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Got a Suspicious Looking Email? Use Outlook's Report Button To Flag It

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Have you seen something that looks suspicious in your email? Something that either has come from a name you don't know or is offering you something you know you are not interested in, there is a way to deal with it.

Microsoft Outlook has a tool, baked in, that allows you to report suspicious emails. It is important to use this button as it helps Microsoft build stronger detection, preventing similar emails getting though in the future.

So how do you use it?

Click on the email so it is selected in your In-box and shows the content in the preview pane, without fully opening it - do not fully open it
On the toolbar, look for a button, depending on the version of Outlook, it will be called Report, or Junk or Phishing
Click the button and select either Junk or Phishing, depending on how you want to categorise the email
The email will be flagged and moved out of the Inbox and put in Junk mail

Remember - the more emails you report, the more it trains Microsoft's detection algorithm and the more it intercepts in future.

Did you know you can brand your Microsoft 365 to match your business?

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Microsoft 365 has a lot of configuration options, one of which is the ability to brand your tenant to match your business branding.

Why should you do this?

It allows you to personalise your tenant so that when your staff connect to it, they feel like it is part of the business, making your staff feel connected to the business even when connecting remotely.

It also reduces ambiguity or confusion as to where your staff or volunteers are connecting. Some people, such as trustees or non-executive directors might hold several positions and might connect to more than one Microsoft tenant, by branding your tenant, there is no confusion as to which company they are connecting to when they login as it is very noticeable with the company brand on display.

Branding can be used across Microsoft 365, including the SharePoint sites, so it gives good continuity for the users, strengthening the brand and giving users a consistent experience when working online in the company tenant.

Then there is the security element, a branded tenant makes it far less likely that your staff could fall foul of a phishing attack. Some businesses have had issues where staff have been sent what looks like a legitimate link, they go to a landing page which looks like a standard Microsoft login page but it is actually a phishing site, the user logs in with their details, the site captures them, displays an incorrect login attempt message and redirects the use to the real login site, they try again, get let into the Microsoft tenant for real this time, but the phishing attack has been successful, the user's login details have been compromised.

By branding the tenant, phishing attacks are far less likely to succeed because the user will see the login page is a standard Microsoft login, not the company branded page and so will notice something is wrong and will hopefully not enter their login details!

The Silver Cloud Business can help with branding your tenant, we offer a service of producing the correctly sized images for the tenant and can upload and brand your Microsoft tenant so that it has your business logo and artwork. We offer three options:

You provide us with the artwork, we size it correctly and brand the tenant
We collect artwork from your website or other sources such as letter head, create the artwork from that, size it correctly and brand the tenant
Create everything from scratch, including a new logo and artwork for your business, ideal for new startups

There is a lot more to this than just branding the login page with your logo, our service produces comprehensive branding that can be used across your Microsoft tenant, even down to the favourite icon in the address bar!

If you would like your tenant properly branded, call us on 01722 411 999, it is refreshingly inexpensive.

Changes In Microsoft Non-Profit License Grants

Wed, 28 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Microsoft recently announced it is retiring the Business Premium 10 license grant and the E1 license grant that they have previously offered to non-profits.

Licenses are provided on annual terms, and depending on when your annual renewal date is, your licenses will expire any time between 1st May 2026 and 1st July 2026.

Instead, discounted paid for licenses are available for the Business Premium grant subscribers and Business Basic grant licenses can be used to replace the E1 license grant.

These changes apply exclusively to the free licenses and do not impact any paid licenses being used by non-profits and will also not impact the discounted pricing.

Microsoft will continue to provide:

Up to 300 granted licenses of Microsoft 365 Business Basic
Discounts of up to 75% on other Microsoft 365 offers to nonprofits, including Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Office 365 E1

What does this mean to your non-profit?

Firstly, The Business Premium License Grant

It means that if you currently benefit from the Business Premium grant, you will need to decide what you want to do to retain services. The Silver Cloud Business has determined there are realistically four options that you can take.

