IT explained in plain English
Practical guides for anyone in a company who has to decide on backup, security, regulation and IT suppliers. Each one explains the terms you come across in contracts and reports, and what to do in practice when the time comes.
Under attack right now? Don't switch the systems off: disconnect them from the network, then call us straight away.
Where do I start?
Four common situations. For each one, three guides to read in this order.
- A · Failures and attacks
I want to be ready for a failure or an attack
- B · The basics
I want to close the most common ways in
- C · Regulation
I need to understand what the rules require of me
- D · Getting organised
I need to get IT in order, and decide who to work with
All guides
26 guides across 5 topics. Each guide starts with the basics and ends with what to do in practice.
26 guides
Continuity and data
Recovery times, backups and plans for when something stops working.
4 guides- 01
RTO and RPO: how long you can be down, how much you can lose
The two acronyms in every continuity plan: how to define them starting from your processes, and why they only count once they have been tested. - 02
The 3-2-1 backup rule, and why it is no longer enough
Three copies, two media, one off site. Then the immutable copy, cloud data and restore tests. - 03
Does Microsoft 365 back up your data? Not the way you think
The shared responsibility model, the limits of the recycle bin and when you need an independent backup. - 04
BCP and DRP: the plan that keeps the business running
The difference between business continuity and disaster recovery, what a plan must contain and why it has to be tested.
Security
The entry points attackers use most, and how to close them one at a time.
9 guides- 05
Phishing: why it still works, and how to reduce it
The forms it takes today, the warning signs to recognise and why training once a year is not enough. - 06
Business passwords: the rules you need and the ones that are out of date
Length, password managers, no forced changes without a reason: what current guidelines say. - 07
MFA: multi-factor authentication, properly explained
How it works, which types to prefer and where to start: the defence with the best cost-benefit ratio. - 08
Patch management: why updating is the first line of defence
The life cycle of a vulnerability, how to prioritise updates, and end-of-life systems. - 09
SPF, DKIM and DMARC: who can send email in your name
The three controls that stop your domain being spoofed, explained without jargon, and how to switch them on. - 10
Zero Trust: what it really means
Beyond the slogan: the principle, the practical pillars and where to start without throwing away what you already have. - 11
Vulnerability assessment and penetration testing: the difference
Two different tests that are often confused: what they check, when you need them, how to read a report. - 12
SOC, SIEM and EDR: who watches your systems at night
What they really do, the difference between detecting and responding, and when an SME needs a SOC. - 13
Ransomware attack: what to do in the first hours
Isolate without switching off, protect the backups, preserve the evidence, meet the notification obligations. Plus a checklist to prepare in advance.
Regulation and compliance
What NIS2, GDPR and DORA really require of a business, without scaremongering.
3 guides- 14
NIS2: who is affected and what changes for an SME
Who falls within scope, the practical risk management obligations and where to start. - 15
Data breaches: what to do in the GDPR 72-hour window
What a personal data breach is, when it must be notified to the Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante) and to data subjects, and what to record in the register. - 16
DORA: what changes if you work with banks and insurers
How the financial sector's digital resilience regulation reaches ICT providers through their contracts.
IT management
Suppliers, people, budget and projects: how IT is governed day to day.
7 guides- 17
Outsourcing IT: when it pays, and when it doesn't
The right questions to ask yourself, the possible models and what to look for in a provider. - 18
The IT that lives in one person's head
Why systems and procedures should be documented, what is really worth writing down and how to avoid the manual nobody opens. - 19
Joiners, movers and leavers: access with no gaps
Orphaned accounts, permissions that pile up and the checklist for the day a colleague leaves the company. - 20
How to tell whether your IT support is working
The metrics that really matter, the ones that mislead, and what to ask a provider beyond the SLA. - 21
IT budget: build it from risks, not quotes
Running costs and projects, system life cycles, technical debt and a three-year roadmap. - 22
Why IT projects fail, and how to avoid it
It is almost never a technology problem: scope creep, no one in charge, adoption neglected. - 23
Migrating to the cloud: what to ask before moving the servers
The possible strategies, the costs that quotes miss and how to plan without bringing the business to a halt.
Artificial intelligence
How to use AI methodically: use cases, internal rules and AI Act obligations.
3 guides- 24
Introducing AI into your company: where to start
Start from the process, not the tool: choosing use cases, preparing the data, measuring a pilot project. - 25
Shadow AI: the invisible risk of AI used without rules
Why it happens, the real risks and how to build a policy that actually works. - 26
AI Act: what changes for companies that use AI
The risk levels, the main obligations and the deadlines, for those who use AI and not only for those who develop it.
No guide matches this search. Write to the team: we will answer your specific question.
What does an hour of downtime cost you?
Estimate the cost of a systems outage with your company's own figures: people affected and average gross annual salary, plus turnover and margin if you want to include lost sales. The calculation runs in your browser: no data is sent.
Calculate with your own figures€676 for every hour of downtime
- 1 hour€5,780
- 4 hours€7,810
- 1 working day€10,500
- 3 working days€21,300
Total per incident, including a one-off €5,110 for work to be redone and extra costs. A working day is 8 hours of activity. Figures rounded.
The same issues, as they actually played out
Four cases from everyday work, told from start to finish.
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