This month marks an exciting milestone as we celebrate being in business for 20 incredible years. It's amazing to reflect on the boundless potential we've witnessed throughout our journey. While we take a moment to appreciate how far we've come, we must also keep our sights forward. To remain at the forefront of our industry for another 20 years and beyond, we can't stand still.

I'm always excited by the boundless potential I'm blessed to witness each month in our senior leadership team strategy days. As we gather to be fully present and dedicated to raising our standards, we kick off each meeting by answering four important questions:

1️⃣ What are we succeeding at? We celebrate our accomplishments, recognising areas where we own and truly excel.

2️⃣ What can we improve? We acknowledge areas where we may have gotten it wrong.

3️⃣ What roadblocks stand in our way? We identify challenges and obstacles, brainstorming strategies to overcome them.

4️⃣ How can we support each other better? We emphasise collaboration as the route to success as a problem shared is a problem halved.

We also revisit our service delivery vision:

“We can’t promise that technology won't fail or that we will always be perfect. What we can promise is that if something goes wrong, then it's our time to shine.”

With an unwavering dedication to building industry-leading best practices, embracing innovation, and delivering unmatched expertise, we strive to bring unique value to guide clients through the ever-changing world of technology.

Just imagine the transformation if these four questions anchored your strategy meetings. Reflect on implementing this approach to elevate your business. It's amazing what you can achieve when brilliant minds unite, as the horizon is truly limitless and just a couple of questions away. 🚀

Planning digital transformation? Don’t forget your people

Have you heard of the term “digital transformation”? It’s where you introduce new technology across every part of your business to help you sell more, deliver better customer service, and be more efficient/profitable.

That word ‘transformation’ sounds impressive, doesn’t it? It’s like your business is a caterpillar, ready to emerge from its cocoon as a dazzling, tech-savvy butterfly. But hold on a minute; let’s not forget about the most important part of this metamorphosis – your people. Yes, you read that right. It’s not technology

that should be at the heart of any digital transformation… it’s people.

Businesses often make the mistake of getting caught up in the whirlwind of “cool new tech”

and forget about the human element. How many times have you heard of a company rolling out a major new software system, only for their employees to struggle with

the change?

The truth is that the success of any digital transformation hinges on your team’s buy-in. You can have the most cutting-edge technology in the world, but if your people hate using it; it’s going to fail.

So, how do we put people first in digital Transformation?

It starts with communication. Your team needs to understand why change is happening and how it will benefit them. This isn’t just a one-time announcement but an ongoing two-way conversation. Next, you need champions.

These are individuals at all levels of the business who are enthusiastic about the change and can help others get on board. Enthusiasm is contagious! And finally, you need to break down silos. The digital world thrives on collaboration, and your business should too. If departments are working in isolation, you’re not harnessing the full potential of your team or your technology. Let’s not forget about the role of AI in all this. Generative AI systems, such as ChatGPT, have been making waves in the media, highlighting the importance of the human element in the digital transformation debate. After all, technology should serve people, not the other way around.

The pace of technological advancement is dizzying, no doubt about that. But amidst all the change, one thing remains constant - the importance of putting people, processes and

culture at the centre of your digitaltransformation.

Get in touch if we can help you with any kind of technology project.

Call Us Today

THE HACK PODCAST

Celebrating Two Decades of Innovation: Think Cloud Marks its 20th Anniversary!

As we embark on Think Cloud's 20th Anniversary, it's time to pause, reflect, and celebrate the incredible journey that has led us here. Over the last two decades, Think Cloud has pioneered ground-breaking solutions, driving digital transformation across industries. Today, we are thrilled to have Scott Clark, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Think Cloud, join Leon, Dean, and Paul as they delve into the fascinating story of how it all began. Scott envisioned taking a start-up from humble beginnings to becoming a market leader in proactive cyber-risk management, comprehensive business, and end-user IT support.

From early on, Scott Clark's path was illuminated by pixels and code. In his youth, he was captivated by Atari 2600 and Spectrum 128K and yearned for the days he'd own a Commodore Amiga. Many nights, he sat in front of the soft blue glow from new computer screens and user interfaces, diving deep into the worlds of games, tools, and emerging tech.

Yet, for Scott, it wasn’t merely about using the devices; a deep curiosity drove him. Disassembling machines to unveil their inner mysteries, he'd challenge himself to reassemble them. By the time he left school, his technical skills outstripped that of many of his tutors. This fascination with tech has never waned. Today, as Managing Director and CTO of Think Cloud, Scott’s enthusiasm for cutting-edge digital technology mirrors his love for video game consoles of the early '90s.

Yet constructing a flourishing MSSP required more than mere enthusiasm. Truly, five unique strokes of Luck (Or Genius) have marked Think Cloud's journey, each elevating the company to newfound heights of accomplishment.

Read the full Blog Here!

Listen on Spotify

NEW TO MICROSOFT 365

Outlook for Windows to replace Mail and Calendar apps Microsoft is shaking things up again, this time with Outlook.

By this time next year, the Mail and Calendar apps will have been replaced with a brand new Outlook for Windows. If you’re subscribed to Microsoft 365, you’re all set. But even without a subscription, you can use it with your personal email accounts like Gmail. It’s already got some cool features but heads up, offline support isn’t available yet.

