This month, it's all about knowing what's really going on
Welcome to the November edition of our IT Support newsletter.
The year’s nearly done, and most business owners we speak to across Liverpool and Wigan are starting to think about next year. Before you plan what’s next, it’s worth a quick look at what’s already running.
The apps your team has picked up on their own. The PCs still on Windows 10. The scams that ramp up every time Black Friday comes round.
None of it’s dramatic. But it’s exactly the kind of thing that causes stress later if nobody’s keeping an eye on it.
We’ve also got a story we’re really proud of, the CRN Channel Awards next week, our Christmas party, and an update on our Toy Drive for Rainbow Ward.
Contents:
The AI tools you don't know your team is using
You’ve probably got a decent handle on the software your business runs on.
Your email. Your accounts package. Your CRM. Someone chose those, set them up properly, and keeps an eye on them.
AI has changed that.
Research commissioned by Microsoft found that 71% of UK employees have used AI tools at work that their employer hasn’t approved, and 51% still do every week.
And this isn’t just someone opening a chatbot in a spare tab. AI now turns up inside browser extensions, meeting note takers, email add-ins and everyday apps. Someone spots a tool that promises to summarise a document or clear their inbox, clicks install, and gets back to work.
Most of the time that’s harmless. Sometimes it’s a nice little win. The trouble is what the tool can see.
A simple example
Someone installs an AI browser extension to get through their inbox faster. To do that job, it often needs permission to read what’s happening in their browser. Someone else connects an AI tool to your cloud storage so it can search your documents.
Some of these tools inherit whatever access the person already has. That can hand over far more of your company’s information than anyone meant to give away.
Why banning it rarely works
People use these tools because they make the day easier. In the same Microsoft research, 28% said their employer doesn’t give them an approved alternative.
Ban everything and people don’t stop. They just stop telling you.
What actually helps
- Find out what’s being used. Ask your team, and check which apps and extensions are connected to your business accounts.
- Decide what you’re comfortable with. Some tools will be fine. Some won’t.
- Point people to safer options. If you already pay for Microsoft 365, there may be a tool that does the same job inside your existing security.
- Agree a few simple rules. What company information can go into AI tools, and what can’t.
Last month we talked about setting ground rules for AI. This is the step before that: knowing what’s actually running.
If you’d like a clearer picture of what’s already running inside your business, get in touch.
DID YOU KNOW...
Chrome now updates twice as often
Since 8 September, Google Chrome has been getting a new major version every two weeks, instead of every four.
Google says each release is smaller, so there’s less chance of something breaking, and that shrinking the gap between a fix being written and it reaching your browser helps protect against fast moving threats. Chrome’s weekly security updates carry on in between.
Another good reason to let Chrome restart when it asks.
A Liverpool care home's story: our St Bart's case study is live
Some of the best stories we get to tell aren’t really about technology. They’re about what happens when it finally stops getting in the way.
St Bartholomew’s Court is a nursing home in Huyton, looking after 51 residents with a team of 85 staff.
When they came to us, their IT Support came from one person who wasn’t local. Their Wi-Fi had black spots right across the building, so staff had to walk back to certain areas just to sign off medication.
Think about that for a second. In a care setting, that isn’t an IT problem. It’s time taken away from residents, every single shift.
Today there’s full Wi-Fi throughout the home, every bedroom included. Staff can take the meds trolley and go. Residents can video call their families.
Gemma Mylett, their Deputy Business Manager, put it better than we could:
“Pick Focus. I just wish we would’ve done it sooner.”
A big thank you to Gemma, and to Michael Dutton, Matron and Registered Manager, for giving up their time to tell the story.
If any of this sounds familiar
Slow responses. Nobody local. Problems you’ve quietly learned to live with. You don’t have to put up with it.
Switching IT Support providers is far less painful than most people expect, and we do the heavy lifting. Let’s chat about what’s holding you back.
What's been happening at Focus
Fingers crossed for next Thursday
Next Thursday, 12 November, we’ll be at Battersea Evolution in London for the CRN Channel Awards, where we’ve been shortlisted for MSP of the Year (under £10m).
We’re up against managed service providers from right across the country, so it’s a big one for a team our size.
Whatever happens on the night, we’re proud of every person who got us there, and grateful to the businesses who trust us with their IT Support. We’ll let you know how we get on.
Our Christmas party
On Friday 27 November, the whole team is heading to Holland Hall Hotel in Up Holland for our Christmas party, complete with a Mamma Mia tribute act.
Yes, that’s Black Friday. While everyone else is hunting for bargains, we’ll be on the dance floor.
It’s been a big year. New faces, a lot of migrations, a few awards nights and plenty of busy Mondays. The party is our chance to say thank you to the people who answer the phones, fix the problems and turn up on site, day in, day out.
Expect photos in December’s update.
Our Toy Drive for Rainbow Ward is still going
We’re still raising money to buy toys for the children on Rainbow Ward at Wigan Infirmary. Some of them will spend Christmas Day in hospital rather than at home, and we’d love to make that day a little brighter.
Every penny goes on toys chosen to match what the ward needs. No admin costs, no detours.
