Bits & Bytes - August 2023

Welcome to our latest update

A round up of news and tips from August, that we hope you enjoy

In this edition we look at why you should adopt a multi-layered approach to email security, a great Microsoft Teams tip that is sure to save you valuable time, our continued contribution to The IT Nation's Cyber Security Community and our top tips to protect your iPhone is available on YouTube!

Must-have multi-layered email security - will you be proactive or reactive?

In 2023, an average of 350 billion emails are sent every single day. By comparison, only 23 billion texts are sent and 13.5 billion phone calls are made per day. Something that was once thought to be a fad is now the most popular method of communication across the world by far.

Criminals use email a lot too. Last year, 39% of UK businesses experienced a cyber attack, with the most common vector being phishing attempts (83%), where staff receive fraudulent emails or are directed to illegitimate websites where they are prompted to enter their data. Successful attacks of this type cost UK businesses billions of pounds a year, and so the importance of adequate email security cannot be understated.

Implement a multi-layered approach to your email security now to protect your business from cyber criminals.

Top Tip: How to save messages in Microsoft Teams

Ever been busy with a task when you see an important message pop up? The conversation is moving too quickly for you to stop and add an item to your To Do list.

You want to respond but you're already dealing with another issue, and when you go back to check, it's lost in a sea of other messages! You spend valuable time searching back through the conversation to find where it started, searching for words you remember being in the message, but to no avail.

Well, a lesser-known feature in Microsoft Teams is that you can save your messages to view later! Check out the video above to find out how to use the feature. If you're having trouble replicating this on your own device, make sure all of your software is updated.

Learn how to save messages in Microsoft Teams now.

Contributing to The IT Nation's Cyber Security Community

A few weeks ago, our very own Paul Matthews attended The IT Nation's Cyber Security Peer Group where we were able to share our knowledge and hold each other accountable to grow, learn and best serve our clients.

Dan Scott at ConnectWise commented:

"Last year in the world of The IT Nation, we launched our Cybersecurity peer group program. The mission was simple: to build a community where the cybersecurity leaders in our members’ businesses can come together to share what works, hold each other accountable to grow and learn, and shortcut both their own and their company’s journey to success in protecting both their own and their client’s businesses."

Many thanks to Dan Scott at ConnectWise and the entire IT Nation community for this continuous learning opportunity around best practices in cyber security.

What our top tips playlist on YouTube to protect your iPhone before it's stolen

The loss of just one phone can be catastrophic for personal and work security.

Learn how to change your iPhone settings to better protect your device, Apple ID, apps and data.

Watch the playlist now.

Thanks for reading

September feels pivotal due to the summer holidays ending, having an equinox and the start of an academic year. The calendar year is entering the home straight, but there's still plenty of time to get those goals and projects successfully concluded. Let us know if we can help with your IT plans.

If you know someone who might be interested in the topics covered in this newsletter, please share with them.

• Call 020 7572 0000 or email simon@thefinalstep.co.uk
• Connect with Simon on LinkedIn