Practical IT for business.
Plain-English articles on managed IT, security, privacy and AI, from a team that’s been doing this since 1990.
Keeping the lights on isn’t managing your IT
If your systems run but never get better, you are being maintained, not managed. How contract incentives can reward doing the minimum,…
The real cost of “free” (and cheap) IT help
The relative who knows computers, or the cheapest technician in town, can look like a bargain. The hidden costs show up later:…
The PowerPoint problem: when IT is sold off a slide deck
A slide full of security tools looks impressive. But "we use X" is not the same as "X is handled." Ask who…
Who really runs your IT provider? Questions to ask before you sign
The logo on the proposal tells you little. Before you sign with an IT provider, find out who owns it, who designs…
We’re engineers, not salespeople: why it matters in an MSP
FTI founder Scott Henderson on why the background of the people running your IT provider shapes everything: how your systems are designed,…
What a managed IT provider actually does all day
When managed IT works, you barely notice it. Here is what happens behind the scenes every day: monitoring, patching, backups, security watch,…
Sophos Endpoint levels, explained: Endpoint, EDR, XDR and MDR
Intercept X, XDR, MDR Essentials, MDR Complete: Sophos has renamed a lot. A plain-English guide to what each Sophos endpoint level is…
Sophos Synchronized Security, explained simply
What happens when one laptop in your office gets infected? A plain-English guide to Sophos Synchronized Security: the Security Heartbeat, automatic isolation,…
AI-assisted IT: why it is our biggest advantage
Modern IT produces more alerts, logs and tickets than any team can read. AI-assisted operations reads all of it, all the time,…
Proactive IT management: fix problems before they stop your business
Reactive IT waits for something to break. Proactive IT watches, maintains and plans so fewer things do. Here is what proactive IT…
How to choose a managed IT provider (and check the one you have)
A practical buyer's guide to managed IT providers: the questions to ask (including about AI and access to your systems), the answers…
Managed IT vs in-house IT: what it really costs to do it yourself
Hiring an IT person looks simple until you add up the tools, training, coverage and security the job takes. An honest 2026…