Whitepaper Archives

Based in the North West, we’re used to making IT simple for businesses of all sizes across the UK. Since 1994, our knowledgeable and professional team has been trusted by many well-known businesses to provide first-class support and advice.

Whether you’re after an IT strategy for your expanding business, a secure remote system for employees on the go, a new set up for your office or firewalls to keep vital assets protected from cyber criminals – we’re ready to help.

September 2023 Newsletter
September 2023 Hello, Welcome to our September newsletter update. Windows Server 2012 end of life Microsoft have confirmed that all support will end for two of their popular operating ...
What is Microsoft 365 for Business?
Learn more about what you get with a subscription to Microsoft 365 for Business with this great video from Microsoft ...
Think You Know Ransomware?
Our partner Sophos has put together a brilliant documentary series – Think You Know Ransomware? A gripping documentary that delves into the alarming realities of ransomware, revealing the ...
All About Multifactor Authentication
Whilst it may seem to be unnecessary, standard security procedures requesting only a username and password are becoming increasingly easy for criminals to attack and gain access to data. As a result, ...
July 2023 Newsletter
July 2023 Hello, Welcome to our July newsletter update. The End of the Line for Broadband is Coming Having a leased line installed for your business is fast becoming a viable option for ...
June 2023 Newsletter
June 2023 Hello, Welcome to our June newsletter update. We are now a Microsoft Solutions Partner Very to pleased to share that we have gained Microsoft’s new Solutions Partner ...
We are now a Microsoft Solutions Partner
Very to pleased to share that we have gained Microsoft’s new Solutions Partner designation in “Modern Work”. Our team have gained this through successful completion of Intermediate and Advanced ...
NCS IT have Achieved the Cisco Small Business Specialisation
We are very pleased to announce we have achieved to Cisco Small Business Specialisation Accreditation. Cisco have awarded this to us because they said “NCS IT Ltd has proven they can provide ...
May 2023 E-newsletter
May 2023 Hello, Welcome to our May newsletter update. World Password Day The 4th of May was World Password Day, we put together some tips for creating safer passwords and advice to ...
Our Visit to DTX Manchester 2023
Members of the NCS IT team visited DTX Manchester 2023 at Manchester Central on 17th and 18th May. It was a great event, listening to some interesting speakers and meeting peers from across the IT ...
Our first few months of 2023
Review of the First Quarter of 2023 Hello, We have been looking back at some of the projects we have worked on so far this year (there have been many) and we thought we would put together a quick ...
World Password Day
We have all had those annoying pop-ups when creating a new password – you must use one special character, one capital letter, six letters, two numbers, one emoji…. (Ok maybe not that last one.) Given ...
April 2023 E-newsletter
April 2023 Hello, Welcome to our April newsletter update. Proud to be sponsoring Rossendale Triathlon We are very pleased to be sponsoring the Rossendale Triathlon again this year. It ...
NCS IT are Going Green
We’ve been working behind the scenes to improve our green credentials as we believe it is important to how we run our business and we know a lot of our customers value their suppliers being ...
NCS IT Sponsor Bury Pride 2023
We are very pleased to be a sponsor of Bury Pride 2023. This is the second year running we have supported this event. It takes place on Saturday 29th April and you can find out all the ...
Rossendale Triathlon 2023 Sponsors
We are very pleased to be sponsoring the Rossendale Triathlon again this year. It takes place on 21st May and you can find all the details on the website here > ...
We have Renewed our Sophos Silver Partner Status
We are very pleased to have renewed our Sophos Silver Partner status for another year. Well done to Carl Nelson, Victoria Whittaker and Jeremy Santhouse for completing the Sophos training and ...
Travelling the World….from a Desk!
Our Technical Director was travelling the world last week…from the comfort of his desk! Last week Andrew Charlesworth worked in three continents for multiple customers and suppliers! One ...
Tik Tok Ban is Spreading Globally
More than a dozen countries around the world have introduced full, partial or public sector bans on TikTok amid heightened national security concerns with more expected to follow suit. Most of the ...
