Blog
Is It Time To Upgrade Your IT Systems?
Many SMBs are aware of the importance and benefits of technology. However, in recent years, technology has become a key element in the strategies of many businesses allowing them to grow and expand at a rate that would not have been possible without the power of IT....
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How A Cloud Telecom Solution Can Assist Your Business’ Growth Strategy
As businesses continuously grow and evolve the ability to scale up or down becomes a necessity. Adding new employees is a prime example of a business that wishes to adapt its phone system to accommodate the need for more users. Traditionally, this is more difficult to...
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Why Businesses Today Are Choosing Managed IT Services
Managed IT Services have become a very popular choice for many small to medium sized businesses in recent years. Many business owners utilise Managed IT Services for its many benefits such as: Improved IT efficiencies Enhanced security and compliance Proactive...
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How Digital Transformation Can Improve Your Business
Digital tools and processes are a necessity in modern businesses. Traditional businesses may have slowly adopted digital technology, however, in recent years technology has been an essential part of business activities. Almost everybody has access to the internet,...
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We’re Hiring A .Net Developer!
HCS Business Solutions is a leading technology business solutions provider with a proven track record in the provision of Managed IT Services and Solutions to the SMB market. Based in Waterford and Dublin, HCS Software Division is a team of software developers who...
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Should The Agriculture Industry Focus On Cybersecurity?
In the past two decades, agricultural technology have experienced many advancements and now cybersecurity isn’t an option but a necessity. The agricultural industry is particularly at risk of hacking, viruses and many of forms of cybersecurity breaches. Data...
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Hospitality Cybersecurity – Threats & Best Practices
Data security is essential in all industries, particularly within the Hospitality Industry. This is primarily due to the nature of the data collected and stored by businesses within this industry, this sensitive data includes names, phone numbers, addresses and credit...
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Hotel Phone Systems – 5 Steps To Customer Service Success
Hotels may often underestimate the importance of phone systems as a method of delivering high standards of customer service. Many hotels view phone systems as a cost centre rather than a profit centre and although many guests refrain from using hotel phone systems to...
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Office 365 or G-Suite, Why SMBs Choose Office 365
Productivity tools such as Word processing and spreadsheets have become a vital part of daily workflows for all businesses. As Microsoft continues to grow and businesses increasingly seek cloud-based resources with familiar user experiences, many companies adopt...
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Ensure Your Hotel Remains Secure In The Data Rich Hospitality Industry
It is well known that customer data is a powerful tool in the hospitality industry. These insights can allow hotels to provide a personalised experience that helps them create relationships with their guests. Although many hotels utilise this data, they must also...
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Implement Data Governance With Office 365
Data is essential to business monitoring, in particular measuring the success of certain processes, campaigns and activities. The data businesses use and how they use it, greatly affects their success, as many view it as a critical driver of success. As technology is...
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One Year Later, Is Your Business GDPR Compliant?
GDPR recently celebrated its first birthday, having come into effect across Europe on May 25th 2018. This new regulation promised to be a milestone in user privacy and data awareness & protection. With many countries within Europe noting a significant rise in the...
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Quality is key as HCS Business Solutions is Awarded ISO 9001:2015
HCS Business Solutions have been awarded NSAI registration of Quality Management System ISO 9001:2015 for the provision of Managed IT Services, Supply, Installation and Support of ICT Equipment as well as Software Development. Founded over 25 years ago, HCS Business...
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Is Your Password Secure? New Report Finds The 100,000 Most At Risk Passwords
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has released a list of high-risk passwords, which contains 100,000 of the most commonly used passwords that hackers are already aware of. Many people have their accounts hacked and wonder how this could happen to...
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Collaborate in SharePoint Online
Whether your business wants to increase productivity or reduce costs, SharePoint can help your team simplify many business processes to allow them to work faster and smarter. Microsoft SharePoint allows you to manage, organise, share and discover company information...
