
Which Strategies Are Best to Protect Against Malware? Today’s desktops, tablets, laptops and android phones are under constant attack from malware and ransomware, and it’s enough to put you on edge, worried about which websites you’ve visited and whether they were safe. How can you use any of devices with confidence? How can you browse for both work and play, safely, and safe in the knowledge that your computer won’t succumb to the latest, pernicious virus?
21/03/2016 -
Is It Time To Hop Over To A New IT Company This Easter? Easter is fast approaching, making now the perfect time for you to hop on over to a new IT support provider! Changing your IT support provider isn’t as scary as it sounds and could be the best thing you ever do for your business. Here we’ll talk you through some of the reasons you should consider changing your IT support provider this Easter.
17/03/2016 -
Do Home Workers Present a Security Risk to Your Business IT Network? The combination of rapid technological advancement and the extension of flexible working rights in the UK has led to a huge increase in the number of people working from home some, or all, of the time. The most recent figures show that there are a record 4.2 million homeworkers in the UK, which amounts to a significant 13.9% of the workforce.
10/03/2016 -
8 Reasons Why You Might Not Be Receiving Email Sad news this week that Ray Tomlinson has died at the age of 74. Most people might ask, “Who’s he?” and yet he is credited as the inventor of email and the man who chose the @ symbol to enable people to send person-to-person messages to other computer users on other servers.
01/03/2016 -
Managing IT Infrastructure & Security If you run or manage a small to medium business or organisation, you may find that it’s often better to do most things in-house. However, should you really manage everything in this way? Outsourcing can offer tremendous advantages, especially when it comes to IT. Here we’re going to explore why outsourcing to a specialist IT team is a good idea for your business.
18/02/2016 -
10 Things to consider before subscribing to Office 365 Office 365 for business gives you access to Microsoft office tools and cloud solutions from virtually anywhere, so you can get more done anytime, anywhere.
18/02/2016 -
7 Business Technology Trends for 2016 Almost every type of business makes use of some form of technology nowadays so being aware of the latest technology trends is incredibly useful for business owners or managers.
18/02/2016 -
What impact will reforms to the Data Protection Act have on your business, and what relevant adjustments are you likely to have to make? Debate, Europe, Regulations
After 4 years of debate, it seems that changes to the Data Protection Act 1998 are now imminent. Many feel this is long overdue, and that rather than have several different versions of Data Protection all over Europe, a one size fits all regulation is far better. There will be further meetings in January for the new regulations, which will be followed by a 2-year transition period. However, what will these new changes mean for small businesses and organisations li
11/02/2016 -
What 2015 Taught Us – A Look Back at the Big IT Stories Now that the hustle and bustle of Christmas has faded and 2016 is well and truly upon us, we feel it’s the perfect time to take a look back at some of the biggest IT news stories of last year and what has, or perhaps should, be learned from them.
15/12/2015 -
How to be a Savvy Web User this Christmas More people are opting to do their Christmas shopping online and although it is quick, easy and convenient, it is important that you are aware of fraudsters looking to take advantage of online shoppers by creating fake websites and selling counterfeit goods.
15/12/2015 -
Fraud Prevention Seminar is a Virtual Success Last week saw the team from Grant McGregor participating in a fraud prevention seminar, which was held in the Hilton Grosvenor Hotel in Edinburgh’s West End.
27/11/2015 -
Are You Ready For Employee Absence Affecting Your Business This Winter? One of the biggest business disruptions is unplanned employee absence. At this time of year there is a high chance of bad weather and there are plenty of colds and illnesses going round, resulting in many businesses advising employees to stay at home rather than share their germs with the rest of the workforce.
20/11/2015 -
Security Is No Longer an IT Problem, It Is a Business Issue! There have been a rising number of high profile security breaches of late, involving the likes of Talk Talk and Sony, these have affected millions of people all over the world and prove that even the biggest companies can be affected by something like data theft and password cracking.
10/09/2015 -
Top Ten Network Monitoring Benefits In order to achieve effective network management, you will need a network monitoring solution. Network monitoring systems are designed to constantly monitor your IT network, keeping track of activity and identifying any problems.
10/09/2015 -
Email today – is it a blessing or a curse? There’s no denying the fact that email has completely transformed the way we communicate with each other, both in our professional and personal lives. It has allowed for almost instant communication at a lower cost than ever before. But as great as email is, there are of course a few downsides to consider. Here we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of email to decide whether it is in fact a blessing or a curse!
