Practical IT insight for decision-makers.
Articles on AI, automation and well-run company IT, without jargon. Written by Caster Consulting.
MFA and password managers: the cheapest protection for SMEs
Multi-factor authentication is the cheapest and most effective protection an SME can add: Microsoft's research found it cuts the risk of account compromise by more than 99%. The…
A one-page IT strategy for SMEs, and where IT money leaks
An SME doesn't need a fifty-page IT strategy. One page is enough: what the business wants to achieve, what you have now, the next three steps, and how…
Ransomware: a backup strategy that actually restores
A backup is only worth something if you've tested the restore. Ransomware attackers now hunt for backups too, so at least one copy must be out of their…
Nearshoring to Central Europe: Hungarian IT teams
For a Western European company, a Central European IT team, for example in Hungary, works in the same or a neighbouring time zone, under the same EU law…
Has your company outgrown Excel? Signs you need an ERP
Your company has outgrown Excel when the same data is kept in several spreadsheets by several people, and management doesn't see the same number as the warehouse or…
Hire or contract IT specialists: when each one pays off
Hire people whose knowledge is part of your company's long-term, day-to-day operations. Contract people you need for a project, a peak period or a rare specialism, because hiring…
In-house or outsourced IT operations for an SME
A 10 to 50-person company rarely needs a full-time IT administrator, but outsourcing isn't a magic word either. You can outsource the work, not the responsibility: your data,…
Moving to the cloud as an SME: what to move, and what not
Almost every SME should move email, office apps and files to the cloud, but business systems need a closer look. Whatever you move, move it with an exit…
AI search visibility: recommended by ChatGPT and Claude
AI assistants recommend companies they can find clear, verifiable, quotable information about, on sites their crawlers can reach. There's no trick: good content, unambiguous company information, and letting…
Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot or Gemini for an SME?
Don't pick the best model; pick the one that fits how your company works. For AI inside your office apps, Copilot or Gemini is the natural choice; for…