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Are you paying too much for the cloud? Free assessment

Posted on 3 December 2024

Are your cloud costs far exceeding initial projections and wrecking your IT budget? Because we partner with leading cloud providers, we can help you reduce cloud waste. Schedule a free consultation to learn more.

View: Are you paying too much for the cloud? Free assessment

Posted in Partners

Why choose NCS?

Based in the North West, we’re used to making IT simple for businesses of all sizes across the UK. Since 1994, our knowledgeable and professional team has been trusted by many well-known businesses to provide first-class support and advice.

Whether you’re after an IT strategy for your expanding business, a secure remote system for employees on the go, a new set up for your office or firewalls to keep vital assets protected from cyber criminals – we’re ready to help.

Latest News

  • 🎄Keep Safe Online this Festive Season 🎄
    As a managed services provider, we often talk about keeping your business secure from cyberthreats but it is just as important to protect your own personal data. In the coming weeks, there will be a ...
  • DMARC is soon to be a Requirement for PCI Compliance
    From April 2025, DMARC will change from being best practice for PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance to an essential requirement. As technology continues to evolve, so do the methods of ...
  • November 2024 Newsletter
    November 2024 Hello, Welcome to our November newsletter update.       30th Anniversary Prize Draw Have you seen our email about our 30th Anniversary Prize Draw where you could win one ...
  • Are Password Managers Safe?
    This week, we’re looking at password managers and if they are actually safe to use. First things first, what are password managers? A password manager is a software application designed to securely ...
  • October 2024 Newsletter
    October 2024   Hello, Welcome to our October newsletter update.   New Addition to the Office   We recently commissioned local digital artist Andy Buttery to create a piece of artwork ...
  • Keeping Your IT Systems Up-to-Date
    Following our email earlier this month highlighting different ways to improve your business’ cybersecurity, we wanted to talk more about keeping your IT systems up-to-date and why it is so important ...
  • Cybersecurity Awareness Month
    Hi! October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month so in this week’s newsletter we’re going to look at ways to improve your business’ cybersecurity. Check your passwords are secure Passwords are an ...
  • Thinking About Business Continuity
    This week we’re looking at business continuity and what you should consider when thinking about when creating your disaster recovery and business continuity plans. What do we mean by business ...
  • September 2024 Newsletter
    September 2024 Hello, Welcome to our September newsletter update.   Lock Down your Firewall As part of a response to an increased number of attacks from around the globe, firewall manufacturer ...
  • All About Leased Lines
    Hello! This week, we’re going to explain what leased lines are and why they could be worth considering for your business. If you’re looking at ways to connect your business to the internet, you might ...
  • An Introduction to Internet of Things
    This week, we’re going to explain what Internet of Things (IoT) is about and why it could be worth investigating for using in your business. First of all, what is Internet of Things (IoT)? ...
  • August 2024 Newsletter
    August 2024 Hello, Welcome to our August 2024 newsletter update.   Pleased to Support the NWAA Last week we had the pleasure of donating an iPad to the North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA), ...
  • Copilot for Microsoft Teams – Videos from Microsoft
    Microsoft have released a number of videos explaining the Copilot features available when using it with Microsoft Teams. Please find these below. 1.With so many meetings and so little time, ...
  • All About Endpoint Security
    Hackers continue to target endpoints, with research showing that 70% of breaches worldwide originate at an endpoint. Add that to the fact that IT networks have an increasing number – and wider ...
  • Poor Security at the Electoral Commission Let Hackers Access 40 Million Voters’ Details
    You may have seen the recent news that the Electoral Commission has been formally reprimanded by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) over a cyberattack which occurred in 2021. The ICO found ...
  • July 2024 Newsletter
    Hello, Welcome to our July 2024 newsletter update.   I.T. in the Cloud vs. I.T. in the Office – Which is the better choice? In the ever-evolving landscape of IT, trends often come full ...