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How can PowerApps help you build a better business?
Businesses across the world are in a period of digital transformation and need application development capabilities that allows them to improve workflows and processes with ease. PowerApps is Microsoft’s latest solution that streamlines app development and...
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Reduce the Risk of Cyber Threats in the Workplace
Cybersecurity in the workplace should be a priority for everyone within a business. However, no matter how many security protocols and guidelines a business has implemented to avoid cyber threats, unless your team are actively engaged with them your business...
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5 Ways Microsoft Azure Can Benefit Your Business
Despite more and more businesses embracing cloud computing, some businesses still have concerns about moving to the cloud. Generally, worries about network security, downtime, etc can often cause businesses to continue to work with their existing and often outdated...
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Turn Data into Insights using Microsoft Power BI
Do you have a new dataset and not quite sure where to start? Need to build a dashboard quickly? Want to review insights that you may have missed? Power BI allows you to quickly create insights and generate interesting interactive visualisations based on your data....
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Phishing Attacks Pose Cyber Threat To Businesses
Just over half (54%) of more than 900 IT directors surveyed in Western Europe said that they had identified instances of employees replying to unsolicited emails or clicking the links contained within them, revealed a recent survey. The study revealed that larger...
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Create engaging reports and gain valuable business insights with Power BI
Traditionally, Microsoft Excel has been the ‘go-to’ reporting tool for businesses around the world, however, Power BI offers businesses even more powerful analytics and reporting features. Power Bi offers businesses faster experimentations with...
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What will happen to your Windows 7 devices after the 2020 End of Support Deadline?
January 14th, 2020 is a date for your diaries. This is the date Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 7, marking the end of over a decade of service from the operating system, which has become a favourite of users around the world. Who is still using Windows 7?...
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Don’t be an April Fool – Protect your Cloud from Cyber Attacks and Data Loss!
Don’t be an April Fool when it comes to securing your cloud from cyber attacks! Cloud computing is one of the key drivers for a business reaching its organisational goals, because of this, cloud computing has become the new norm for many businesses. Due to this,...
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It’s World Backup Day- Here’s Why You Should Backup Your Data!
Did you know that Sunday, March 31st is World Backup Day? With that in mind, we want to help you understand why you should always be prepared and backup your data! What is a backup? A backup is a copy of all essential data, e.g. documents, emails, files, etc. Instead...
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Windows 7 Users Will Begin To Receive Update Notifications Before Windows 7 End of Support
Microsoft will begin to send users push notifications warning them about the upcoming Windows 7 End of Support deadline. From January 14th, 2020, Windows 7 will no longer be supported by Microsoft. Notifications will begin being sent to users in April. This...
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Move Files and Folders Between OneDrive and SharePoint
When you want to share files with a different team of people, or even give other teams ownership of certain files and folders, you can move (or copy) files between OneDrive for Business and SharePoint. You can move (or copy) files and folders from OneDrive to...
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Why Your Business Needs A Custom Software Development
In today’s competitive world where businesses are continuously seeking to improve their processes, a custom software development is a productive and efficient way to help your company stand out from the crowd and get ahead of your competition. What is Custom...
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Get Set Up on Skype for Business
Skype for Business is a useful tool for businesses who want to enable their team members to communicate and collaborate with each other. Skype for Business allows you to share content, hold meetings and stay in touch with team members using instant messages. The key...
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Be Prepared for Windows 7 End of Support
Microsoft has announced the date for Windows 7 End of Support, this date is January 14th, 2020. From this date, Microsoft will no longer update or provide support for Windows 7. While Windows 7 is now many years old (it launched in 2009), it is still one of the most...
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5 Benefits of Bespoke Software Developments
Many businesses use off-the-shelf applications on a daily basis. These applications may fulfil an immediate functionality requirement, however, they often lack certain features that would benefit your business’ processes. Stock software often has many...