NEW TO GOOGLE WORKSPACE

Duet AI is a suite of AI-powered tools that can help you write, organise, and collaborate more effectively in Google Workspace. This article will walk you through the steps to enable Duet AI in Google Workspace. We will also answer some common questions about Google’s AI tools.

Google Workspace is a suite of productivity and collaboration tools. It includes Gmail for business, Calendar, Meet, Chat, Drive, Docs, etc. If you are looking for a cloud-based productivity suite that is secure, reliable, and easy to use, then Google Workspace is a great option.

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“It’s fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to

heed the lessons of failure.”

Bill Gates, Co-founder of Microsoft

TECH FACTS

30% of techies lie about their jobs to friends and family to avoid giving technical support for free… we would never do this!

More than 570 new websites are created every minute.

A single Google query uses 1,000 computers in 0.2 seconds to retrieve an answer

Tech Update

Introducing ‘People View’ in OneDrive

Microsoft is at it again with more innovative features. This time, it’s releasing ‘People view’ in OneDrive Web. It’s designed to make it easier to access shared files and is integrated directly into OneDrive. This is perfect if you regularly receive files from different people and need an easier way to locate them.

The best part? Using People View is a breeze - just select a file or folder like you would with any other item in OneDrive. It’s designed to keep you organised by grouping shared files. We believe it’s both user-friendly and intuitive.

MEET THE TEAM

Zoe McQuade - Marketing Administrator

What Do You Do At Think Cloud?

I handle various marketing activities. This includes managing our social media accounts and creating engaging posts that highlight our expertise in cybersecurity. I also curate informative and relevant content for our newsletters, ensuring subscribers receive valuable updates. I am responsible for editing our podcast episodes to ensure they are polished and ready for publication.

What Is Your Favourite Movie?

Practical Magic is my all-time favourite, but I love to watch all Harry Potter Movies and any Marvel Movies; End Game is my Fave..

What Do You Enjoy Doing When Not At Work?

Spending time with my family and making memories, I also run a ladies' Mental Health Group on Wednesday evenings from Hull Uni- Libary called First Ladies Club.

What 3 Items Would You Take On A Desert Island?

While being stranded on a desert island might be my worst nightmare, these three items - a knife, strong string, and My Husband Leon so he could help build a raft to get off the Island.

What's Different About Working At Think Cloud?

Our team and the values that Think Cloud stands by create a great work environment.

Using ChatGPT or Google Bard

Prompt Tutorial: Using ChatGPT or Google Bard

Act as a Student of History

80/20 Learning Prompt

"I want to learn about the Roman Empire. Identify and share the most important 20% of learnings from this topic to help me understand 80%."

FUN TECH QUIZ

ANOTHER MONTH MEANS ANOTHER FUN TECH QUIZ!

HERE’S YOUR QUIZ FOR SEPTEMBER

1) What does the GPT stand for in ChatGPT?

2) What name was Windows known by in its earliest days of development?

3) What computer is the best-selling single-model personal computer of all time?

4) What was the Mac’s first web browser called?

5) ‘Confinity’ was the former name of which well-known company?

Answers at bottom of page.

8 in 10 businesses were targeted with phishing in the last year. Was yours?

Despite all the buzz about high-tech threats like ransomware and malware, good old phishing has held on to its title as the number one trick in a cyber criminal’s toolkit.

Phishing is when someone tries to trick you into giving them your personal information, like your password or credit card number. They do this by sending you emails or text messages that look like they’re from a genuine company.

According to the latest annual cyber breaches survey, 79% of businesses were targeted with a phishing attempt in the past year. And if your employees aren’t trained in cyber security awareness, 1 in 3 will likely fall for a phishing attack.

Scary. You might think, “Sure, it’s bad, but it can’t be that bad, right?” Well, let’s break down the consequences of a successful phishing Attack.

The impact on your business

Let’s set the scene: one of your employees clicks on a bad link in an email. Next, sensitive company data is in the hands of cybercriminals. You’re looking

at a potential financial loss, damage to your reputation, and one giant headache.

The impact on your employees

There’s more… it’s not just your business that takes a hit. The employee who clicked that link? They’re probably feeling as guilty as a dog caught stealing a steak from the dinner table. This can lead to stress, decreased productivity, and even increased employee turnover.

Turn lemons into lemonade

As a business owner, how you handle these incidents can make a big difference.

Pointing fingers and placing blame? That’s a one-way ticket to a toxic work environment. Instead, why not turn these incidents into learning opportunities? This way, you’re fostering a culture of understanding and open communication. Remember, everyone makes mistakes – how we learn from them counts.

How can we show phishing who’s boss?

One word: training. Regular cyber security awareness training

can significantly reduce the risk of phishing attacks being successful. And it can also help protect you from a host of other cyber security risks. It feels like a no-brainer.

BUSINESS GADGET OF THE MONTH

The laptop cooling pad

When you’re working so hard your fingers are smoking, it’s a good idea to ensure your laptop isn’t at risk of smoking, too. Not only is it bad for your battery, but it can slow performance too. And that could damage the long-term health of your device.

Enter the laptop cooling pad. These clever little gadgets cool

your laptop down with fans, and of course, they’re as portable

as your laptop is. This Liangstar one is our favorite because

it's got quiet fans and an adjustable stand!

£22.99 from Amazon.