March 2023 E-newsletter
March 2023 Hello, Welcome to our March newsletter update. Our Helpdesk Here is our new Helpdesk Team. There have been some new faces who have joined us over the past few months ...
February 2023 E-Newsletter
February 2023 Hello, Welcome to our February newsletter update. New Faces on the Helpdesk A very warm welcome to Chris and Andy who have recently joined the NCS IT team as ...
New Faces on the Helpdesk
A very warm welcome to Chris and Andy who have joined the Helpdesk. You can find out more about them on our Meet NCS page > ...
Ignorance Isn’t Bliss: How Tech Users Lack Fundamental Cybersecurity Knowledge
Internet connectivity is at an all-time high. Not surprisingly, this has led to a rise in cyberattacks: Phishing and identity theft are prevalent (yet, underreported), and the adoption of best ...
Office 2016 and Office 2019 will not be supported for Microsoft 365 From October 2023
Older versions of Office (2016 and 2019) will not be supported for connecting to Microsoft 365 from October of this year. This means that these older versions might not be able to take advantage of ...
Microsoft to Enforce Number Matching for MFA App Users
As of 27th February 2023, Microsoft will enforce number matching on all MFA (multi-factor authentication) App users. What will happen is when a user tries to login and receives a notification to the ...
Did you know Microsoft doesn’t backup your 365 data?
Microsoft 365 delivers brilliant services, but did you know that it doesn’t actually backup your Microsoft 365 data? We can help to eliminate the risk of losing access and control of your Microsoft ...
January 2023 E-newsletter
January 2023 Hello, Happy New Year and welcome to our January newsletter update. 5 IT-Related New Year’s Resolutions Have you made any New Year’s Resolutions this ...
5 IT-Related New Year’s Resolutions
Happy New Year! We hope 2023 is a happy, healthy and prosperous year for you. Like many others, we have bene thinking about New Year’s Resolutions and we’ve come up with 5 IT-related New ...
Updates and Security Patching
One of the most effective things you can do to protect your computer and network is to ensure all updates and security patches are installed as soon as they become available. PC Security Patching ...
What is DMARC
Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) is used to authenticate an email by aligning SPF and DKIM mechanisms. By having DMARC in place, domain owners large and small can ...
Review of 2022
Hello, We have been looking back at some of the projects we have worked on this year (there has been a lot) and we thought we would put together a quick overview so you can see the kind of things our ...
November 2022 E-newsletter
Hello, Welcome to our November 2022 newsletter update. Who’s the new voice when you ring the Helpdesk? If you have telephoned our Helpdesk in the past few weeks you may ...
Imposter Phishing Techniques on the Rise
It’s the run up to Christmas and cybercriminals turn to imposter phishing techniques. Frequently, this involves asking a member of staff to purchase gift cards for Amazon, Apple etc. for ...
How to Spot a Phishing Email (3 Easy Clues!)
This is an example of the phishing emails we see every day. It is a real email that was sent to one of our generic email addresses. We have highlighted below some of the clues that show it isn’t an ...
October 2022 E-newsletter
Hello, Welcome to our October 2022 newsletter update. Exhibiting at North West Business Expo Last week, on Friday 21st October, we joined lots of other North West companies in ...
The End of the Line for Broadband is Coming
Having a leased line installed for your business is fast becoming a viable option for some businesses due to a big drop in price. If you’ve not had a price for a leased line installed in the last 12 ...
Exhibiting at North West Business Expo 2022
Last week, on Friday 21st October, we joined lots of other North West companies in exhibiting at the Shout Network North West Business Expo 2022 at the Bolton Stadium. We had a great day meeting lots ...
We’re Exhibiting at the North West Business Expo 2022
We will be exhibiting at the North West Business Expo 2022 on 21st October 2022. The event is taking place at the Bolton Whites Hotel from 9am until 3pm. Members of the NCS IT team will be there ...
September 2022 E-newsletter
September 2022 Hello, Welcome to our September 2022 newsletter update. Windows Server 2012 End of Life Microsoft have confirmed that all support will end for two of their popular ...