  • I.T. in the Cloud vs I.T. in the Office
    I.T. in the Cloud vs I.T. in the Office Which is the better choice? In the ever-evolving landscape of IT, trends often come full circle. One such phenomenon is the resurgence of on-premise workloads. ...
  • Copilot for Microsoft 365 Online Workshop Recording
    Here is a recording of our Copilot for Microsoft 365 Online Workshop with NCS IT and Westcoast Cloud from 11th July 2024.     If you would like to discuss Microsoft Copilot for your ...
  • June 2024 Newsletter
    Hello, Welcome to our June 2024 newsletter update. Windows 10 End of Life Microsoft have announced that Windows 10 will reach end of support on 14th October 2025. The current version, 22H2, will be ...
  • SonicWall Elevate 2024
    Our MD Carl Nelson and Technical Director Andrew Charlesworth are in Lisbon this week to join other SonicWall EMEA partners at SonicWall Elevate 2024. This event showcases everything new and exciting ...
  • All About Microsoft Copilot
    This week, we’re going to look at Microsoft Copilot. First of all, what is Microsoft Copilot? Copilot is Microsoft’s new AI-powered productivity feature. It uses artificial intelligence, deep ...
  • All About Business Email Compromise
    This week, we’re going to explain what Business Email Compromise (BEC) is and what you can do to help prevent it. First of all, what is Business Email Compromise (BEC)? Business email compromise ...
  • Windows 10 End of Life
    Microsoft have announced that Windows 10 will reach end of support on 14th October 2025. The current version, 22H2, will be the final version of Windows 10. After this date, Windows 10 will stop ...
  • May 2024 Newsletter
    May 2024 Hello, Welcome to our May 2024 newsletter update.   We are Now a Member of the NWAA We are pleased to reveal that we are now a member of the NWAA – the North West Aerospace Alliance. ...
  • NCS IT are now a Member of the NWAA
    We are pleased to reveal that we are now a member of the NWAA – the North West Aerospace Alliance. The NWAA (North West Aerospace Alliance) is the professional trade association for all ...
  • All About Cyber Essentials
    This week, we’re going to explain what Cyber Essentials (CE) certification is and why it could be worth considering for your business. First of all, what is Cyber Essentials certification? Cyber ...
  • All About Passwords
    This week, we’re going to delve into the world of passwords. These essential security components play a crucial role in safeguarding our digital lives. What is a password? A password is a sequence of ...
  • April 2024 Newsletter
    April 2024   Hello, Welcome to our April newsletter update. NCS IT is 30 30 years ago, technology as we know it today, wasn’t even a thought!   But 1994 was a momentous year for the tech ...
  • Changes are Coming to Microsoft Teams
    We have been notified of some changes coming in the way Microsoft supplies their Teams software program, which is currently part of the Microsoft Office suite of programs. From later this year, you ...
  • 9 Reasons Why You Need To Back Up Your Microsoft 365
    While Microsoft 365 continues to gain market share, it is important to note that this platform does not provide out-of-the box backup and data recovery solutions. With the increase in frequency and ...
  • NCS IT is 30!
    NCS IT is 30!   30 years ago, technology as we know it today, wasn’t even a thought! There were no smartphones, no Netflix and not even Google! But 1994 was a momentous year for the tech ...
  • March 2024 Newsletter
    March 2024   Hello, Welcome to our March newsletter update. Supporting Salford Red Devils   We are happy to announce that in addition to our two NCS IT advertising boards pitch-side at ...
  • And the Good News Keeps on Coming!
    We are pleased to announce we have just received platinum partner status with Acronis who provide brilliant backup and recovery options for businesses of all sizes. We are the only platinum reseller ...
  • We are now a SonicWALL Gold Partner
    We have just received GOLD partnership status with SonicWALL who many of you will be aware of as they supply state-of-the-art firewalls which we highly recommend. We were able to achieve this thanks ...
  • All About YubiKeys
    What are Yubikeys? YubiKeys are literally a key-sized device, similar in size to a USB memory stick, which you can plug in to your laptop or PC as a multifactor authentication (MFA) method.  It can ...
  • Curious about what a Yubikey does?
  • 6 Terrific Tips to Improve your IT Health
    Here’s 6 tips from Microsoft to help safeguard your privacy and protect your PC >   1 Learn how to protect yourself from phishing and other scams – one of the most common attacks ...
