Category: Blog

Blog posts from The Unite group.

Here at the Unite Group, we like to keep our clients and network up to date with the information that can help them in their business using our blog pages.

We cover topics such as IT support, Hosted telephony, Cyber security, Digital marketing, and much more. We think it is important to educate our audience using our blog, not only on these topics but to give a behind-the-scenes view on what is going on day to day at the Unite Group and the people who make up our team. Having knowledge of what we offer can help you to make a more informed choice on the services you need and which ones would work best for your business.

If there are topics you would like to see us create content around then drop us an email and we will get these added for you.

  • How the COVID-19 Pandemic Boosted Microsoft 365

    How the COVID-19 Pandemic Boosted Microsoft 365

    Microsoft 365 is the go-to software for every business. However since the global pandemic, collaborative working that is both accessible and easy to navigate is an essential for your work-from-home needs.

    Microsoft 365 is home to several products and services including SharePoint, Teams, Outlook and much more.

    The software combines a number of Microsoft apps. This provides your business with everything you need for a successful working day.

    Why should you use Microsoft 365?

    By utilising Microsoft 365 in your workplace, you can transfer all your data to the cloud. Making your documents and files easily accessible no matter where you are working from.

    Your data can be found across a number of devices, from your mobile to your desktop.

    This became particularly beneficial during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

    As we are all very much aware, our spare bedrooms became our home offices. This meant we had to very quickly learn how to adapt to this new working environment.

    The Monday morning meeting had to be completed online and the first 10 minutes would be spent trying to explain to someone how to turn their camera on. We do not miss it!

    The usage of most online platforms – but especially Microsoft 365 – increased massively. People who thought Teams was a reference to the football were suddenly using it religiously!

    Due to this, Microsoft Teams became one of the fastest growing apps of the pandemic. Adding 95 million users in 2020 alone! Teams generated an estimated 700% increase year-on-year.

    Remote working has never been so simple. Microsoft can manage a range of devices including Windows, Mac and Android.

    Teams allows you to work productively with your co-workers from the comfort of your own home. Whilst also having that quick 5-minute catch up on the soaps from the night before.  

    And the best part – the blur feature, allowing you to hide the unflattering family photo hanging on the wall behind you, or your lockdown puppy that just won’t leave you alone!

    The pandemic has transformed the way we work in a so many ways, but Microsoft 365 has really helped us along. And now that we are back in the office, we can continue to make use of this software on a daily basis.

    Making that one day you work from home a luxury, not a hassle!

    How can we help?

    Here at the Unite Group, we can help your business migrate your data to the cloud, so that you too, can begin to use Microsoft 365 seamlessly.

    With our help, migration has never been so easy, moving all your contacts over with you.

    Collaborative apps such as Teams and SharePoint are available immediately, allowing your staff to work from any location, at any time.

    If this is something that your business would be interested in, get in touch today by giving us a call on 0191 466 1050 or email us on info@theunitegroup.co.uk.

  • Productivity Hacks for Working from Home during the Covid-19 Pandemic

    Productivity Hacks for Working from Home during the Covid-19 Pandemic

    Love it or hate it, working from home has been a huge part of the last 10 months. How do you stay productive and motivated working from home? Here are some top ten tips from The Unite Group.

    1. Start the day as you mean to go on!

    Very few people can say they are productive in their pyjamas! So, get up, shower and dress as if you are leaving the house to go to work. It will put you in the correct working mindset for the rest of the day.

    2. Stick to a routine.

    Create a new routine. Set goals, be consistent and make sure that you factor in time for your lunch break. Goal setting helps to create control over your workday and gives success points to work towards. By having a set routine for the workday will ensure that you are in control of your work/life balance.

    3. Have a designated workspace.

    Not everyone has the luxury of an office space for working from home. But having a designated area for work during the day can make it easier to separate your working life from your home life. Keep your workspace tidy and organised, an organised and tidy workspace prevents distractions. Does your designated workspace have adequate WIFI access? Nothing disrupts your productivity more than a poor WIFI connection.

    4. Avoid Multitasking.

    While multitasking is a great skill to have, it can be detrimental to your productivity. All too often, multitaskers have lots of tasks and projects going on at the same time but find progress is slower. Block out time for each project or task to ensure each one gets the same attention.

