Bold-IT

Bold-IT Award Winning Managed IT, Microsoft Solutions Provider, Cyber Essentials Plus & ISO Certified

Award Winning Managed IT & Telecom Services, Microsoft Gold Partner, Cyber Essentials & ISO Certified. We view our clients as valued partners, and our goal is to help them facilitate growth and success through technology. We take the time to get to know our clients and their businesses so that we can provide comprehensive IT solutions that are tailored to their specific needs. We do whatever it takes to help our clients achieve their business goals, which sets us apart from the competition.

If you have opened Windows Settings recently and been hit with a permission pop-up you did not expect, here is what is h...
31/05/2026

If you have opened Windows Settings recently and been hit with a permission pop-up you did not expect, here is what is happening.

Windows 11 now triggers a User Account Control prompt when you open Settings → System → Storage. UAC is the security pop-up that asks for permission before allowing changes that could affect the system.

If you are on an admin account, you click yes and carry on. If you are on a standard user account, which is how most business machines should be set up, you will need the admin password to get in.

Storage settings allow files, drives and system data to be deleted. Putting a lock on that access reduces the risk of accidental damage and limits what someone could do if they gained unauthorised access to a machine.

It is a small change, but it is the right one. Layered security is about removing easy wins, not just stopping determined attackers.

One thing to be aware of: some temporary file cleanup options have temporarily disappeared from the Storage panel as a result. They can still be accessed through the older Disk Cleanup tool while Microsoft tidies that up.

If this prompt has caught you off guard, it is also worth asking a broader question. Are your staff on standard accounts, or does everyone still have admin access just in case?

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Your printer is not about to stop working.You may have seen headlines about Microsoft ending printer driver support in W...
30/05/2026

Your printer is not about to stop working.

You may have seen headlines about Microsoft ending printer driver support in Windows. Here is what is actually happening.

Microsoft is stopping the publication of new V3 and V4 printer drivers through Windows Update. These are older driver models. Existing printers using them will continue to work, and drivers can still be installed directly from manufacturers like HP and Canon if needed.

Windows is not deleting or blocking anything.

The shift is toward a modern built-in printing standard called Mopria, which many printers already support. For those, it is plug and play with no extra downloads needed.

Key dates to be aware of:
January 2026: No new V3/V4 drivers published to Windows Update
July 2026: Windows will automatically prefer the newer built-in driver
July 2027: Third-party driver updates via Windows Update mostly blocked, security fixes aside

This is a slow, planned transition that Microsoft announced back in 2023. If you run older printers in a business environment, now is a sensible time to review them, not because they will suddenly fail, but because older hardware becomes harder to manage and secure over time.

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Growth needs the right support behind it.When this client's business expanded, they needed IT that could keep up. If you...
25/05/2026

Growth needs the right support behind it.

When this client's business expanded, they needed IT that could keep up.

If you're looking to future-proof your business, get in touch.

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If you were asked where your biggest security risks sit, you would probably say email, passwords, or remote access.Very ...
23/05/2026

If you were asked where your biggest security risks sit, you would probably say email, passwords, or remote access.

Very few business owners would point at Excel or PowerPoint.

Microsoft has released an updated security baseline for Microsoft 365 Office apps. Think of it as a recommended secure settings template that IT teams can apply to make Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the rest more resistant to modern attack methods.

A couple of the changes are worth understanding.

In Excel, if a spreadsheet contains a link pulling data from an external source that falls outside your security rules, Excel will now refuse to refresh it. Attackers often hide malicious data connections inside spreadsheets, so blocking that automatic reach-out removes a real weakness.

In PowerPoint, Microsoft is disabling OLE content. This is an older technology that allows content from other applications to be embedded into files. It has legitimate uses, but it has also been exploited. Reducing reliance on it lowers the risk.

Across all Microsoft 365 apps there are further changes, including blocking non-HTTPS web connections, disabling older components no longer widely used, and preventing fallback to outdated network protocols.

The important thing to know is that these settings do not switch on automatically. They need to be deployed by your IT team using Microsoft's Security Compliance Toolkit.

When did someone last review how your Office apps are actually configured?

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SharePoint admin centre finally gets dark mode.For years, almost every Microsoft 365 admin portal has supported dark mod...
23/05/2026

SharePoint admin centre finally gets dark mode.