IT Telesales Executive Position
We’re also on the lookout for an IT Telesales Executive to join our brilliant Sales Team. Again, if you know someone who may be interested, please forward this email to them with the details ...
IT Account Manager Vacancy
We are currently advertising an IT Account Manager vacancy to support our many new and existing customers. If you know someone who may be interested, please forward this email to them or direct them ...
Windows Server 2012 End of Support
Microsoft have confirmed that all support will end for two of their popular operating systems next year. The two affected programs are: Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2012 R2 Their end-of-life ...
August 2022 Update
August 2022 Hello, Welcome to our August 2022 newsletter update. What is Multi-Factor Authentication? When you sign into your online accounts, you are essentially proving that you are ...
NCS IT’s Managed Cyber Security Offer
We have just launched our Managed Cyber Security offer which delivers a powerful suite of managed endpoint protection, detection and response capabilities to help protect your business from ...
What is Multifactor Authentication?
When you sign into your online accounts, you are essentially proving to the site that you are who you say you are in order to gain access. Traditionally you have done this by inputting your username ...
July 2022 Update
July 2022 Hello, Welcome to our July 2022 newsletter update. Merseyside Business Expo On Thursday 30th June, we joined over 100 other companies at Exhibition Centre Liverpool at ...
Microsoft Office 2013 End of Support
Microsoft Office 2013 will reach the end of its extended support next year on 11th April 2023. This means that after this date, security updates for Office 2013 will no longer be available. If ...
Our Cisco Partner Status has been Elevated
We are very excited to announce that our Cisco Partner status has been elevated to Select Integrator and Small Business Specialized. Members of our team completed the necessary accreditations and ...
Exhibiting at the Merseyside Business Expo 2022
Last week, on Thursday 30th June, we joined over 100 other companies at Exhibition Centre Liverpool at the Merseyside Business Expo 2022. Here’s what we got up to on our stand on the day: ...
This is why backups are so important
The Problem: Our customer is a financial/professional services company with over 60 staff, based in the North West. Their main line-of-business database had been corrupted and needed to be repaired. ...
We Sponsored the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce’s Networking Event
On 14th June, NCS are sponsored Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce’s networking event at Elliot House on Deansgate in Manchester. Andy Long gave a great presentation about our customer journey ...
June 2022 Update
June 2022 Hello, Welcome to our June 2022 newsletter update. Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce On 14th June we sponsored the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce’s networking event at ...
We’re Exhibiting at the Merseyside Business Expo 2022
We will be exhibiting at the Merseyside Business Expo 2022 taking place on Thursday 30th June 2022 at Exhibition Centre, Liverpool. It’s a free-to-attend event so please pop to our stand to say ...
We’re Sponsoring the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce’s Networking Event in June
We are sponsoring Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce’s networking event on 14th June at Elliot House on Deansgate in Manchester. Members of the NCS IT team will be presenting and staying ...
May 2022 Update
May 2022 Hello, Welcome to our May 2022 newsletter update. New Recruit We are pleased to welcome Connor to our Helpdesk team. He has joined us as a first-line support engineer and you may have ...
Every Day is a School Day
Well done to two of our engineers, Ross and Connor who have received verified achievements this month! Ross has received a verified achievement from Microsoft for Azure Fundamentals. Connor received ...
New Recruit – Connor
We are pleased to welcome Connor to our Helpdesk team. He has joined us as a first-line support engineer and you may have already spoken to him if you have called the Helpdesk in the last couple of ...
NCS IT Sponsor Edenfield Cricket Club
NCS IT are pleased to be sponsoring Edenfield Cricket Club for their 2022 season. We wish them lots of luck in their upcoming matches. ...
Rossendale Triathlon 2022
We are proud to be sponsoring Rossendale Triathlon again this year. It will be taking place Sunday 15th May. Good luck to everyone taking part! http://ow.ly/fsYa30sioE4 ...
Continuing our Partnership with Bacup Cricket Club
The 2022 cricket season is the final year of our 3-year shirt sponsor partnership with Bacup Cricket Club. After lots of missed matches over the past two year due to COVID-19 and associated ...