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Discover in SharePoint Online
Discover on SharePoint Online allows you to access content quickly and easily. Using a variety of methods you can find the content that you require using SharePoint Online’s many discover features. Search for something 1.Type into the Search box in the top left...
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5G May Cause an Increase in Cyber Crime, Experts Say
With 5G set to be rolled out next year, cyber security experts have urged users to do more to protect themselves from cyber threats explaining that many devices could be hacked due to this new technology. Representatives from McAfee said that users were still making...
read moreSurge In The Number of Data Breaches Reported To Commission In 2018
The number of data breaches reported to the Data Protection Commission soared by 70% last year, as new data protection legislation was introduced across Europe. In total, the watchdog was notified of 4,470 breaches during 2018, with 3,542 of those lodged in the seven...
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Collaborate in SharePoint Online
Help your team collaborate, communicate and share content with Microsoft SharePoint Online. Learn how to use SharePoint to its full potential with the helpful tips below on how teams can collaborate. With Microsoft SharePoint you can work as part of a team from any...
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Protect Your Data From Cyber-Crime With These Best Practices
Ransomware, botnets and phishing scams were at an all-time high in 2018 and attackers are taking every opportunity to steal data for their own gain. In 2018, Microsoft found that “More than 75% of phishing mails include malicious URLs to phishing sites. Other...
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All Good Things Come To An End- Are You Prepared For Windows 7 End Of Support?
Windows 7 is one of the most successful operating systems developed by Microsoft. Through its many years, millions of organisations have adopted this operating system. However, with Windows 7’s end of support quickly approaching, many businesses are now...
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Employees Can Be The ‘Weak Link’ In Cyber Security – Survey Says
A new survey has found that two out of every five employees in Ireland have experienced phishing, hacking, cyber fraud or other cyber attacks. The research, which was carried out by Amarach, on behalf of Microsoft, also revealed that employees can often be a weak...
read moreGet Organised With Outlook – How Flags and Colour Categories can help your team work better!
Try it for yourself! Set a Follow Up flag 1.Select the email message. 2.Select the Flag Icon. The flag will turn red and a follow up message will appear in the header of the email message. Note: Follow Up flags are used for actionable items only. View all Follow Up...
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Data Loss Prevention – Human Error, Threats & More
Do you remember the first or last time you found a user had shared sensitive information with the wrong people? Companies dedicate large amounts of resources and money towards establishing an air tight DLP policy to detect and protect company data and prevent it from...
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Wow At Your Next Presentation – Add Music To Your Slides!
There are several ways to improve your next presentation using PowerPoint. Adding objects, customising styles, and themes can all improve how well people engage with your presentation. In addition to all of these, you can also add music to your presentation slides....
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Almost 60,000 Data Breaches Reported Under GDPR
Just over 59,000 data breaches have been reported across Europe in the eight months since GDPR has come into force. GDPR came into effect on May 25th 2018, this set out the new rules on how businesses, organisations and government bodies can collect and handle data....
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British MPs’ Phone and Email Contacts Have Been Hacked in Phishing Attempt.
Authorities within the British Parliment are investigating after MPs were targeted by an attempt to hack their email and phone contact lists on Monday. Deputy chief whip Christopher Pincher warned colleagues in an email to ignore text messages and emails asking them...
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Why Your Business Should Adopt Multi-Factor Authentication
The password is arguably the most popular and most common security measure available and most of the time it is also the most vulnerable. In the case of a data breach, many companies simply have their employees change their passwords. However, the password has a lot...
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Shake Up Your Signature On Outlook
In Outlook, you can create one or more personalised signatures for your emails. Your signatures can include text, images, your electronic business card, a logo, or even an image of your handwritten signature! You can organise your Outlook account to ensure signatures...
read moreKeep Control Of Your Cloud: Mitigating the Risk Of Office 365 Account Hijacking
Office 365 – the online, subscription-based version of Microsoft’s office application suite – is one of the most popular and widely used enterprise cloud applications/services, which makes it the preferred target of hackers trying to gain access to...
read more5 Common Causes Of Data Loss
Data loss is a serious problem for businesses of all sizes, losing essential files means having to redirect your efforts from your business’ core focus, to recovering data. Data loss can happen when data is accidentally deleted or something causes files to...