Retain Business Premium Licenses – continue to use Microsoft 365 Business Premium Licenses but pay for them at a discounted rate. Microsoft non-profit pricing for Business Premium is approx. 75% lower than standard RRP, call us on 01722 411 999 for pricing. This provides the users with the most consistent experience and no loss of services.
Switch to Business Standard Licenses – this would provide uses with a similar desktop experience however it would remove a lot of the features in Microsoft 365 cloud, such as the additional security, remove the software management and deployment from Intune and Autopilot. The Microsoft non-profit pricing for Business Standard is approx. 75% lower than standard RRP, call us on 01722 411 999 for pricing, whilst this does provide the desktop applications, it doesn't have the back-end functionality of Business Premium including enhanced security.
Switch to the free Business Basic Licenses but purchase Microsoft Office applications – switch to using the Microsoft 365 Business Basic license grant for the online services but use the Microsoft Desktop Applications that have been purchased through the Microsoft non-profit grant for a one-off fee which is approx. 75% lower than standard RRP, call us on 01722 411 999 for pricing, which will give the users access to the desktop applications as well as online services, however this will reduce some of the available services that could have been used by the organisation.
Switch to using Business Basic licenses and the online applications and no longer use desktop applications. This would allow users to use the online applications and services; however, this would reduce the functionality available to the users, and they would always need to be connected to the internet to work.

NOTE: The Business Premium grant allows non-profits to benefit from additional services such as the desktop applications, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Autopilot, additional security and information classification. This is the top tier of services available in the Microsoft Business packages in Microsoft 365 without switching to Enterprise licensing.

What should you do?

If your non-profit organisation is using the Business Premium licenses, we would strongly recommend retaining this level of service and switching to paying for these licenses taking advantage of the discounted rate from Microsoft.

The fundamental reason for this is because of the additional services that are not obvious that are provided by using the Business Premium subscription. Business Premium provides significantly more back-end security and functionality in Microsoft 365 and our view is that you can never have too much security in your IT environment. Business Premium also provides the mechanism for controlling endpoints in the organisation, allowing for more granular control, including deploying computers and applications. This means that if a computer is enrolled into your Tenant using Autopilot, it means that if it is lost or stolen then it cannot be used by anyone else. It is locked to your tenant until it is released.

Whilst we have provided 4 options to consider, this is purely for transparency, but if your organisation is using the Business Premium grant, realistically, this is the only choice that should be considered due to the functionality and security it provides.

Secondly The E1 License Grant

Microsoft are also retiring the 300 E1 license grant. If your non-profit currently benefits from this grant, don’t worry, while Microsoft is retiring the 300 licenses grant, they are offering an alternate solution to non-profits.

What should you do?

Your non-profit will need to apply for the Microsoft Business Basic grant and once it has been granted, the E1 licenses can be migrated over to the Business Basic licenses.

If you would like help or more information about these changes, please call us on 01722 411 999 and we can hopefully answer your questions and help with any grant applications and the migration process.

Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Human Jobs?

Wed, 21 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

One of the concerns that has been voiced regarding artificial intelligence is that it will replace humans in a lot of workplace jobs. Whilst this might be the case for some jobs, it is most likely not going to happen, however there will be a shift in how businesses recruit.

A recent survey showed that:

Businesses will recruit someone with knowledge of how to use AI tools over someone who doesn't know how to use them
16% of British businesses use at least one AI tool with this figure rising year on year
35% of employers think AI will increase staff productivity

But, on the flip side, there is also a lot of push back from the public around AI, primarily because of badly implemented AI chat bots on websites that act as gate keepers between the public and humans working in the organisation. A staggering 60% of people said they would consider switching to an alternate supplier or vendor because of badly configured AI powered chat bots!

There are plenty of examples of bad AI chat bots out there that cause all sorts of frustration for customers, which is why this stat is understandable, and it is also why it is so important to understand what AI can do and also see how it works.

So AI is a blessing, when used correctly, and a curse when it isn't, which begs the question, what can you do about improving your skills and knowledge when it comes to AI.

