Technology explained simply
Practical guides on the technology decisions your business actually faces.
Email and scams
Mail that pretends to be you, calls that pretend to be your boss, and the rules that stop both.
October 26, 2026
Invoice and Payment Fraud by Email: The Supplier Who Changed Banks
A Mississippi trailer maker wired $927,080 to emails that looked like its supplier. Nothing was hacked. How the scam works, and the two free rules that stop it.
August 31, 2026
Vishing and AI Voice Cloning: When the Caller Sounds Exactly Like Your Boss
A familiar voice on the phone used to be proof of identity. A few seconds of audio is now enough to fake one, and the calls target whoever moves the money.
July 17, 2026
What Are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC? Why Email Authentication Is Required
Email was never designed to verify who a message really comes from. These three DNS records fix that, and they now decide whether your email gets delivered at all.
Sign-in and passwords
MFA that holds up, passkeys, and what a password policy should say now.
October 28, 2026
Passwordless and Passkeys Explained: Where the Key Lives Decides Everything
Your staff already sign in without a password at home, every time a phone unlocks with a face. What is actually happening when they do, how the five business versions differ, and which belongs on which desk.
September 21, 2026
Passkeys for a Small Business: Is Your MFA the Kind That Still Works?
Every company in the latest phishing report had MFA turned on. The kit still got in, and it had to switch passkeys off to do it. What a passkey is, which sign-in methods a fake page can relay, and how to move a 30-person team in the right order.
July 27, 2026
NIST Password Guidelines Changed: Your Policy Is Probably Outdated
NIST finalized its updated password guidance in 2025, and it reverses most of what businesses still enforce. Length now beats complexity, forced resets are out, and the real upgrades are breach screening, MFA, and passkeys.
July 20, 2026
Microsoft Is Retiring SMS and Voice MFA: What It Means for Your Business
Passkeys became the default Microsoft 365 sign-in in September 2026, and SMS and voice codes retire in February 2027. What actually changes, why Microsoft is doing it, and how to move your team without a help-desk meltdown.
Microsoft 365
What your plan includes, what it backs up, and what to check in the admin center.
September 21, 2026
Does Microsoft 365 Back Up My Data? What Microsoft Keeps, and What It Does Not
Microsoft keeps Microsoft 365 running. It does not promise to get your mail or files back. Here are the built-in recovery windows in plain English, the situations they do not cover, and the two questions that tell you whether your company actually has a backup.
September 7, 2026
Company Devices vs Personal Phones: Your Employee's Phone Has Your Client Files On It
Company devices and personal devices need different rules. Microsoft 365 already includes the tools for both. Here is how they work, in plain English.
August 3, 2026
The 2026 Microsoft 365 Price Increase: What You Now Pay, and What You Get
Microsoft raised business plan prices on July 1, 2026, but most companies will not feel it until renewal. Here is what changed, what is newly included, and how to check what you already pay for but never turned on.
July 17, 2026
What Is Microsoft Secure Score and Why It Matters
Every Microsoft 365 tenant comes with a built-in security report card. Here is what the number actually measures, what it leaves out, and how to use it to reduce real risk.
Updates and websites
Patching, end-of-support dates, and the server under your website.
November 2, 2026
How Often to Replace Company Computers, and Whether to Lease or Buy
Most small companies replace a computer when it dies, which is the most expensive way to do it. How long a laptop should last, how to budget the refresh, and the honest math on leasing versus buying.
October 22, 2026
PHP2Shell: Why the Fix for Your Website Is a Server Update, Not a Plugin
On October 21, 2026, PHP shipped emergency fixes for two critical flaws in the software underneath most small business websites. What PHP2Shell is, what has happened since, why updating WordPress does not fix it, and the two questions to ask whoever runs your server.
September 21, 2026
Patching and Vulnerability Monitoring: How Fast Did You Patch Last Week, and Who Knows?
One ordinary week in September 2026 put a record Microsoft patch release, five network appliance makers, and a print server patched three times in six days on the same calendar. What patching and vulnerability monitoring actually mean for a small business, and the five questions to ask whoever runs yours.
August 25, 2026
Your Domain Name Is Your Business Identity: Who Actually Controls It?
Your domain is the one asset your email, your website, and every password reset depend on. Most owners cannot say who holds the account, or what happens if it lapses.
July 17, 2026
Windows 10 and Server 2016 End of Support: What It Means for Your Business
Windows 10 support has already ended, and Windows Server 2016 reaches end of support in January 2027. What actually changes, why October 13, 2026 is three deadlines at once, which dates apply to a business rather than a home PC, and how to plan the transition without a fire drill.
Policies and AI
Written rules, the controls that enforce them, and AI tools at work.
October 12, 2026
AI Meeting Note-Takers: Who Has the Transcript of Last Tuesday's Call?
A bot joins the client call, records everyone, and emails a transcript to one person's account. Nobody else agreed. What these tools actually do with the recording, what went wrong with two of them this year, the decision an owner has to make, and two settings that cost nothing.
September 14, 2026
Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2026: Four Questions to Ask Your Team in October
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Skip the posters. Here are four questions an owner can ask in four weeks, each with a plain-English answer to check against.
August 10, 2026
AI Acceptable Use Policy: A Plain-English Template for Your Business
Your staff are already using AI tools, with or without a policy. Here is what a good AI policy covers, why each rule exists, and a starter template you can copy, fill in, and adopt this week.
August 10, 2026
Policies vs. Technical Controls: Why Written Rules Alone Do Not Protect You
A policy tells people what to do. A control makes sure it happens. The difference decides whether your security rules protect the business or just decorate an audit binder.