10/09/2015 -
Risky Business – why you shouldn’t store important files locally Are you in the habit of storing some or all of your important files locally? And by locally we mean on your own personal drive or desktop, instead of the server or other backed up storage drives in your organisation. If so, you’re taking a big, big risk.
10/09/2015 -
Grant McGregor Ltd Becomes a Microsoft Authorized Education Reseller Edinburgh, Scotland — 1st July 2015 — Grant McGregor Ltd – Technology People, today announced it has become a Microsoft Authorized Education Reseller (AER). Demonstrating its ability to meet Microsoft academic customers’ evolving needs in today’s dynamic business environment. To earn a Microsoft AER authorization, partners must complete a test to prove their level of academic licensing and market expertise.
10/09/2015 -
Award Winning Technology from Award Winning People! As one of GFI Software’s key, strategic Gold Partners in the UK, Grant McGregor was invited to attend the Worldwide GFI Partner conference in Vienna earlier in June. Find out what we discovered about what the future holds…
16/06/2015 -
8 Reasons to start using Microsoft Publisher today Microsoft Publisher is a fantastic desktop publishing program that you can use to create a wide range of high quality publications. Unlike other software on the market, it’s not expensive, nor is it complicated to use. However, it tends to be the most underused of Microsoft’s mainstream programs.
09/06/2015 -
Cyber Attacks Continue – Make Sure Your Company is Protected Unfortunately the start of 2015 has been a busy time for cyber criminals, with a number of attacks taking place across all industries. Here we’ll talk you through some of the top cyber-attacks that have taken place in the first quarter and what you can do to ensure your company is protected.
09/06/2015 -
What do you need to ask yourself before you think about IT change? IT change is not something you should rush into. Not only can it be costly for your business but it can also affect your entire workforce and customer base. Below we’ve shared some of the key questions you need to ask yourself before you think about IT change.
15/05/2015 -
3 Reasons You Should Add Email Archiving & Retention to Your Email Security Services Today Today the majority of businesses rely on email as their primary form of communication. With this in mind, it’s important that they can harness and use the wealth of information that’s stored in email inboxes and folders. It’s also vital that executives and managers understand their regulatory obligations to ensure email records can be easily gathered.
15/05/2015 -
5 Easy Steps to Using Microsoft Excel More Effectively Out of all the Microsoft Office programs, Excel is probably the most complicated. However, once you’ve grasped it, the software can prove to be very beneficial in terms of creating spreadsheets and managing data. To help you familiarise yourself with Microsoft Excel, we’ve provided five easy steps on how to use it more effectively.
15/05/2015 -
Do you Move to Windows 8 or stay with Windows 7 and wait for Windows 10? It may be a few years yet before Microsoft withdraws support for Windows 7 but businesses still need to prepare their upgrade plans early. Despite having plenty of warning about the end of XP support, many companies are still running the vulnerable operating system as they have failed to upgrade in time. It’s never too early to start planning, especially if your business relies heavily on its IT infrastructure.
15/05/2015 -
Seven Great New Offerings Contained In Office 365 Cloud Services Microsoft Office 365 is currently one of the leading Cloud services on the market and with good reason; it boasts fantastic features and Microsoft’s dedication to Cloud security is unrivalled.
14/05/2015 -
50,000 Ways to Save Yourself Time When Securing Your IT Network Today many businesses rely heavily on their IT networks in order to carry out their daily tasks. If their networks are riddled with holes and vulnerabilities, they risk their data being stolen, corrupted or lost. With this in mind, it is essential that they carry out patching on a regular basis.
14/05/2015 -
Have You Tested Your Company Backup & Restore Process Recently? Perhaps Its Time You Did… It’s all very well having a disaster recovery plan in place but can you be 100% sure that it works? If the answer is no, then it’s about time you got round to testing your backup & restore procedure. Here we’ll explain why it’s crucial to your company’s success.
Great, friendly, expert advice and help always on tap from Grant McGregor Team. Can't thank the team enough for the expert advice and support I have personally received from the IT professionals. Takes away the stress of any IT issue especially when you haven't got a clue!
The technician fixed the problem with my PC in minutes, she was very polite and helpful. As I am a bit of a dinosaur with IT it is great to have someone you can rely on to help fix a problem in a very friendly and understanding way.
It is a true measure of the Grant McGregor team when a supplier becomes a partner. The team have managed the process of onboarding through to completion of secure IT management in simple, controlled steps. Our greatest thanks to all involved and we look forward to growing our business with a partner we can trust to help us on our way.
approvedbusiness.co.ukGrant McGregor Ltd Tel: 0131 603 7910