Probably the easiest thing you can do if you already use Microsoft products like Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Windows to run your computer, you can enable a month long trial of Microsoft Copilot AI assistant, which you can sign up to here.

To show how powerful Copilot is, I asked it to write the next section on what Copilot can do for a business and this is the result:

How Copilot Can Revolutionise Businesses

Copilot is not just an assistant for individuals, it is a game-changer for businesses of all sizes.

By leveraging advanced AI capabilities, Copilot helps streamline operations, improve team collaboration, and drive innovation. It integrates seamlessly into business tools such as project management software, communication platforms, and data analysis systems, providing tailored suggestions and insights that save time and enhance decision-making.

For businesses, Copilot can draft professional documents, generate marketing content, and create detailed reports, allowing teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than routine tasks.

It assists in automating workflows, optimising resource allocation, and ensuring consistent output quality across projects.

Copilot also excels in analysing large data sets, offering actionable insights that help businesses identify trends, improve processes, and make data-driven decisions.

Moreover, Copilot fosters better communication within teams by summarising meetings, drafting emails, and even generating creative ideas for campaigns or problem-solving.

Whether it’s onboarding new employees, managing customer relationships, or planning long-term strategies, Copilot adapts to the unique needs of the business, empowering teams to achieve their goals more efficiently.

In essence, Copilot transforms how businesses operate by reducing operational bottlenecks and driving innovation, allowing companies to stay agile and competitive in a fast-paced market.

So why not give AI a go and sign up for a month long trial with Microsoft Copilot, or if you want more advice or help setting up Copilot, give us a call on 01722 411 999 and we can help you get started on your AI journey

It has happened to M&S and Co-op, how secure is your business IT environment?

Wed, 14 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Keep reading and find out below how to get a free* security scan of your Microsoft 365 environment, only if you are quick enough!

There have been a lot of high profile IT security incidents lately, it has been difficult not to notice these stories in the news. M&S losing their ability to process online orders and the Co-op having their membership data stolen shows that even the largest businesses, with their large IT budgets and dedicated IT teams, are still falling victim to cyber criminals.

One of our newsletter articles this week is about Google's smart tools tacking the rise in online scams, available to read here, if you haven't already, which shows that there are more bad actors out there attempting to compromise business security.

What I want you to do is to imagine a van full of burglars heading off to attempt to break into a large mansion somewhere, they get there, they try to break in, they are unsuccessful. So on their way back, they stop off and try all of the smaller houses along the way, hoping to find at least one unlocked place just so they don't go home empty handed.

Now swap out the mansion and the burglars for a large business and hackers, and the smaller houses, for smaller businesses and you can start to get an idea or what is going on out there, only on an industrial scale.

A lot of hackers attempt to gain access to the larger, better known businesses as there is more chance of a richer reward, however if they fail, they will try smaller businesses, like yours. It is a numbers game, a game of attrition, they want to be able to exploit any business, and don't care if you can afford their ransom or not, they are only interested in gaining a reward by doing the damage.

Now amplify this with various state regimes with evil intent backing these hackers because they want to cause disruption to businesses in Europe and the USA and you can see why we have incidents on the rise.

So just how secure is your business? Do you know? Have you had your security tested? Are there any vulnerabilities inside, lurking on computers that you are unaware of?

Will they be able to exploit any issues or will they attempt to gain access and just move on. And if they can exploit your business, how much damage will it cause, how much will it cost (both financially and in terms of reputation) and will your business survive?

There are many attack surfaces they can exploit, we focus on the primary technology ones.

Operating System and Software:

One of the fundamental mistakes made by businesses is they think they are safe because they "patch their computers", using the updates for the operating system from the manufacturer, like Microsoft or Apple updates.

BUT....

That is just the tip of the iceberg. There is also all of the software running on the computers, which is often overlooked when updates are applied, and this could be for a multitude of reasons but it doesn't detract from these applications being potential security holes. Are computers in your business all up to date? Are they all running the latest version of software and do you know how it is managed?