For years, almost every Microsoft 365 admin portal has supported dark mode. Exchange, Teams, the main admin centre. SharePoint was the exception, defaulting to a bright white screen every single time.

That is now changing.

Admins can switch between light and dark themes inside the SharePoint admin centre. It is optional, changes no settings, and has no impact on end users. It is purely about visual comfort.

For anyone managing SharePoint during long hours or late in the evening, it removes a small but genuine frustration. It also brings SharePoint in line with the rest of the Microsoft 365 suite, so your display preferences are finally consistent across the board.

To switch it on, open the SharePoint admin centre and use the dark mode toggle in the top right.

Good IT is not always about dramatic new features. Sometimes it is about making everyday tools slightly more pleasant to use.

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Microsoft Teams is adding a feature that lets people list their skills directly on their Microsoft 365 profile card. Whe...
17/05/2026

Microsoft Teams is adding a feature that lets people list their skills directly on their Microsoft 365 profile card. When you click on someone's name in Teams, you will see what they are good at, not just their job title.

That means managers can quickly identify who is best placed for a project. Colleagues can discover expertise they did not know existed. And individuals have more control over how they are seen inside the business.

As teams grow, informal knowledge sharing breaks down. In a team of five, everyone knows who does what. At thirty or fifty people, that clarity disappears fast.

If Teams becomes a lightweight internal skills directory, it reduces the friction that slows businesses down.

The one caveat: tools only work if people use them. The value of this feature depends entirely on whether profiles are kept updated.

Rolling out to Teams on Windows and Mac.

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Windows 11 features worth knowing about right nowA few recent updates worth being aware of.Smart App Control checks any ...
16/05/2026

Windows 11 features worth knowing about right now

A few recent updates worth being aware of.

Smart App Control checks any app you install against Microsoft's threat database and blocks anything suspicious. Previously you could not switch it back on once disabled without reinstalling Windows. That has now been fixed.

If you use an Android phone alongside a Windows PC, you can now resume more apps on your desktop from where you left off on your phone. The list of supported apps is expanding.

Voice Access now has a setup wizard and more control over response timing, useful for accessibility or reducing keyboard fatigue.

File Explorer performance has improved for network folders. If your business stores files on a shared drive, navigating them should feel quicker.

Settings now shows a simple device info card covering CPU, memory, storage and graphics, without digging through menus.

Small improvements, but in the right direction.

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Your team is busy every day.Full calendars. Constant messages. Plenty of effort.So why does progress still feel slow?Whe...
11/05/2026

Your team is busy every day.

Full calendars. Constant messages. Plenty of effort.

So why does progress still feel slow?

When nothing’s broken, but work feels stuck, the issue usually isn’t people.

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Microsoft Copilot just got a feature worth knowing about: Reminders.Not a basic alarm. You simply tell Copilot what you ...
09/05/2026

Microsoft Copilot just got a feature worth knowing about: Reminders.

Not a basic alarm. You simply tell Copilot what you need and when, and it sends an alert to your phone. It understands natural language, so "remind me every Monday at 8am to review my presentation" works exactly as you'd expect. Recurring reminders work too.

A few things to note. You need the Copilot app installed on your phone with notifications turned on. Free users get up to 5 reminders. Microsoft 365 Copilot subscribers get up to 20.

Copilot is also picking up other useful updates including pinned chats, conversation summaries, and a Study and Learn mode for generating quizzes and flashcards.

AI tools are moving beyond answering questions. They want to organise your day too.

Worth trying as an extra layer alongside your existing systems, but not a replacement for them just yet.

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Last week, Danny Leitch and Sean Barnes represented Bold IT at the Aston Villa Foundation Community Partnership event at...
06/05/2026

Last week, Danny Leitch and Sean Barnes represented Bold IT at the Aston Villa Foundation Community Partnership event at Villa Park.

It was a fantastic evening connecting with so many like-minded organisations, all working to make a difference across the Midlands.

Hearing from Aston Villa legend Ian Taylor was a real highlight, sharing insights from his time on and off the pitch.

A big thank you to Eleven Sports Media and the Aston Villa Foundation for hosting the evening. We are proud to be part of the partnership and excited for what comes next.

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