Live IT, IT support for small businesses in the North West

Advice

Practical IT guidance, in plain English.

Short, honest articles on the IT questions small organisations are asking, security, platform choice, backups, migration and the things funders and clients now expect.

Notebook, pen and laptop on a desk, illustrating practical IT advice and guides from Live IT
Two laptops side by side on a dark desk, representing a Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 comparison for small UK charities
Platforms

Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 for small charities

Both are excellent. The right one depends on how your team works, not which is technically 'better'.

6 min readRead article
Cyber Essentials style shield badge on a dark surface with blue accent lighting, representing UK cyber security certification
Security

What is Cyber Essentials and does your organisation need it?

It's a short, practical security baseline, and increasingly, funders and clients expect it.

5 min readRead article
Laptop displaying the Microsoft 365 logo with a glowing cloud icon, illustrating third-party cloud backup for Microsoft 365 data
Backup

Microsoft 365 backup: what your subscription doesn't cover

Microsoft keeps your data online. They don't protect it from you, your staff or ransomware.

4 min readRead article
Suspicious email displayed on a dark laptop screen with a fishhook motif, illustrating phishing awareness for staff
Security

Phishing for non-technical staff: the 60-second checklist

Most phishing emails fail one of five basic checks. Teach your team those five, and the rest takes care of itself.

4 min readRead article
Glowing @ symbol on a dark desk beside a laptop, representing migration from personal email to a business domain
Migration

Moving from personal Gmail to a business domain (without losing anything)

Done well, the team barely notices. Done badly, you lose ten years of email history.

5 min readRead article
Smartphone showing an authenticator app code beside a laptop in a dark blue lit setting, illustrating multi-factor authentication
Security

Multi-factor authentication without the headaches

MFA stops the vast majority of account takeovers. Done right, your team barely notices it after the first week.

5 min readRead article
Three modern business laptops arranged on a dark desk with blue backlight, representing hardware choice for a small team
Hardware

Choosing laptops for a small team in 2026

Buy for the next four years, not the next four months. The cheapest laptop is rarely the cheapest laptop.

6 min readRead article
Closed laptop on a dark desk with soft blue backlight, symbolising an employee leaving and IT offboarding
Operations

What to do, technically, when an employee leaves

Offboarding is when most security incidents quietly happen. A simple checklist eliminates most of the risk.

5 min readRead article
Clipboard checklist and padlock beside a laptop on a dark desk, representing a small business IT security checklist
Security

A security checklist for small organisations

You don't need a security team. You need a short list of the right things, done consistently.

6 min readRead article
New laptop on a dark desk with a monitor and cyan accent lighting, representing proper first-day setup and enrolment
Setup

Setting up a new laptop properly from day one

The first hour with a new laptop sets the tone for the next four years. Do it once, do it right.

5 min readRead article
Home office desk with a monitor lit in blue beside a window, illustrating secure and productive remote working for small teams
Working Practices

Remote working: best practices for small teams

Remote work is normal now. A few consistent habits make it secure and sustainable for small teams.

5 min readRead article
Smartphone showing a password manager vault beside a laptop with a padlock icon, representing team password management
Security

Password managers for small teams: how to actually roll one out

A password manager is one of the highest-impact tools you can give a small team. Rolled out badly, it becomes another ignored subscription.

5 min readRead article
Two professionals shaking hands over a desk with laptops in blue lighting, representing an IT support partnership
Operations

Choosing the right IT support model for a small business

The cheapest IT support is rarely the cheapest IT support. Here's how to choose a model that actually fits your team.

6 min readRead article
Magnifying glass over a GDPR document beside a laptop in blue lighting, representing UK data protection basics for small organisations
Compliance

GDPR basics for small organisations: the practical version

You don't need a data protection officer or a 40-page policy. You do need a handful of things in the right places.

6 min readRead article