Welcome to the Smartdesc January newsletter. We are NCVO-approved IT experts specialising in the charity sector, enabling nonprofits to achieve more with technology and modern ways of working. This month we focus on how charities can be more cyber secure and offer the following resources: A framework on how to prepare should you ever experience…
Picture this: Your charity has just been hit by a ransomware attack. Your files are all encrypted, staff are locked out of their computers, and hackers are demanding a substantial ransom to restore everything, otherwise they will release your beneficiary data onto the internet. As scary and unlikely as this may sound, charities are increasingly…
Common mistakes charities make with Information Governance (IG) Many charities and non-profits approach us because they do not have an information Governance structure, sufficient processes, or training in place to ensure that data is being processed correctly and securely. This almost always is simply down to resource capacity and budget, which is of course understandable.…
On May 10, 2022, as part of the Queen’s Speech, the UK government announced its intention to introduce a Data Reform Bill.
According to the UK government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2021, a quarter of charities (26%) reported having cyber security breaches or attacks in the last 12 months. The risk is high for all organisations; email (phishing) remains the most successful method. Preparing for what to do should the worst happen is almost as important as preventative…
A password management tool can really help with the ever-increasing number of passwords we all have to remember on daily basis for websites, applications etc. Smartdesc – Charity IT Specialist can now offer LastPass Business for your staff, starting from £3.60 per user – cheaper than going direct! LastPass is an industry leading password manager…
Andrew Coyle, Head of Information Security at Smartdesc, explains how non-profits can achieve Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation to demonstrate their cyber security commitments to funders, supporters and other stakeholders: What is Cyber Essentials? Cyber Essentials is a government backed certification introduced following concerns that organisations were not putting the basic technical…
There has been an increase in the number of phishing emails recently and, in particular, personalised spam emails that look extremely convincing. It is important to stay vigilant even with emails that appear to be from someone you know. Here are a few tips on how to identify phishing emails: You will normally be…
Optimising Microsoft 365 for nonprofits The last 6 months have been a time of fantastic innovation and lateral thinking around Digital; people have worked extremely hard to keep operations running in the face of adversity. Charities reacted very quickly in March and, as offices were abandoned in apocalyptic style, many ended up dumping data onto…
IT for Charities – Useful resources and guidance for your IT Security and IT Policies As a charity IT specialist, IT Security and Policies are something we are frequently asked about, especially as most organisations are not operating in their usual working environments and, as so many staff and volunteers are using their own…