DTX 2022
Yesterday, members of the NCS team visited DTX Manchester 2022 at Manchester Central. Here are some of our photos from the day: ...
We are Sponsoring Bury Pride 2022
We are excited to announce that we will be sponsoring the main stage at Bury Pride this year which will be taking place on 30th April. For more information about the event, please visit their website ...
April 2022 Update
Hello, Welcome to our April 2022 newsletter update. Disaster Recovery Testing We have noticed an increase in clients requesting disaster recovery testing and consultancy for insurance purposes. If ...
Disaster Recovery Testing
We have noticed an increase in clients requesting disaster recovery testing and consultancy for insurance purposes. If this is something your business requires, please get in touch. We have a number ...
Exhibiting at Lancashire Business Expo 2022
On Friday 25th, NCS IT and over 100 other companies exhibited at the Lancashire Business Expo at Preston Guild Hall. Here are some of our photos from the day. We will also be ...
We’re Exhibiting at the Lancashire Business Expo 2022
We will be exhibiting at the Lancashire Business Expo 2022 taking place on Friday 25th March 2022 at Preston Guild Hall. It’s a free-to-attend event so please pop to our stand to say hi if ...
Microsoft Teams is the New Target for Phishing Attacks
Cyber criminals are reportedly beginning to target employees on platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Slack. This is perhaps due to their increasing popularity – Microsoft Teams alone has 270 million ...
March 2022 Update
Hello, Welcome to our March 2022 newsletter update. Lancashire Business Expo 2022 We will be exhibiting at the Lancashire Business Expo 2022 taking place on Friday 25th March 2022 at Preston Guild ...
IT Equipment – Cost of Ownership
With the rising cost of living at the forefront of everyone’s mind at the moment, have you thought about how much your IT equipment actually costs to run? For example, a standard Dell or HP ...
Disaster Recovery – What would you do?
Consider this business scenario It’s 9am on Monday morning. You arrive and the office and realise your IT systems are down. Email is not working either, and your main business programs aren’t ...
7 Ways to Work Smarter in the Cloud and Drive Greater Impact
Thank you for visiting our website. Here is Microsoft’s 7 Ways to Work Smarter in the Cloud and Drive Greater Impact whitepaper. Click the link below to download it for free. 7 Ways To Work ...
Newsletter February 2022
Hello, Welcome to our February 2022 newsletter update. New Partnership We have just confirmed our newest vendor partnership with Acronis. Acronis offer next-generation anti-virus, anti-malware ...
Newsletter January 2022
Hello, it’s been a while since we sent out a newsletter, so here’s a quick update on what’s been happening at NCS over the past few months. Happy New Year First and foremost, ...
How Often do you Back Up your Data?
In the event of hardware failure, virus infestations, theft or even just accidental deletion, would you be able to recover your data from a backup? The impact of any of these situations could be ...
Log4j advisory – December 2021
You may have seen in the press about a new, extremely severe Java vulnerability called Log4j that can affect all Windows computers, including fileservers, laptops and PCs. It has put some of the ...
Making the Shift to a Modern Desktop with Microsoft 365
How do you keep desktop environments secure while providing information protection and integrated identity and access management? Are you keeping your users happy and secure with the most up-to-date ...
Opening Hours Over the Festive Period
We will have different opening hours over the festive period. These will be: Friday 24th December 2021 – 8am – 1pm Monday 27th December 2021 – CLOSED Tuesday 28th December 2021 ...
10 Myths About Moving to the Cloud
Most organisations that have moved to the cloud, have done so because they have decided they need to for business agility and the cost savings that come with it. If your organisation is ...
Great Black Friday Offer? Here’s How to Stay Safe when Buying Online
This year, Black Friday falls on Friday 26th November, however many retailers have started to offer their Black Friday deals now. If you’re looking to take advantage of the promotions and grab ...
All About Two-Factor Authentication/Multi-Factor Authentication
We have seen an increase in apps and websites insisting on Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). Whilst it may seem to be unnecessary, standard security procedures requesting only a username and password ...