Cloud Services and Collaboration:

More and more businesses are also using online services, moving away from on-premise servers and collaboration to cloud based services and collaboration, but again, this can bring its own issues if it is not configured correctly or if someone has shared something you are unaware of.

Do you know who is sharing what, with whom and to where and how?
Do you know if any of your email users are automatically forwarding emails elsewhere?
Is your email being scanned for threats to prevent them from entering the business?
Is your email setup correctly so that your email is not seen as a threat to other businesses, is it setup to support email security that is currently being ramped up like DMARC and DKIM?

Something that is often overlooked by a lot of businesses is data leaking from inside to out, without the business knowing, it could be something totally innocent such as a user wanting to keep on top of things by copying data onto their own devices by automatically forwarding their company email to their own private account, or staff may be sharing data from Teams or SharePoint to 3rd parties for a project and overlooking who can access it, wouldn't it be good to know?

Endpoint Security:

Then there is endpoint security, are your computers running up to date security products and what sort of protection does it provide? A lot of computers are running an antivirus product, but there is so much more happening these days than just viruses, what about malware or ransomware and what would happen if your business were hit? Would your security product prevent ransomware, would it undo the damage from an attack automatically or is your data at risk?

What can you do?

It is a sad state, where we have to say it is not a matter of if, but a matter of when a business will suffer some sort of security incident, either a malicious incident or something as simple as an accidental breach, but do you have any idea of the state of you company's IT security and the health and state of your services?

Find out what state your environment is in

If you don't know, you can't do anything about it. But having your head in the sand is no way to run a business and this is where we can help. We can provide you with a security assessment that can comprise of the following:

Microsoft 365 security assessment
Endpoint security assessment, including full software scan
Network penetration test and network equipment vulnerability assessment

This is a great place to start, because it will let you know the state of the environment and will allow you to plan what to do to fix any issues that are found. Again, The Silver Cloud Business can help with remediation and resolution of any issues found.

Again though, there is a BUT.... This is just a snapshot in time, it is great to know where to start with sorting out your environment, but what happens when software goes out of date again?

This is why we have an on-going, monitoring and maintenance service that not only provides you with comprehensive information about the on-going state of your environment, but also apply updates to applications as well as the operating system, closing off those vulnerabilities that might be lurking under the surface, going unknown.

Our service brings real-time Microsoft 365 and endpoints under management, ensuring they are as secure as they can be and then scheduled network vulnerability scanning to make sure that no vulnerabilities have been introduced to the network, as the network environment is often the most static in terms of change, however network equipment also needs to run the latest version of firmware and ensure the configs are secure which is why we also manage this aspect of the environment as well.

Our service helps businesses either achieve or retain Cyber Essentials (CE) and Cyber Essentials Plus (CE+), but the difference with our service is that it is ongoing, rather than the snapshot in time of the assessment! Meaning far less time needed to prep for renewal of CE or CE+

Even if you don't want to subscribe to our ongoing security service, wouldn't you like to know the state of your environment?

We are offering a FREE* Microsoft 365 tenant assessment for the first 10 businesses to request it, something that usually costs £495.00 + VAT**

What are you waiting for, if you don't know about it, you can't fix it and ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of the Information Commissioners Office and the law! Give us a call on 01722 411 999 and grab one of those free security scans for your Microsoft 365 tenant.

* We would need to have temporary access to the Microsoft 365 environment with an account that has elevated permissions in order to run the security assessment. This offer is only open to MS365 tenants with 5 or more licensed users. The output is a security assessment report, detailing the health of the Microsoft 365 tenant at that moment in time. This is a one off free scan, not an ongoing service or free remediation. The full priced scan also only provides the report, not remediation work. The Silver Cloud Business contract clients are offered this service for a reduced fee.

** The assessment fee is for a one time report and does not include remediation of any issues identified in the report.

How many days until Windows 10 support ends? It's time to upgrade to Windows 11

Thu, 08 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Windows 10 Support Ends In...