Data breaches are a serious threat in today’s digital age, especially for nonprofit organisations. While much attention is given to high-profile cyber attacks, internal staff members sometimes mishandle personal data in their care, creating a digital nightmare. One of the more common data breaches involves unauthorised access to databases containing sensitive service user information. These…
Welcome to the Smartdesc November newsletter. This month we share how charities can be more digitally mature and offer the following resources: A blog on the five key stages of digital maturity for charities with illustrations Free Microsoft Cloud Security, Cyber Security and Data Protection assessments Free instructor-led MS365 training sessions Our next Quarterly Charity…
ACEVO is the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations. Together with their network, they inspire and support civil society leaders by providing connections, advocacy and skills. ACEVO approached Smartdesc as they wanted to achieve the Cyber Essentials certification, to prove their commitment to best practice with cyber security. Challenge Cyber Essentials is a government-backed,…
Welcome to the Smartdesc October newsletter. This month we discuss how you can can strengthen your charity’s cyber security posture and offer the following resources: A blog on cyber security takeaways from our recent roundtable, and another on vulnerabilities you should be aware of Free Microsoft Cloud Security, Information Governance, and Cyber Security assessments The…
In today’s ever-evolving digital landscape, staying informed about cybersecurity threats is crucial, especially for nonprofits, who are the third most targeted industry in the world. In this blog, we share three recent cyber security vulnerabilities you should be aware of, and instructions on how to protect yourselves from them. Smartdesc are now offering charities a complimentary…
Last week we held our third Quarterly Charity Technology Roundtable, hosted by Microsoft Tech for Social Impact. In this blog, we summarise our discussion on cyber security, including risk management, BYOD, reducing risk of human error and systems gatekeeping. Compliance Frameworks, Risk Management, Reporting It is good practice to define the framework(s) or standard(s) that are…
Welcome to the Smartdesc September newsletter. This month we discuss the benefits of adopting a hybrid, in-house outsourced model for your IT function, including: A blog and video on how many large charities are adopting a co-managed IT structure, what this is and how to get started. The chance to come together with your peers to…
In today’s digitally driven world, technology has become a central component of most charities – from managing operations, measuring impact, connecting with supporters, coordinating volunteers, and enabling organisations to develop new services. Indeed, in our Charity IT survey we conducted earlier this year, over half of the leaders that took part are considering outsourcing via…
Welcome to the Smartdesc August newsletter. In this edition, we cover this year’s Charity Digital Skills Report, what we think it means for the sector in terms of infrastructure and digital skills, and offer some takeaways for charities, including: A blog with our analysis, takeaways and tips from the Charity Digital Skills Report 2023 IT…
The Charity Digital Skills report, now in its sixth year, is widely regarded as an annual barometer on digital maturity, skills and priorities across the nonprofit sector. It’s the digital sister of our own annual Charity Tech Leaders Report which focuses on IT infrastructure, M365 & cloud, outsourcing and cyber security. In this blog, we…