What are Password Generators and should I be using them?
Have you ever used a password generator? We recommend to our customers to use LastPass’ excellent password generator (https://www.lastpass.com/password-generator) which you can even download as a ...
Domain Fraud
We have seen instances recently where fraudsters have purchased domains similar to a company’s name in order to impersonate them and fraudulently invoice their customers. Example scenario: 1. Joe ...
How to Block Attacks on your Mobile Devices
Many people let their guard down on mobiles devices but you should be as careful as if you were using a desktop. Here are a few ways to block mobile attacks > When using Wi-Fi Don’t allow your ...
All About Microsoft SharePoint – Online File Sharing
Microsoft’s SharePoint application can be used as a secure place to store, organise and access information from any device across your network. It is included free with all Microsoft 365 Business ...
All About Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a messaging app which can be used as a workspace for meetings, real-time collaboration and file sharing. It is included free with all Office 365 Business subscriptions. We use ...
Do You Need to Backup Microsoft 365? 5 Reasons Why You Should.
One of the major reasons for moving your business data, be it email, files or conversations, to Microsoft 365 is the ultra-resilient infrastructure and security that Microsoft datacentres provide. ...
What Does a Modern Workplace Look Like? – Your Business in the Cloud
What Does a Modern Workplace Look Like? – Your Business in the Cloud If there is one thing that the pandemic has taught us, it is that a business needs to be agile, flexible, and built ...
How Strong is Your Password?
We’ve all seen those annoying instructions when creating a new password – “you must use one special character, one capital letter, six letters, two numbers, one emoji” …. ok, maybe ...
Windows 10 Versions, End of Life
Windows 10 has regular version updates which introduce new features, make improvements and, most importantly, fix security issues. Each version release is given a version number, with the current ...
Our Approach During the Coronavirus Situation
As we enter another period of lockdown and with Covid-19 cases increasing, we would like to take a moment to explain how NCS IT is responding to the situation. Firstly, let us clarify NCS IT is still ...
Empowering Remote Work with Microsoft Teams
With the UK starting to get back to some sort of normality, some businesses are starting to open again whilst still allowing some staff to work from home for the time being. It is therefore crucial ...
COVID19 Phishing Scams Targeting Passport Details
Fraudsters are targeting self-employed people in COVID-related HMRC phishing scams. Griffin Law has found a variation of the phishing attack which seeks to gain the passport details of self-employed ...
Beware of “Secure DNS” Scam Targeting WordPress Users
NakedSecurity are reporting a new scam email which pretends to come from WordPress. The email claims that DNS security features will soon be added for your WordPress domain. It tells the reader to ...
Time to Consider Microsoft 365
Your technology can make the difference between a good day and a bad one. How hard are your systems working for you? Are you managing multiple passwords? Are you using disconnected solutions for ...
Cyber Security for Remote Workers Webinar Recording
Please find a recording of our Microsoft Modern Workplace webinar which was recorded live on 11th June 2020. https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZlxELx7cW7A NCS IT held our second free webinar on Thursday ...
Microsoft Modern Workplace Webinar Recording
Please find below a recording of our Microsoft Modern Workplace webinar which was recorded live on 28th May 2020. https://www.youtube.com/embed/To6Tvw_EG54 The Microsoft Modern Workplace, built on ...
NCS IT Renews Microsoft Gold Partner Status for a further 12 Months
NCS IT Ltd have successfully renewed their Microsoft Gold Partner status for a further 12 months. This renewal means the company have been Microsoft Gold Partners for nearly 15 years, a tremendous ...
Microsoft Modern Workplace Webinar
NCS IT Ltd are holding a webinar on Thursday 28th May at 10.30am all about the Microsoft Modern Workplace. The Microsoft Modern Workplace, built on Microsoft 365, focuses on how users can work from ...
An Update from NCS IT Ltd
Here’s an update from NCS as the situation currently stands… Office Staff NCS continues to trade effectively. All of our office staff are working from home and whilst we have lost some ...

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