VirtualBox vs Hyper-V vs Parallels vs vSphere: Which Should You Use?

Devices & Peripherals, Hardware & Infrastructure, Software & Systems /

Virtualisation platforms all do the same fundamental thing: run virtual machines. But they’re designed for quite different environments and use cases. Choosing the wrong one means either paying for capability you don’t need or working around limitations that shouldn’t apply to your situation. The Four Platforms VirtualBox Type: Type 2 hypervisor (runs as an application on […]

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Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace: A Practical Guide

Cloud Computing, Security, Software & Systems /

Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace were both rebranded in October 2020, but at the time of writing they’re still widely known as Office 365 and G Suite respectively. We’ll use the new names throughout this post as the transition is already underway, but if you see the old names in vendor documentation, they refer to the same products. If

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DNS: What It Is and Why It Matters for Your Business

Cloud Computing, Hardware & Infrastructure, Networking, Software & Systems /

Every time you type a website address into your browser, something happens behind the scenes that most people never think about. That something is DNS, and while it’s invisible when working correctly, it has a significant impact on your network’s speed, reliability, and security. What is DNS? DNS stands for Domain Name System. It’s a

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Phishing Attacks: How to Spot Them and Train Your Staff

Security, Software & Systems /

Phishing is responsible for the majority of ransomware infections, business email compromise, and credential theft affecting small businesses. It works not because people are careless, but because modern phishing attacks are well-crafted and difficult to distinguish from legitimate communications. The good news is that recognition can be taught. Staff who know what to look for

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VLANs Explained: Segmenting Your Business Network

Hardware & Infrastructure, Networking, Security /

If everyone on your network (staff laptops, guest devices, smart TVs, security cameras, and the office thermostat) shares the same connection with no separation between them, you have a flat network. It works, but it creates unnecessary risk and performance problems that are easy to avoid. VLANs are the solution. What is a VLAN? A

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Getting Started with Ubuntu (Part 1): Installation

Devices & Peripherals, General, Software & Systems /

Ubuntu is the most widely used desktop Linux distribution, and for good reason: it’s well-supported, straightforward to install, and has a large community behind it. If you’ve decided to try Linux (whether on a spare machine, a repurposed old laptop, or as your primary system) Ubuntu is the sensible starting point. This is the first

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RAID is Not a Backup: What People Get Wrong About Data Protection

Devices & Peripherals, Hardware & Infrastructure, Security /

It’s one of the most common misconceptions in small business IT: “We’re fine, we have RAID.” RAID is a valuable technology, but it doesn’t do what most people think it does. Treating it as a substitute for backup is a mistake that has caused real data loss for real businesses. What RAID Actually Does RAID

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What is a Reverse Proxy and Why Would Your Business Need One?

Cloud Computing, Networking, Software & Systems /

The term “reverse proxy” sounds technical, but the concept is straightforward once you understand what problem it solves. If you run any web-based services (internally or externally) a reverse proxy is a tool worth understanding. What a Reverse Proxy Does A reverse proxy is a server that sits in front of one or more backend

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Rufus and Other Essential Utilities Every IT User Should Know

General, Software & Systems /

Every trade has its tools. For anyone managing computers and networks (whether professionally or just keeping a small office running) a handful of free utilities do the heavy lifting. These aren’t obscure specialist tools; they’re the applications that come up time and again when diagnosing problems, preparing hardware, or keeping systems healthy. Rufus: Bootable USB

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Network Monitoring Tools: PRTG, Zabbix and Beyond

Hardware & Infrastructure, Networking, Security, Software & Systems /

Most small businesses find out about network problems the same way: a staff member reports that something isn’t working. By that point, the issue has already been affecting productivity for some time, and diagnosing it starts from zero. Network monitoring flips that around. Rather than reacting to problems, you have visibility into your infrastructure that

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