    5. Human Interaction.

    Keeping in contact with your colleagues and team by having weekly meetings and catch ups can keep the human element in your working week. Not only does it reduce the feeling of isolation often felt from people who are working from home, but ensures that you can still use your work colleagues in the same way as you would in the office to bounce ideas off and work collaboratively.

    6. Use technology to your advantage.

    The advancements of technology in recent years has made working from home a lot easier. Tools such as Microsoft Teams where meetings can be held remotely with full functionality such as chats, video, screen sharing and file sharing can make collaborative working in a remote environment not only interactive but productive. With Microsoft Teams, groups of people in your business can be assigned into different teams and have their own channels of communication too. Microsoft’s SharePoint feature can remove the need for your staff to have to dial in to an onsite server. Files are stored remotely on the cloud and can be accessed by the authorised members of staff from anywhere.

    7. Be active.

    Challenge yourself to be active every day. Use your lunch break to go for a walk and get some fresh air or use the end of the workday to take a walk to reset your brain from work mode to home life mode. Its easy to go from bed – work – sofa – bed but this is detrimental to your mental wellbeing and physical health. Why not challenge your team or family to a steps competition to see how many steps they take over a week. You could use technology such as Fitbits or Apple Watch competitions to keep a track of everyone’s progress.

    8. Plan your work week.

    Make the first task of the week to plan the week ahead. Set aside time for each task that needs to be completed over the course of the week and factor in time for your lunch break. With Microsoft Teams you can integrate Trello boards to list the tasks needed. Trello promotes collaborative working too since you can assign tasks on the boards to other team members. Try to not work with back to back meetings and plan time aside to check and respond to emails rather than working your emails on a reactive basis. With Microsoft 365, a daily briefing email is sent from Cortana, this email gives tips on planning your day productively, factoring in break times and also reminders on Commitments you may have to follow up on.

    9. Separate personal life from work life.

    Its easy to sit at your workspace and think to yourself ‘I should put on a wash load’ or ‘I could really do with running a hoover over the carpet’. Procrastination at its finest. If you were leaving the house to work, you would not be able to do these things so in order to separate work from home, don’t be tempted to do household tasks in working times.

    10. Finish work on time.

    If your working day finishes at 5pm, make sure that you finish work at 5pm. Don’t be tempted to go back to your workspace to just finish one little thing at 8pm. You wouldn’t be able to do that if you were working in an office. Make a note and make it the first priority of your next working day.

    Working from home does not need to cause a headache for your business or your colleagues. To discuss ways in which The Unite Group can make your remote working experience more seamless, please get in touch with us and book a consultation call.

  • Questions to ask your Web Designer to choose the right one for you

    Questions to ask your Web Designer to choose the right one for you

    Finding the right web designer for your business can sometimes feel like finding a needle in a haystack. There are so many factors in choosing your web designer, from price to their portfolio. However knowing what to ask when having your website designed is something that many businesses struggle with. Here at The Unite Group, we have taken over the maintenance of many websites where businesses have had issues with things they never knew to ask about!

    1. How much time will the web designer spend with me initially planning the design of my website before proceeding?

    Firstly will your website designer spend time with you looking at websites? Secondly, will they look to incorporate elements you like into your own purpose built website theme? Will your web designer check with you that you are happy with the initial design of your site before proceeding with the build? And probably most importantly, will your website designer check in with you mid build to show you what work has been completed and ensure that the design and functionality is to your requirements?

    2. Will my website come with a fully installed SSL Certificate?

    Security is a huge concern for businesses, clients and customers alike. People are less likely to do anything on your website if your do not have that secure padlock in the address bar. Will your web designer source and install your SSL certificate on your website before handing it over to you?

    3. What about a domain name?

    If you already have a domain name, the likelihood is that you own the domain name and will continue to do so – or so you should! If you do not already have a domain name, will your web designer assist you in sourcing this and if they do who owns it?

    4. Where is my website going to be hosted?

    Web Hosting is important – without it, your website is just a collection of well designed files! Where will your website be hosted? Will the hosting be on a shared platform with millions of other websites and will you have access to your website hosting’s CPanel after they have handed the website back over to you?