  • February 2024 Newsletter
    February 2024 Hello, Welcome to our February newsletter update. Supporting Salford Red Devils This year we have partnered with Salford Red Devils with two NCS IT banners pitch-side. These will be ...
  • Supporting Salford Red Devils
    This year we have partnered with Salford Red Devils with two NCS IT banners pitch-side. These will be shown at all of the men’s First Team home matches at the AJ Bell Stadium in Salford. So if you’re ...
  • Office 365 and Multifactor Authentication
    This shouldn’t need to be said, but unfortunately it does. If you are using Office 365 in any capacity you should have a strong password. More importantly, you should have multi-factor authentication ...
  • How to Protect Against 99% of Cyberattacks
    Microsoft have released their Digital Defence Report for 2023. The report makes for interesting reading. We have highlighted below the report’s key section regarding how to protect against 99% of ...
  • All About Cloud-based Phone Systems
    What are cloud-based phone systems?   A cloud-based telephone system is one that allows you to make calls over the internet rather than a traditional analogue phone line. They are also known as ...
  • January 2024 Newsletter
    January 2024   Hello, Welcome to our January newsletter update. We hope you’ve had a great start to 2024! Welcome Rob! At the start of this year, Rob Gibbs joined our Sales Team as our Senior ...
  • 5 IT-Related New Year’s Resolutions
    Nearly 3 weeks in to 2024 and you may have already forgotten about those New Year’s Resolutions you made at the start of the year, but here’s 5 IT-related New Year’s Resolutions that it would ...
  • All About Vulnerability Testing
    What is vulnerability testing? Vulnerability testing is designed to identify any weaknesses in your IT network. The results of which will tell you where and how to strengthen your organisation’s IT ...
  • All about Email Security
    What is email security? Email security is the practice of protecting email accounts and communications from unauthorised access, loss, or compromise. Organisations can enhance their email security ...
  • All about DMARC
    All about DMARC Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) is a great tool which stops attackers from spoofing your domain and making their emails look like they come from ...
  • Email Security Video from Cisco
    Here is a great video about email security from our partners Cisco:...
  • An overview of DMARC
    Here’s a short video that is an overview of DMARC:  ...
  • November 2023 Newsletter
    November 2023   Hello, Welcome to our November newsletter update. Answer this Quick Question – Does your business have cyber insurance?   Cyber Essentials We have just renewed our ...
  • Anybody can be a Target
    Nobody is exempt from cyber security as anybody can be the target of a cyber attack. Gloucester City Council has been reprimanded over a cyber attack which happened when they were compromised by ...
  • 🎄Keep Safe Online this Festive Season 🎄
    As a managed services provider, we often talk about keeping your business secure from cyberthreats but it is just as important to protect your own personal data. In the coming weeks, there will be a ...
  • Backing up your data: why and how!
    All businesses regardless of size and sector, should do regular backups of their data. What are backups? Backups are copies of your business’ essential data – that is the information your business ...
  • NCS IT Successfully Renews Cyber Essentials Standard
    We have just renewed our Cyber Essentials standard for another year. We are now working towards achieving our Cyber Essentials Plus standard....
  • Dive deep into the power of Microsoft 365 Copilot
    Watch this short video to discover how this transformative tool puts the power of next-generation AI to work to reshape tasks like meeting preparation, drafting communications and data analysis. NCS ...
  • Learn about Azure Virtual Desktop (formerly Windows Virtual Desktop) – Video
    Learn about Azure Virtual Desktop (formerly Windows Virtual Desktop), why it’s unique, and what’s new in this video:  ...
  • October 2023 Newsletter
      October 2023 Hello, Welcome to our October newsletter update.   Another New Starter on the Helpdesk We’re happy to announce that we have a new First Line Technician to the Helpdesk ...
  • How to Defend your Organisation from Phishing Attacks
    How to Defend your Organisation Against Phishing Attacks Phishing attacks are happening more and more. We’ve put together below all the information you need to know about phishing attacks and how to ...
  • Multifactor Authentication and How it Works