If you’d like to help, even a small amount makes a real difference: donate to the Rainbow Ward Toy Drive.
Black Friday is three weeks away, and scammers know it
Black Friday lands on 27 November this year, and the run up to Christmas is one of the busiest times of year for online scams.
According to the National Cyber Security Centre, £11.8m was lost to online shopping fraud over the last festive season it reported on, from 1 November 2024 to 31 January 2025.
That isn’t just a personal problem. Plenty of festive shopping happens on work laptops and phones, and fake delivery texts and “problem with your order” emails land in work inboxes just as easily as personal ones. One rushed click can be all it takes.
A few things worth sharing with your team
- Turn on 2-step verification for important accounts, especially email.
- Slow down when something feels urgent. “Today only” and “just two left” are classic pressure tactics.
- Don’t click links in unexpected delivery texts or emails. Go to the retailer’s website or app directly instead.
- Avoid paying by bank transfer. A credit card gives you more protection if something goes wrong.
- Keep personal shopping off work accounts where you can.
The NCSC’s advice comes from the government’s Stop! Think Fraud campaign. If something does go wrong, contact your bank straight away and report it to Action Fraud.
And if a work account or device might be involved, tell your IT Support provider as soon as possible. The quicker it’s checked, the smaller the problem tends to be.
Still running Windows 10? A deadline has just passed
Windows 10 reached end of support in October 2025. Since then, the only way for a business PC on Windows 10 to keep getting security updates has been Microsoft’s paid Extended Security Updates programme, known as ESU.
For businesses, ESU is bought one year at a time. Year one ended on 13 October 2026. To keep getting updates, year two has to be bought separately, and the price doubles each year.
You might have seen headlines saying Windows 10 got another free year. That extension to 12 October 2027 is for home users on Microsoft’s consumer programme, not business PCs on the paid one.
A Windows 10 PC without updates doesn’t suddenly stop working. It just stops getting fixes for newly found security holes, which is exactly what attackers go looking for.
What to do now
- Check how many PCs in your business are still on Windows 10.
- Find out which can move to Windows 11, and which need replacing.
- If you’re paying for ESU, weigh up the year two cost against upgrading.
- Plan replacements now, rather than in a rush when something fails.
Not sure where you stand? Get in touch and we’ll check for you.
New to Microsoft
Excel is getting a live dashboard view
Microsoft is adding a Copilot powered Canvas to Excel that turns the data in a spreadsheet into an interactive view of the key charts, figures and insights.
Better still, it stays connected to your workbook, so when the numbers change, the dashboard updates too. No more rebuilding it every time something moves. You can even change it by just asking Copilot.
It’s on Microsoft’s roadmap for Excel on Windows and the web. As it’s a Copilot feature, what you can use may depend on your Microsoft 365 plan, and new features can take a while to reach everyone.
Teams is getting a proper restore button
Teams holds a huge amount of most businesses’ data these days. Chats, shared files, meeting notes, and decisions that never get written down anywhere else.
Microsoft has added a backup and recovery feature to its roadmap that will let admins roll a whole team, or individual channels, back to an earlier point after accidental changes or a security problem. It covers standard, private and public channels, including the files and messages shared in them, with 30 days of retention.
It’s due to start rolling out in December. Microsoft hasn’t yet said exactly how restores will work in practice, and the roadmap only mentions channels, not one to one or group chats.
Until it arrives, it’s worth asking a simple question. If something important vanished from Teams tomorrow, could you get it back?
Technology Update
OpenAI has added a Writing Style feature to ChatGPT Work, its paid business option. It learns how you write by looking at content in your connected apps, such as Gmail, Google Drive, Slack and SharePoint.
It picks up your favourite phrases, your sign off and your little writing habits, so drafts sound more like you without you explaining your style every time.
Handy. But it’s also a reminder of this month’s main story. When you connect an AI tool to your email and files, it’s worth knowing exactly what it can read. OpenAI hasn’t yet published detail on how long those writing samples are kept.
Round five: the Focus Tech Quiz returns
Round four went down well, so here’s round five. Five quick questions, still no prizes, still just bragging rights.
Focus Tech Quiz, Round Five, November 2026
How many can you get right?
Question 1 of 5
FAQs
How can I see if we're paying for software nobody uses?
A software review compares the licences you pay for with what your team actually uses. It’s worth doing regularly, especially as people join, leave or change roles.
Should employees be allowed to install their own browser extensions?
It’s worth having some controls in place. Browser extensions can see what you view or type online, so they can bring security and privacy risks with them.
Our PCs still run Windows 10. Are they safe to keep using?
They’ll keep working, but without security updates, newly found weaknesses won’t get fixed. For business PCs, the first paid year of Extended Security Updates ended on 13 October 2026. Get in touch and we’ll help you work out whether to upgrade, replace or extend.
That's November's IT Support newsletter wrapped up
The thread running through this month is visibility. Knowing which tools your team uses, which PCs are still on Windows 10, and where the risks creep in at the busiest times of year. When you can see it, you can sort it.
Wish us luck for next Thursday. And if you’d like to help put a smile on a few faces at Wigan Infirmary this Christmas, the Toy Drive link is here. Every penny helps.