Welcome to the Smartdesc May newsletter. In this edition, we cover Information Governance and Data Protection and how charities can adhere to the latest legal obligations and best practice, including: Advice on upcoming changes to the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill. A video on Information Governance and Data Protection for nonprofits. Further resources from…
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The EU GDPR has been established data protection legislation in the UK and EU since May 2018. In the UK, the EU GDPR was replaced by the UK GDPR following Brexit in January 2021. Since Brexit, the UK Government has spoken about diverting away from the GDPR to a “more pro-growth and pro-innovation data regime…
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Welcome to the Smartdesc April newsletter. Are you considering outsourcing IT at your charity but don’t know where to begin? We’ve compiled the following resources to help you get started: A blog and video on how to make informed decisions about IT outsourcing. The chance to come together with your peers to discuss all things…
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With a shortage of IT talent in the UK, charities face an uphill battle to attract staff against inflated corporate wages available to IT professionals elsewhere. Many IT teams are finding it harder to source, fund and retain the multidisciplinary mix of specialist skills needed to run a modern not-for-profit’s technology estate. We undertook a…
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Last week we hosted the first of our Quarterly Charity Technology Roundtables, with Microsoft Tech for Social Impact and Charity Finance Group. In this blog, we summarise our discussion on managing IT budgets, staff retention, and measuring the value of IT, and provide information about our upcoming events. Recruitment & retention Colleagues were aligned that…
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Welcome to the Smartdesc March newsletter. Lots of organisations are asking us about how they can move their telephony into Microsoft Teams and refresh their internet connectivity ahead of the traditional phone network switch off in 2025, so we’ve compiled the following resources for you: A non-technical guide on how to move telephony into Teams, and…
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Big changes are afoot in the world of internet connectivity, and telephony, across the sector. Traditional copper phone lines in the UK are being switched off forever in 2025, meaning your organisation may need to switch its internet connection(s). The COVID-19 pandemic already transformed how businesses use telephones; across the country plastic desk phones gathered…
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Welcome to the Smartdesc February newsletter. This month we focus on how charities can protect themselves against phishing attacks and offer the following resources: Guides on common charity cyber attacks and measures you can take to prevent them Phishing Simulation Service and Cyber Security e-Learning, tailored to charities Further resources from EasyDMARC and Charity Finance Resources…
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Email is not secure 91% of all cyber attacks begin with email. Despite all the advances in cyber defence, good old-fashioned email still provides an open door for attackers to knock on. Email is your biggest security risk by a long way. Finance staff frequently use email and they deal with money on a daily…
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Charities are increasingly being targeted by cyber criminals. According to the Cyber Security Breaches Report 2022, 19% of charities reported they had been attacked in 2018. This has now risen to 30% of charities reporting attacks in 2022. But why are charities targeted? And what can they do to mitigate against cyber threats and reputational…
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