Guidance

As businesses increasingly rely on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) tools to enhance productivity, collaboration, and efficiency, a growing problem has emerged: Shadow SaaS. This occurs when employees adopt and use cloud-based tools without the IT department’s knowledge or oversight. While these tools can offer convenience, they also introduce significant challenges for businesses, including cost inefficiencies, security risks, and a lack of control over user access.

In today’s fast-paced tech landscape, having a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) with senior-level expertise can give your business a serious advantage. However, not all companies—especially small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)—are ready to invest in a full-time CTO. Fractional CTO services offer a solution, providing high-level strategic guidance on a part-time basis. This approach allows businesses to make informed, complex technology decisions without committing to a full-time senior salary.

For any business with an online presence, securing user data and establishing trust is paramount. One critical piece of this security puzzle is managing your SSL/TLS certificates. These certificates provide the encrypted HTTPS connections that protect data in transit, reassuring visitors and clients that your site is secure. However, many businesses overlook certificate management, which can lead to serious security and reputation risks when certificates expire.

Setting up your business email and domain on platforms like Microsoft 365 (M365) is essential for a professional digital presence. However, without the right security configurations, you’re leaving your business open to risks like phishing, spam, and domain spoofing. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the stakes are especially high, as any breach can harm customer trust and the business’s reputation.

In a world driven by data, predictive analytics can be a game-changer for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). By applying data science to your business data, you can go beyond guesswork and make data-driven decisions that propel growth.

Here’s what predictive analytics can help you measure:

Many SMEs struggle to make meaningful use of the data they already have.  With the rise of SaaS solutions, data is often siloed across different platforms, making it hard to gain valuable insights.

Traditionally, only large organisations could afford enterprise data projects, but things are changing.  Lightweight, agile processes can now help SMEs tap into the power of their data without the heavy investment.

Here’s why it matters:

Too often, technology discussions are filled with jargon that confuses rather than clarifies. But here’s the truth: technology should solve problems, not create new ones.

For tech professionals, it’s essential to:

With the rise of SaaS, subscriptions and licenses have quickly become one of the largest IT expenses for businesses. Managing these costs can be challenging, especially when they’re scattered across different platforms.

The solution? Use a tool that integrates directly with your Azure or other cloud environments to give you a clear view of all your subscriptions in one place. Here’s why it’s a game-changer:

Hosting your website or content is crucial, but many small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) fall into avoidable traps that impact performance and value for money.

Here’s what to watch out for:

When considering automation, the key question is: Does it make financial sense? The good news is, if you can measure your processes, you can make data-driven decisions about automating them.

Here’s how to assess the value of automation for your business: