Practical guides for small business IT

IT buying and planning guides

• Microsoft 365 Business Standard vs Premium

  Compare Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Premium, from £14 and £20.28 per user monthly. Understand apps, security, management and extra services.

• Managed IT support vs pay as you go

  Compare fixed monthly IT support with pay-as-you-go help. See scope, response targets, planning and from £25 per user monthly support pricing.

• Does Microsoft back up my business data?

  Understand Microsoft 365 retention, synchronisation and independent backup. Separate email and file backup starts from £2.50 per user monthly.

• Cyber Essentials vs Cyber Essentials Plus

  Compare Cyber Essentials and Plus, the five controls, preparation and technical testing. Understand our role and the certification partner's work.

• Antivirus vs managed endpoint protection

  Compare antivirus with managed protection, patching, machine lockdown and device monitoring. Each device layer starts from £2.50 monthly.

• What to ask an IT support company

  Use practical questions to compare IT support scope, hours, response targets, backup and ownership. Cloud Smart remote support starts from £25 per user.

• IT checklist for a new starter and a leaver

  Plan accounts, devices, permissions and handover for new starters and leavers. A practical small-business checklist with approval and ownership checks.

• IT checklist for an office move

  Plan connectivity, equipment, phones, access and backup before an office move. A practical checklist for owners coordinating suppliers and staff.

• How to write a business continuity plan for a small business

  Build a short continuity plan around essential activities, dependencies, contacts and tested fallbacks. Practical advice for small-business owners.

• RTO and RPO explained for business owners

  Understand recovery time and recovery point objectives with small-office examples. Match downtime and data-loss targets to tested recovery arrangements.

• Data residency versus data sovereignty

  Separate where cloud data is stored from the laws that can apply to it. Review contracts, support access and transfer rules without alarmist claims.

• What the Microsoft 365 outage taught small businesses

  Use Cloud Smart's dated outage account to review backup access, incoming email, staff communications and the limits of monitoring during disruption.

• How to test your backups

  Check that a backup restores usable work, not just a successful job status. Plan a safe test, record recovery results and correct the gaps you find.

• What happens if your IT person is unavailable?

  Reduce dependence on one IT contact. Check business ownership, deputy access, recovery instructions and handover records without sharing passwords.

Tech tips

Step-by-step help with Outlook, Windows, browsers and everyday business software.

• Windows scrolling tips: Check Your References Without Clicking Away
• Save individual PDF pages: A Simple Guide Using Chrome on Windows
• Outlook, clean up inbox: How Sweep Handles Repetitive Emails
• Outlook, Email: Make Important Messages Stand Out Automatically
• Find email attachments in Outlook without opening every message
• How to Search for Photos on Your PC Without Knowing Where They Are
• Windows Backup: What It Actually Does and How to Check It's Set Up Properly
• Chrome Tips: Link to an Exact Section of Any Web Page
• Windows Recovery Gets a Big Upgrade in Windows 11
• Screen Sharing Tips: Use a Separate Desktop for Presentations
• The Google Lens Trick That Saves You Retyping Text from Videos
• ChatGPT Temporary Chat: What It Protects, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters
• Chrome Reading Mode: Browse The Web Without The Clutter
• AI Live Translation: Hear Any Language In Real Time
• How To Hide Email Recipients In Outlook With BCC
• AutoRecover: How To Stop Losing Unsaved Work In Office
• Why File Preview Can Help Protect You From Phishing Attacks
• Is Your Spam Email Filter Blocking Important Business Emails?
• Tech Tip: Set Up a Passkey on Your Microsoft or Google Account