    All About Multifactor Authentication (MFA) After recommending our customers use MFA for a while, we have made a decision to add MFA for FREE to all of our customers with Microsoft 365 email accounts. ...
  • Making Accounts More Secure with MFA
    Making accounts more secure with multifactor authentication – video from Microsoft       ...
  • September 2023 Newsletter
    September 2023 Hello, Welcome to our September newsletter update.   Windows Server 2012 end of life Microsoft have confirmed that all support will end for two of their popular operating ...
  • What is Microsoft 365 for Business?
    Learn more about what you get with a subscription to Microsoft 365 for Business with this great video from Microsoft  ...
  • Think You Know Ransomware?
    Our partner Sophos has put together a brilliant documentary series – Think You Know Ransomware? A gripping documentary that delves into the alarming realities of ransomware, revealing the ...
  • All About Multifactor Authentication
    Whilst it may seem to be unnecessary, standard security procedures requesting only a username and password are becoming increasingly easy for criminals to attack and gain access to data. As a result, ...
  • July 2023 Newsletter
    July 2023   Hello, Welcome to our July newsletter update.   The End of the Line for Broadband is Coming Having a leased line installed for your business is fast becoming a viable option for ...
  • June 2023 Newsletter
    June 2023   Hello, Welcome to our June newsletter update.   We are now a Microsoft Solutions Partner   Very to pleased to share that we have gained Microsoft’s new Solutions Partner ...
  • We are now a Microsoft Solutions Partner
    Very to pleased to share that we have gained Microsoft’s new Solutions Partner designation in “Modern Work”. Our team have gained this through successful completion of Intermediate and Advanced ...
  • NCS IT have Achieved the Cisco Small Business Specialisation
    We are very pleased to announce we have achieved to Cisco Small Business Specialisation Accreditation. Cisco have awarded this to us because they said “NCS IT Ltd has proven they can provide ...
  • May 2023 E-newsletter
    May 2023   Hello, Welcome to our May newsletter update.   World Password Day The 4th of May was World Password Day, we put together some tips for creating safer passwords and advice to ...
  • Our Visit to DTX Manchester 2023
    Members of the NCS IT team visited DTX Manchester 2023 at Manchester Central on 17th and 18th May. It was a great event, listening to some interesting speakers and meeting peers from across the IT ...
  • Our first few months of 2023
    Review of the First Quarter of 2023 Hello, We have been looking back at some of the projects we have worked on so far this year (there have been many) and we thought we would put together a quick ...
  • World Password Day
    We have all had those annoying pop-ups when creating a new password – you must use one special character, one capital letter, six letters, two numbers, one emoji…. (Ok maybe not that last one.) Given ...
  • April 2023 E-newsletter
    April 2023   Hello, Welcome to our April newsletter update.   Proud to be sponsoring Rossendale Triathlon We are very pleased to be sponsoring the Rossendale Triathlon again this year. It ...
  • NCS IT are Going Green
    We’ve been working behind the scenes to improve our green credentials as we believe it is important to how we run our business and we know a lot of our customers value their suppliers being ...
  • NCS IT Sponsor Bury Pride 2023
    We are very pleased to be a sponsor of Bury Pride  2023. This is the second year running we have supported this event.   It takes place on Saturday 29th April and you can find out all the ...
  • Rossendale Triathlon 2023 Sponsors
    We are very pleased to be sponsoring the Rossendale Triathlon again this year. It takes place on 21st May and you can find all the details on the website here > ...
  • We have Renewed our Sophos Silver Partner Status
    We are very pleased to have renewed our Sophos Silver Partner status for another year. Well done to Carl Nelson, Victoria Whittaker and Jeremy Santhouse for completing the Sophos training and ...
  • Travelling the World….from a Desk!
    Our Technical Director was travelling the world last week…from the comfort of his desk! Last week Andrew Charlesworth worked in three continents for multiple customers and suppliers! One ...
  • Tik Tok Ban is Spreading Globally
    More than a dozen countries around the world have introduced full, partial or public sector bans on TikTok amid heightened national security concerns with more expected to follow suit. Most of the ...
  • March 2023 E-newsletter
    March 2023 Hello, Welcome to our March newsletter update.       Our Helpdesk Here is our new Helpdesk Team. There have been some new faces who have joined us over the past few months ...