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Security Risks All Businesses Should be Aware Of In 2019
Over the past few years, we have seen a distinct rise in the number of cyber attacks happening to businesses in all industries around the world. These cyberattacks have not only grown in frequency, but also in complexity. Cybercriminals are continuously evolving in...
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Keep your business talking – Is it time to upgrade your business phone system?
There are common parallels to be found between the longevity of a business and its ability to evolve in the modern world. Without adapting and evolving businesses can easily fall behind their competitors. While keeping up to date with general technology is key to a...
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We are hiring – IT Support Technician
IT Support Technician wanted for our Waterford based IT Service Desk in Cleaboy Business Park. Salary range €22-28K PA depending on experience and qualifications. HCS are seeking an IT Support Technician to join our service desk team which supports our growing...
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GDPR e-learning course – Training your staff is key to compliancy
GDPR has been a hot topic for us all over the past few months but despite the deadline coming and going, many organisations are still unprepared for the legislation. We here at HCS Business Solutions understand that getting to grips with the new regulations has been a...
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Storm Emma – Get DR Ready
It’s 14:12pm on 2nd March and the HCS offices in Dublin and Waterford are still closed. However our countrywide staff have all sent on their latest photo’s. One employee who lost internet connection tried to row their way to work in a home made wheel...
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Remote working at it’s best!
It’s 14:20 on 1st March 2018 and the HCS offices are closed since yesterday morning when the first of the snow hit, but that doesn’t mean our business was closed. Using the technology at our disposal all our staff have been working from home for the last...
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We are hiring – Office Administrator (Sales Team)
HCS Business Solutions are now looking for an Office Administrator to join our sales team. Based in Waterford this is a fantastic opportunity to work in a fast paced and rapidly growing company within the IT sector. Responsibilities: •Receive and respond to customer...
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GDPR – Let HCS protect you.
The IT industry has latched onto GDPR over the past 12 months and HCS have deliberated about it’s position in regard to this topic. We have finally found our niche. As Microsoft Gold Partners HCS have aligned to Microsoft’s thinking on how to...
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Email threats – How to spot the most common forms
Phishing…Pharming…Viruses and Worms…OH GOSH! These cyber security terms might not mean much to you now but, if your business is faced with potential threats, you will no doubt want to know what’s what and, more importantly the most effective ways of protecting...
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Latest Cyber Attacks Update from HCS Business Solutions
We believe that there’s a huge positive to come from the recent global ransomware and cyber attacks. This may sound perverse, however the huge media attention given to cybercrime and its consequences has placed the topic of IT Security at the forefront of everyone’s...
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Protect your email against sophisticated cyber attacks
Keeping your data protected from constantly evolving, aggressive malware threats is a worry for companies of all sizes these days. Email has become so critical to day-to-day business that hackers cleverly and frequently infiltrate internal networks via email,...
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Prevention is always better than a cure
“Prevention is better than the cure” that’s why protecting your IT Systems against cybercrime, disasters, malicious intent is always better than having to face the pain of a cure when the damage is done. While no one can guarantee 100% protection for your IT Systems,...
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We are looking for another .net developer
The HCS Software Division is a growing team of currently 6 software developers who specialise in delivering custom applications on behalf of a number of national and multinational customers. We place a strong emphasis on cloud and mobility and therefore work with the...
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How to create a human firewall against cybercrime in your organisation!
In a previous blog entitled “How Can You Protect Yourself and Your Business from Potentially Costly Ransomware Attacks?” I discussed three ways in which you can protect your organisation. I broke it down into 3 steps that need to be taken to mitigate against the risk...
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