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SmarterIT

Smarter IT is dedicated to bringing your business smart I.T. solutions. Our passion is ensuring that

10/28/2026

Here's something that you should probably be aware of…

Google is introducing a new setting that lets some of the information people submit through its services, such as voice searches and images uploaded to Google Lens, be used to help train its AI 🤖

For many people, it's switched on by default.

Now, this isn't about Google looking through every file on your computer.

It's the information you actively upload or submit through its services.

For a lot of businesses, that won't be a problem 😮‍💨

But if your team regularly uses Google tools for work, you’ll want to think about what information people might be sharing without even realizing.

A screenshot of an internal document…
A photo of a whiteboard after a meeting…
A voice search that includes client information…

These things aren’t unusual, but they could contain information you'd rather keep inside your business 🤐

That's why you should review these settings whenever a provider introduces a new AI feature.

The default option isn't necessarily the right one for every business.

As AI becomes part of more of the software we use every day, understanding where your data goes is becoming as important as understanding what the software can do.

It's another reason why having a simple AI policy for your team is worthwhile.

It doesn't need to be pages long.

Just some clear guidance on which AI tools people should use, and what information should never be shared with them.

👉 Have you reviewed your business's AI settings recently, or are you relying on the default options?

10/27/2026

AI has become the answer to a lot of business questions lately.

Need to save time? AI.
Need to improve productivity? AI.
Need to work smarter? AI.

But there’s a question that isn’t being asked often enough: Are you seeing a return on the investment…?

10/26/2026

Keep reaching for your phone while you work? Try this and you might not need to anymore…

10/25/2026

There's a question I get asked a lot whenever AI comes up 🤔

"Is it going to replace people's jobs?"

The honest answer is... it's not that simple.

A study looking at more than 21,000 companies found something interesting…

The organizations making the biggest investments in AI didn't shrink their workforce.

Over the following couple of years, they hired more people 👌

That might sound surprising when so many headlines focus on job cuts ✂️

But it makes sense when you think about how businesses work.

Buying AI software doesn't magically transform a company overnight 🪄

People still need to work out where it fits, redesign processes, train colleagues, support customers and find better ways of working.

AI can help people get more done, but it doesn't remove the need for people altogether.

In many cases, it changes the type of work they're doing.

Of course, some jobs will evolve.

Some repetitive tasks will become automated 🤖

But that's been happening with technology for decades.

To get ahead, instead of asking, "Which jobs can AI replace?"

Ask, "Which jobs can AI make better?"

If you want to see the biggest benefits, take the time to integrate it properly, experiment with it and help your team learn how to use it well.

Technology creates opportunities when people know how to use it.

💭 Has AI changed the way your team works yet, or are you still working out where it fits?

10/24/2026

There's a common assumption that younger generations are naturally better at cybersecurity.

Why?

Because they've grown up with technology 🧑‍💻

But a recent study suggests that's not necessarily true.

Researchers found that younger adults were the least likely to have changed their oldest password in the last year 😬

Meanwhile, older generations came out ahead when it came to updating passwords more regularly ✅

But no group got everything right.

Some people still rely on the same password they've been using for years, maybe with a few extra numbers or symbols added along the way.

Others store all their passwords in their web browser because it's convenient.

Neither approach is ideal.

The biggest problem is, if a password is ever exposed in a data breach, criminals will almost certainly try it on other accounts.

If you've reused it elsewhere, one leaked password can quickly become several compromised accounts.

The good news is that keeping your accounts secure doesn't have to be difficult.

Use a different password for every account.

Let a password manager remember them for you instead of trying to do it yourself.

And wherever it's available, switch on Multi-Factor Authentication. That's the extra security step where you approve a login using your phone or an authentication app.

These small changes make life much harder for cybercriminals, even if one of your passwords is exposed.

Good cybersecurity isn't about your age; it’s about good habits.

And the habits that protect your business are worth building, no matter how long you've been using the internet.

🧐 If I asked you to change every reused password you have, how many accounts would you need to update?

10/23/2026

If your PC takes ages to start, one quick settings check could make a big difference…

10/21/2026

Most people think AI in Excel is about formulas and number crunching.

But it's starting to learn the way your business works.

That could mean less time fixing spreadsheets and more time using the information inside them…

10/20/2026

When you hear that criminals are using AI, you might imagine sophisticated new hacking tools.

Reality is a little different.

A lot of the biggest risks are coming from AI getting better at pretending to be people 😱

New research found that cybercriminals are using AI more to fool people.

They create convincing fake identities, clone voices, generate realistic videos and produce phishing messages that are much harder to spot than they were just a couple of years ago.

It’s becoming extremely accessible.

Instead of building these tools themselves, criminals are buying ready-made kits and sharing techniques with each other online.

That means someone with very little technical knowledge can carry out attacks that would have been far beyond their abilities not that long ago 😳

So, what should you be looking out for?

First, don't assume that an email, voice message or even a video call is genuine simply because it looks or sounds convincing.

Second, be cautious of anything that creates unnecessary urgency 🚨

Requests to transfer money, change bank details, share confidential information or approve a login should always be verified through another trusted route.

And finally, remember that AI has changed the quality of scams, not the basic principles behind them.

Attackers still rely on people acting quickly without stopping to think 🤔

That's why good security habits are becoming even more valuable.

👉 Strong passwords
👉Multi-Factor Authentication (where you approve a login using your phone or an app)
👉Keeping software up to date
👉Having clear processes for verifying unusual requests

Those things remain some of the most effective ways to protect your business.

I think we'll continue hearing a lot about AI-generated threats over the next few years.

To cope best, you’ll need to recognize how these attacks are changing and help your team adapt.

💬 Which do you think will become the bigger challenge over the next few years, spotting AI-generated scams, or knowing who you can really trust online?

10/19/2026

Have you ever decided not to mention a small IT issue because it didn't seem important enough?

It's an easy mistake to make.

But sometimes a small issue is the first sign of a big problem…

10/18/2026

Ever looked at your computer and wondered where all your storage has gone?

You delete a few old files, empty the recycle bin, maybe even uninstall an app or two...

Yet somehow, you're still running out of space 🤷

If you're using Windows 11, there could be a reason for that.

Microsoft has confirmed a bug that, on some computers, let a hidden system file grow much larger than it should.

In some reported cases, it’s taken up hundreds of gigabytes of storage without people realizing 😬

Nothing obvious tells you what's happening.

Windows simply reports that "System files" are using a lot of space, which isn't especially helpful if you're trying to work out what's causing it.

Luckily, Microsoft has released a fix, and it will be included in the next regular Windows updates.

There's a useful lesson here that goes beyond this particular bug 👾

Software updates don’t only add new features.

Often, they fix problems that most of us never knew existed.

Sometimes it's a security vulnerability.

Sometimes it's a reliability issue.

And sometimes it's a bug that's filling your hard drive in the background 🗂️

That's why I always encourage people not to put updates off for months at a time.

It's easy to think, "Everything seems to be working, so I'll leave it for now”.

But many updates are solving problems before they've become obvious to you.

If you've noticed your Windows 11 computer running low on storage for no apparent reason, open Settings > Storage and take a quick look at how much space is being used by System files.

It doesn't necessarily mean you're affected by this issue.

But if something doesn't look right, it’s a good place to start.

👉 Do you install Windows updates as they arrive, or do you wait until your computer starts giving you a reason to?

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