  • February 2023 E-Newsletter
    February 2023 Hello, Welcome to our February newsletter update.       New Faces on the Helpdesk A very warm welcome to Chris and Andy who have recently joined the NCS IT team as ...
  • New Faces on the Helpdesk
    A very warm welcome to Chris and Andy who have joined the Helpdesk. You can find out more about them on our Meet NCS page >  ...
  • Ignorance Isn’t Bliss: How Tech Users Lack Fundamental Cybersecurity Knowledge
    Internet connectivity is at an all-time high. Not surprisingly, this has led to a rise in cyberattacks: Phishing and identity theft are prevalent (yet, underreported), and the adoption of best ...
  • Office 2016 and Office 2019 will not be supported for Microsoft 365 From October 2023
    Older versions of Office (2016 and 2019) will not be supported for connecting to Microsoft 365 from October of this year. This means that these older versions might not be able to take advantage of ...
  • Microsoft to Enforce Number Matching for MFA App Users
    As of 27th February 2023, Microsoft will enforce number matching on all MFA (multi-factor authentication) App users. What will happen is when a user tries to login and receives a notification to the ...
  • Did you know Microsoft doesn’t backup your 365 data?
    Microsoft 365 delivers brilliant services, but did you know that it doesn’t actually backup your Microsoft 365 data? We can help to eliminate the risk of losing access and control of your Microsoft ...
  • January 2023 E-newsletter
    January 2023 Hello, Happy New Year and welcome to our January newsletter update.       5 IT-Related New Year’s Resolutions Have you made any New Year’s Resolutions this ...
  • 5 IT-Related New Year’s Resolutions
    Happy New Year! We hope 2023 is a happy, healthy and prosperous year for you. Like many others, we have bene thinking about New Year’s Resolutions and we’ve come up with 5 IT-related New ...
  • Updates and Security Patching
    One of the most effective things you can do to protect your computer and network is to ensure all updates and security patches are installed as soon as they become available. PC Security Patching ...
  • What is DMARC
    Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) is used to authenticate an email by aligning SPF and DKIM mechanisms. By having DMARC in place, domain owners large and small can ...
  • Review of 2022
    Hello, We have been looking back at some of the projects we have worked on this year (there has been a lot) and we thought we would put together a quick overview so you can see the kind of things our ...
  • November 2022 E-newsletter
    Hello, Welcome to our November 2022 newsletter update.       Who’s the new voice when you ring the Helpdesk? If you have telephoned our Helpdesk in the past few weeks you may ...
  • Imposter Phishing Techniques on the Rise
    It’s the run up to Christmas and cybercriminals turn to imposter phishing techniques. Frequently, this involves asking a member of staff to purchase gift cards for Amazon, Apple etc. for ...
  • How to Spot a Phishing Email (3 Easy Clues!)
    This is an example of the phishing emails we see every day. It is a real email that was sent to one of our generic email addresses. We have highlighted below some of the clues that show it isn’t an ...
  • October 2022 E-newsletter
    Hello, Welcome to our October 2022 newsletter update.     Exhibiting at North West Business Expo Last week, on Friday 21st October, we joined lots of other North West companies in ...
  • The End of the Line for Broadband is Coming
    Having a leased line installed for your business is fast becoming a viable option for some businesses due to a big drop in price. If you’ve not had a price for a leased line installed in the last 12 ...
  • Exhibiting at North West Business Expo 2022
    Last week, on Friday 21st October, we joined lots of other North West companies in exhibiting at the Shout Network North West Business Expo 2022 at the Bolton Stadium. We had a great day meeting lots ...
  • We’re Exhibiting at the North West Business Expo 2022
    We will be exhibiting at the North West Business Expo 2022 on 21st October 2022. The event is taking place at the Bolton Whites Hotel from 9am until 3pm. Members of the NCS IT team will be there ...
  • September 2022 E-newsletter
    September 2022 Hello, Welcome to our September 2022 newsletter update.     Windows Server 2012 End of Life Microsoft have confirmed that all support will end for two of their popular ...
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To contact the Helpdesk use the number above or email helpdesk@ncs.cloud

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