Core IT https://core-it.uk/ Straight-talking IT support for UK small businesses en Sun, 08 Nov 2026 15:03:52 GMT The Key You Can't Lose: Rolling Out Passkeys Without a Monday Morning Lockout https://core-it.uk/passkeys-rollout-without-monday-lockout/ https://core-it.uk/passkeys-rollout-without-monday-lockout/ Passkeys are being sold as the end of password hassle, but they still need a helpdesk plan. Here is what changes for shared devices, recovery and MFA resets, plus a phased rollout that avoids locking half the team out on a Monday morning. Core IT Cloud & Data Protection Sun, 08 Nov 2026 13:45:08 GMT Before You Buy Another Black Box: A Small-Business Wi-Fi Reality Check https://core-it.uk/small-business-wifi-reality-check/ https://core-it.uk/small-business-wifi-reality-check/ When Wi-Fi dies in the stockroom, the instinct is to add another access point. Often that makes things worse. Here is a practical walk-through of channel overlap, placement, PoE limits and guest traffic, plus when to stop buying boxes and call a cabler. Core IT Practical IT Sun, 08 Nov 2026 13:45:08 GMT The Monthly Number That Never Grew Up With the Business https://core-it.uk/monthly-number-never-grew-up-it-budget-2026/ https://core-it.uk/monthly-number-never-grew-up-it-budget-2026/ Most UK small businesses do not have an IT budget; they have a monthly guess that someone made years ago and nobody has revisited. The gap now shows up as slow laptops, licence creep and awkward cyber insurance questionnaires. Here is how to rebuild the number for 2026 without panic-buying. Core IT Practical IT Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:44:40 GMT The Invoice That Wasn't Yours: Closing the Email Spoofing Door in Half an Hour https://core-it.uk/invoice-that-wasnt-yours-email-spoofing-half-hour/ https://core-it.uk/invoice-that-wasnt-yours-email-spoofing-half-hour/ Someone can send email that looks like it came from your managing director, and most UK small firms do not find out until an invoice is queried. Here is the plain-English version of SPF, DKIM and DMARC, plus the practical half-hour start that gets your domain from exposed to monitored. Core IT Cloud & Data Protection Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:44:40 GMT The Friend-of-a-Friend Fix Is Costing You More Than You Think https://core-it.uk/friend-of-a-friend-it-support-hidden-costs/ https://core-it.uk/friend-of-a-friend-it-support-hidden-costs/ Free or cheap IT help can feel like a small-business win until the backups are missing, the updates have stalled and nobody knows the admin password. Here is how to spot when informal support has become a business risk, and how to move to accountable help without turning a family favour into a fallout. Core IT Practical IT Sun, 08 Nov 2026 05:48:00 GMT Your Landlord Owns the Router. Your Business Still Owns the Risk. https://core-it.uk/shared-office-wifi-business-security-landlord-router/ https://core-it.uk/shared-office-wifi-business-security-landlord-router/ Serviced offices and co-working spaces are brilliant until you realise everyone, including people you have never met, may be on the same network. Here is how to keep business data safe when you do not control the broadband. Core IT Cloud & Data Protection Sun, 08 Nov 2026 05:48:00 GMT Copper Retirement: What's Still Plugged Into Your Old Phone Line (And What to Do About It) https://core-it.uk/copper-retirement-whats-plugged-into-your-phone-line/ https://core-it.uk/copper-retirement-whats-plugged-into-your-phone-line/ Openreach's copper network stops being sold in January 2027 and disappears entirely by the end of that year, and plenty of small firms have far more hanging off it than a desk phone. Here's what is genuinely at stake, which kit tends to get forgotten, and a migration plan you can work through in an afternoon of ringing round. Core IT Practical IT Sun, 08 Nov 2026 01:49:10 GMT Nobody Asked IT: How Shadow IT Spreads Through a Small Business https://core-it.uk/nobody-asked-it-how-shadow-it-spreads/ https://core-it.uk/nobody-asked-it-how-shadow-it-spreads/ A fourteen-person firm with four unofficial file-sharing services, a WhatsApp group full of client documents and a free AI tool doing the heavy lifting is not unusual — it is the norm. This is how shadow IT takes hold, what it quietly costs, and how to replace it with something better instead of just banning things. Core IT Cloud & Data Protection Sun, 08 Nov 2026 01:49:10 GMT Deleted, Gone, Gone: Why Microsoft 365 Needs Its Own Safety Net https://core-it.uk/microsoft-365-backup-safety-net-uk-smes/ https://core-it.uk/microsoft-365-backup-safety-net-uk-smes/ Microsoft 365 keeps your files available, but availability is not the same as backup. Here’s what UK small businesses need to check before trusting the cloud with everything. Core IT Cloud & Data Protection Sat, 07 Nov 2026 21:53:02 GMT The Pre-Weekend IT MOT: Twelve Free Checks for UK Small Businesses https://core-it.uk/friday-it-audit-12-free-checks-uk-small-business/ https://core-it.uk/friday-it-audit-12-free-checks-uk-small-business/ No budget, no sales call, no jargon. Spend an hour before home time on these twelve checks and you’ll sleep better over the weekend. Core IT Practical IT Sat, 07 Nov 2026 21:53:02 GMT