YourIT

11/02/2026

It's easy to assume the people who grew up with technology are the least likely to get caught out online.

But that assumption can create a blind spot.

Cybercriminals don't care how confident someone is with technology.

They care whether someone will click at the wrong moment…

11/01/2026

Can we talk about passwords for a second?

I still can't get over how much damage a text string can do. One weak, reused, or phished password, and someone's in your email, your bank, your client files. All of it. It's wild that this is still how most businesses lock their front door.

There's a better way now, and it's called a passkey.

A passkey isn't something you type. It's something your device holds onto for you. Think of it like a key and a lock that were made together as a matching pair. One half stays on the server (say, your email provider). The other half never leaves your phone or computer.

When you log in, your device proves it has the right half, usually with your fingerprint, your face, or your PIN. No password ever gets typed, sent, or stored anywhere someone could steal it.

And the part I love is that passkeys are tied to the exact website they were made for. So if someone sends your team a fake login page that looks identical to the real one (a classic phishing trick) the passkey simply won't work there.

Your device checks the address behind the scenes and says "nope, wrong site" before anything can be handed over. Password managers can be tricked, but this can't in the same way.

The numbers back it up too. Companies using passkeys are seeing login success rates around 93%, compared to 63% for the old password-plus-code combo. Fewer failed logins also means fewer "I'm locked out, help" tickets landing on your IT support’s desk… reportedly over 80% fewer.

Now, I'm not going to tell you to rip out every password tomorrow. That's not realistic, and it's not necessary. Most businesses run a mix for a while. Some apps support passkeys already (think Google, Microsoft, Salesforce), others are older systems that'll need passwords a little longer.

Start with the accounts that would hurt the most if they got breached, get those switched over first, then work outward.

If you're not sure where your business stands on this, that's a completely normal thing to ask your IT support partner about. It's a much smaller project than it sounds like, and a much bigger deal for your security than it might seem.

10/31/2026

If your employees are using AI at work, here's a question worth asking:

Are they using the tools you've approved...
..or the ones they've found themselves?

New research suggests more than half of employees are using AI tools that haven't been approved by their employer 😬

Even more concerning, some admit they've entered sensitive company information into those tools 😱

I don't think this is happening because employees are trying to break the rules.

Most likely, they're trying to get their work done more quickly.

If the approved AI tool is difficult to access, doesn't do what they need, or isn't available at all, people will look elsewhere.

That's how shadow AI starts.

Shadow AI is when employees use AI tools without the knowledge or approval of the business.

The problem isn't necessarily the tool.

It's that the business has no visibility over where company information is being shared or how it's being stored 👀

Banning AI won’t work.

People will find another way.

And your business will miss out.

A better approach is to give employees clear guidance on which AI tools they should use, what information should never be entered into them, and why those rules exist.

At the same time, ask whether the approved tools are meeting people's needs.

If they aren't, employees will look for alternatives.

AI has huge potential to help businesses become more productive.

But it needs the same level of governance as any other business system.

Otherwise, you don't know where your company information is ending up.

👉 Does your business have a clear AI policy, or are employees making their own decisions about which AI tools to use?

10/30/2026

An IT review is about understanding where your technology stands today and where it could support your business better.

A few small improvements can make a big difference to security and productivity.

And the amount of time your team spends dealing with avoidable problems…

10/29/2026

It's easy to measure how long AI takes to write an email or produce a report.

What's harder to measure is whether your business is better off because of it.

Are your customers happier?
Is work flowing more smoothly?
Are your people spending less time on repetitive jobs?

AI has become the answer to a lot of business questions lately. Need to save time? AI. Need to improve productivity? AI. Need to work smarter? AI. But there’s a question that isn’t being asked often enough: Are you seeing a return on the investment?

10/28/2026

Here's something that you should probably be aware of…

Google is introducing a new setting that lets some of the information people submit through its services, such as voice searches and images uploaded to Google Lens, be used to help train its AI 🤖

For many people, it's switched on by default.

Now, this isn't about Google looking through every file on your computer.

It's the information you actively upload or submit through its services.

For a lot of businesses, that won't be a problem 😮💨

But if your team regularly uses Google tools for work, you’ll want to think about what information people might be sharing without even realizing.

A screenshot of an internal document…
A photo of a whiteboard after a meeting…
A voice search that includes client information…

These things aren’t unusual, but they could contain information you'd rather keep inside your business 🤐

That's why you should review these settings whenever a provider introduces a new AI feature.

The default option isn't necessarily the right one for every business.

As AI becomes part of more of the software we use every day, understanding where your data goes is becoming as important as understanding what the software can do.

It's another reason why having a simple AI policy for your team is worthwhile.

It doesn't need to be pages long.

Just some clear guidance on which AI tools people should use, and what information should never be shared with them.

👉 Have you reviewed your business's AI settings recently, or are you relying on the default options?

10/27/2026

AI has become the answer to a lot of business questions lately.

Need to save time? AI.
Need to improve productivity? AI.
Need to work smarter? AI.

But there’s a question that isn’t being asked often enough: Are you seeing a return on the investment…?

10/26/2026

Keep reaching for your phone while you work? Try this and you might not need to anymore…

10/25/2026

There's a question I get asked a lot whenever AI comes up 🤔

"Is it going to replace people's jobs?"

The honest answer is... it's not that simple.

A study looking at more than 21,000 companies found something interesting…

The organizations making the biggest investments in AI didn't shrink their workforce.

Over the following couple of years, they hired more people 👌

That might sound surprising when so many headlines focus on job cuts ✂️

But it makes sense when you think about how businesses work.

Buying AI software doesn't magically transform a company overnight 🪄

People still need to work out where it fits, redesign processes, train colleagues, support customers and find better ways of working.

AI can help people get more done, but it doesn't remove the need for people altogether.

In many cases, it changes the type of work they're doing.

Of course, some jobs will evolve.

Some repetitive tasks will become automated 🤖

But that's been happening with technology for decades.

To get ahead, instead of asking, "Which jobs can AI replace?"

Ask, "Which jobs can AI make better?"

If you want to see the biggest benefits, take the time to integrate it properly, experiment with it and help your team learn how to use it well.

Technology creates opportunities when people know how to use it.

💭 Has AI changed the way your team works yet, or are you still working out where it fits?

10/24/2026

There's a common assumption that younger generations are naturally better at cybersecurity.

Why?

Because they've grown up with technology 🧑💻

But a recent study suggests that's not necessarily true.

Researchers found that younger adults were the least likely to have changed their oldest password in the last year 😬

Meanwhile, older generations came out ahead when it came to updating passwords more regularly ✅

But no group got everything right.

Some people still rely on the same password they've been using for years, maybe with a few extra numbers or symbols added along the way.

Others store all their passwords in their web browser because it's convenient.

Neither approach is ideal.

The biggest problem is, if a password is ever exposed in a data breach, criminals will almost certainly try it on other accounts.

If you've reused it elsewhere, one leaked password can quickly become several compromised accounts.

The good news is that keeping your accounts secure doesn't have to be difficult.

Use a different password for every account.

Let a password manager remember them for you instead of trying to do it yourself.

And wherever it's available, switch on Multi-Factor Authentication. That's the extra security step where you approve a login using your phone or an authentication app.

These small changes make life much harder for cybercriminals, even if one of your passwords is exposed.

Good cybersecurity isn't about your age; it’s about good habits.

And the habits that protect your business are worth building, no matter how long you've been using the internet.

🧐 If I asked you to change every reused password you have, how many accounts would you need to update?