    5. Will I get any Website Maintenance after the initial build?

    Sometimes when you receive a final product, there may be things that you are not 100% happy with. Will your web designer maintain your website after its been handed over to you? Will there be someone logging into the website and updating plugins?

    6. What about Copy Writing?

    Sometimes businesses have all of the information written word for word for each page of their new website. This is great for a web designer! However sometimes – finding the right words to make your website as accessible and user friendly as possible is tricky. Do they have a trusted professional copywriter they can call upon to help you with this? Or are you expected to find your own?

    7. Privacy and Data Security?

    GDPR – its still mind-boggling to the best of us! But its written into EU and UK law! Its not going anywhere! Websites need privacy policies and statements to tell users how their data will be used. Analytics software and cookies are a big part of GDPR. So do not be fooled if someone tells you that a privacy policy isn’t necessary. Does your web designer work alongside a specialist in Data Privacy who can write a personalised privacy policy for your business? Or again, are you expected to source this yourself?

    8. What about linking up with Social Media?

    A huge part of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is Social Media. Do all of your social media business accounts link to your website correctly? Does your website link to your social media accounts correctly with Schema and Open Graph Protocol set up correctly? Audits we carry out on websites usually show that there are issues with Social Media account linking, so it is always worth checking that your web designer has factored this in!

    9. Will you set up my Search Engine Optimisation?

    Probably the second most important one on this list of things to talk about. We always say to website clients, there is absolutely no point in being online if your presence is unknown, if you can’t be found! SEO is an area which needs to be set up and maintained properly for it to be effective. You need to ask your web designer if they can set up your SEO initially. As well as what the costs are to maintain it!

    10. Are there any hidden costs?

    This is the big one. We have had so many conversations with business owners where they have paid a large sum of money (sometimes running into thousands of pounds) for a website they are not 100% happy with. Only to find out after paying the initial upfront costs, that there is a cost to purchase an SSL certificate, there is a hosting fee, they have nobody to turn to for maintenance unless they pay an hourly rate. In addition to this they have been told that they will need to pay an additional large sum of money for their SEO Set up.

    The reason that the majority of business owners outsource a web designer is because they do not know how to do it themselves or have no desire to want to do it themselves. This can be exploited at times. Often the hidden costs can sometimes add up to as much as the cost of the initial website design.

    So why are The Unite Group different?

    We approach every website in exactly the same way – we answer all of the above questions without being asked them! We break down our quotes and lay out all of the costs upfront so that you, as a business owner, can choose which parts you want and which parts you don’t. These costs are not inflated if you choose to add them at a later date either! If we quote you for web maintenance and you decide within 6 months of the website going live that you wanted it, you’d pay what we quoted initially.

    If you would like more information or to discuss a website project with us, just send us a message on our Contact Us page

  • Empower your team to collaborate and connect with Microsoft Teams

    Empower your team to collaborate and connect with Microsoft Teams

    As social distancing and the continued threat from COVID-19 continues to keep people working remotely, it’s becoming increasingly important to help your team feel connected. With isolation, social distancing, and stay at home mandates, it’s easy for individuals to start to feel disconnected and discouraged. Giving your team the resources to stay connected can help. Microsoft Teams can be one of those resources.

    Keeping Team Morale Up

    Not only can Teams help you continue to run your business as smoothly as possible during this challenging and uncertain time, it can also bring your team together. With features like one-on-one chats or instant group messages, colleagues can easily keep in touch—making up for the missed ‘in office’ conversations.

    Smooth Meetings and Easy Collaborations

    Meetings can also run smoothly with sharing features and chat windows so everyone can be included. Collaboration is also made easy on Teams where multiple people can work together on a single project. To get another overview of the Teams features, check out this video. During this challenging time for people and businesses across the world, it’s crucial to stay connected. We can get through it more easily when we are there for each other and supporting each other.

    Microsoft Teams Info-graphic
    https://products.office.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software

    The Unite Group are here for you during this time. Please contact us with any questions and we’re happy to help.    

  • 7 Tips to increase your Mobile Security from The Unite Group

    7 Tips to increase your Mobile Security from The Unite Group

    Whilst the majority of people are fairly vigilant with security for their laptops and desktop computers, they’re not always so vigilant about mobile security and protecting their smartphones.

    Keep your phone locked.

    When enabling a lock screen, you’ll have the option to choose how long the phone can be idle before locking. So, be sure to choose the shortest amount of time. By doing so, if you were to leave your smartphone anywhere, the lock screen would have been enabled before anyone could access your stored data.

    Set secure passwords.

    Setting strong passwords on your apps will make it harder for a hacker to guess them. This should not come as a shock to many people but you should use different passwords for different apps. Also passwords should contain, at a minimum, a combination of letters, numbers and special characters.

    Keep your device up to date.

    Mobile phone operating system updates are released regularly. 99% of these updates come with improved security, patch vulnerabilities and improved performance. Installing these updates will ensure that your device is using the latest security software at all times.

    Be aware of what you download.

    When you’re downloading apps, be sure to download them from the official app stores and check the reviews. Apps downloaded from unofficial sources could contain viruses, malware or spyware.

    Only connect to a secure WIFI.

    Although free WIFI can save on mobile data usage, free WIFI connections are usually unsecured. Connecting via an unsecured WIFI could leave your device open to being accessed by an unauthorised source.

    Don’t jailbreak your phone.

    It may be tempting to jailbreak or root your phone to access app stores which may be unofficial, however, you are at risk of not being able to access the latest update to security on the device operating system. Some mobile phone manufacturers can block jailbroken devices from being used again. This would mean having to purchase costly new equipment.

    Encrypt your phone.

    Most phones have encryption settings. You can enable these easily from the settings. To check if your iOS device is encrypted, just go to the settings menu, and click on “Touch ID & Passcode”. It will prompt you to enter your lock screen and from the bottom of the page, you should be able to enable the “Data Protection” function.

    Technology matters at The Unite Group. Contact us for more information on how we can help with security for your business.

  • COVID-19 Virus Update from The Unite Group – 16th March 2020

    COVID-19 Virus Update from The Unite Group – 16th March 2020

    The Unite Group wanted to provide an update on our plans to respond to guidelines regarding Corona Virus (COVID-19),

    The Unite Group have now implemented the following in order to reduce risk and ensure business continuity.

    •All Staff have been advised with regards to good hygiene.
    •All remote working tools have been tested and are now being fully implemented.
    •All staff will be working from home by default. Offices will be staffed but with only one or two members to receive deliveries.
    •On-site visits will only be offered when absolutely necessary.
    •Staff with flu-like symptoms, close family that has such symptoms or staff returning from a known virus hot spot are to report and self-quarantine.
    •Our Engineers will ask if there are any known cases or risk of infection before visiting customer sites, please don’t be offended by this we are just trying to protect them during this time.

    All non- essential meetings will be cancelled, we will offer a replacement video meeting.

    These measures have been implemented we hope to reduce the risk of the virus spreading within the business and keep us fully operational. This will enable us to provide our customers with the best level of service during this difficult period.

    If you would like help and assistance with your own business continuity plan please let us know ASAP.

    If you have any questions, please get in touch via our Contact page.

  • COVID-19 Update from The Unite Group – 24/03/2020

    COVID-19 Update from The Unite Group – 24/03/2020

    The Unite Group are constantly reviewing our current plan in dealing with the current guidelines regarding Covid-19. Our support team are currently well and we have now fully actioned our business continuity plan with all staff working from home. We are at present able to offer a full remote support service but following the new guidance from the UK Government yesterday we would like to make you aware of the following:

    Our technicians will only be visiting a supported site in exceptional circumstances, our official position is no site visits at this time. Any work involving “home workers” will involve remote support and any new equipment being sent straight to the home address. This decision is to protect both our customers and our technical team.

    The last week has been the busiest we have ever experienced and our team are working flat out to provide everything our customers need to keep them operational. We all really appreciate your understanding and patience and we are fully committed to delivering the support needed at this uncertain time.

    If you are still looking to get fully set up for remote working please get in touch and we will be happy to help.

    The Unite Group will continue to provide updates on our capability to deliver services as this situation unfolds over the coming weeks.