Best practice
Best-practice guides for remote IT, security, hybrid working, strategy and AI
42 product-neutral guides, each citing its sources. Filter by category or search across every heading, checklist step and question the guides answer. The guides describe the category itself rather than any single vendor, and 247connect appears only where a worked example helps.
Showing 42 of 42 guides.
Remote access and management
8 min read
Benefits of remote desktop
A vendor-neutral guide to what remote desktop access is good for: faster troubleshooting, centralised patching, fewer site visits, business continuity and keeping sensitive data off local devices.
- What remote desktop access actually is
- Where the benefit comes from
- Where it does not help
3 independent sources cited
Remote access and management
9 min read
Remote monitoring & management
A vendor-neutral guide to remote monitoring and management: what RMM does, how proactive detection reduces downtime, how automation lets a small team cover a large estate, and how to avoid alert fatigue.
- What RMM covers
- The proactive argument
- Alert fatigue and how to avoid it
2 independent sources cited
Remote access and management
9 min read
Remote infrastructure management
A vendor-neutral guide to remote infrastructure management: 24/7 oversight, scalability across distributed locations, faster response, access to specialist expertise, and freeing internal teams for higher-value work.
- What the model changes
- The strategic benefits
- The risks that come with it
2 independent sources cited
Hybrid and flexible working
9 min read
Supporting remote workers
An evidence-based, vendor-neutral guide to IT support for remote and hybrid workforces — what peer-reviewed research finds about productivity, inclusivity and access, and the support practices that follow from it.
- What the evidence supports
- The costs the research also reports
- What good remote support looks like in pract...
3 independent sources cited
Security
10 min read
Securing remote access
A vendor-neutral guide to securing remote access software, drawing on NIST and CISA guidance: why remote access is a legitimate operational capability, how it is abused, and the controls that keep it safe.
- Why the guidance is balanced rather than pro...
- How remote access gets abused
- The control set that matters
3 independent sources cited
Remote access and management
10 min read
Remote access architectures
A vendor-neutral comparison of remote access architectures — traditional VPN, zero-trust network access, VDI and published desktops, and brokered remote control — with the assumptions and trade-offs of each.
- Traditional VPN access
- Zero-trust network access
- VDI and published desktops
4 independent sources cited
IT strategy and investment
9 min read
Planning a digital rollout
How to plan and deliver a digital rollout that sticks: build a flexible digital strategy, audit what you already own, train staff before scaling, put remote technical support in place from day one, and involve stakeholders early.
- Why the strategy comes before the purchase
- Audit what you already have
- Prioritise training before you scale
3 independent sources cited
Remote access and management
8 min read
Supporting off-premise devices
Company technology now lives outside the office: home workers, point-of-sale terminals, kiosks, waiting-room screens, ATMs and production machines. A guide to supporting it with anytime access, a zero-trust security posture and structured user training.
- The estate moved, and it did not move back
- Why downtime is the number that matters
- Extra spend, or vital investment
4 independent sources cited
Security
9 min read
Mobile workforce cybersecurity
Workplace technology is no longer confined to office buildings. A vendor-neutral guide to securing a mobile workforce: lost and stolen devices, secure remote support, role-based access, breach readiness, layered defence, the AI effect and training as a frontline control.
- Why the perimeter argument is over
- Four focus areas for mobile estates
- Layered security for greater protection
6 independent sources cited
Hybrid and flexible working
8 min read
Hyper-flex working
A vendor-neutral guide to supporting hyper-flex working: any person, any place, any time, across multiple devices. Covers file structure and storage, versioning and updates, sign-on, bandwidth at peak, remote device management and support availability.
- What hyper-flex actually means
- Why this is an engagement issue, not just an...
- File structure and storage
5 independent sources cited
IT strategy and investment
8 min read
SMB technology evolution
How small and medium businesses can turn imposed technology change, such as an operating system end-of-life, into a structured strategy for security and efficiency.
- Why imposed change feels costly
- Reframing the change as a strategic review
- The cybersecurity fundamentals to get right
4 independent sources cited
IT strategy and investment
8 min read
TCO and ROI for IT
A vendor-neutral guide to calculating total cost of ownership and return on investment for IT purchases, so decisions are grounded in figures rather than assumptions.
- Why financial acumen matters for IT purchases
- What total cost of ownership actually captures
- How return on investment differs from TCO
4 independent sources cited
IT strategy and investment
8 min read
Reviewing IT support contracts
A practical, vendor-neutral guide to reviewing IT support contracts before auto-renewal locks you in, with a structured process and the questions to ask your provider.
- The hidden cost of contract inertia
- Treat contracts as strategic tools, not pape...
- Building a structured review process
4 independent sources cited
IT strategy and investment
9 min read
Refreshing your IT strategy
A vendor-neutral guide to reviewing IT strategy after periods of rapid change: infrastructure, zero trust, user-centred rollout, support and automation.
- Why a periodic refresh matters
- Get the digital strategy right
- Treat security as an organisation-wide disci...
4 independent sources cited
IT strategy and investment
9 min read
Making technology choices
A vendor-neutral guide to evaluating new business technology properly: structured trials, stakeholder feedback, case studies, reviews and evidence.
- Why more choice makes decisions harder, not...
- The cost of skipping proper evaluation
- Run the trial as a proper project
3 independent sources cited
IT strategy and investment
9 min read
Flexible technology strategy
A vendor-neutral guide to planning an organisation's technology landscape for hybrid working: auditing assets, building security in from the start, and involving staff at every level.
- A second shift in working practices
- Auditing technology before adding to it
- Building security in from the outset
4 independent sources cited
Hybrid and flexible working
8 min read
Managing hybrid workplace technology
A vendor-neutral guide to the day-to-day discipline of running hybrid workplace technology: cybersecurity vigilance, tracking constant change, and delivering a frictionless user experience.
- Why day-to-day technology management now car...
- Focus one: cybersecurity discipline
- Focus two: keeping pace with constant techno...
4 independent sources cited
Hybrid and flexible working
9 min read
Hybrid workplace communication
A vendor-neutral guide to unifying communication across hybrid teams: tools, training, AI adoption and secure remote device support that keeps everyone equally included.
- Why communication is the centre of hybrid pr...
- Building communications and engagement parity
- Training people, not just deploying tools
4 independent sources cited
Hybrid and flexible working
8 min read
People-centred digital strategy
A vendor-neutral guide to building hybrid working policies and infrastructure around employee needs: cybersecurity training, remote IT support and asset management.
- Hybrid working is now the expectation, not t...
- Cybersecurity training and policy for a disp...
- Effective remote IT support and access
4 independent sources cited
Hybrid and flexible working
8 min read
Cost of missed messages
A practical, evidence-led guide to why internal messages get missed in remote and hybrid teams, the operational cost, and how to fix message delivery.
- Why messages get lost in the first place
- Where the cost actually lands
- The safety and productivity dimension
4 independent sources cited
Security
8 min read
Attack surface management costs
A vendor-neutral guide to sizing attack surface management spend against risk, covering asset visibility, incident readiness, remote access and staff awareness.
- Why attack surface size matters
- Three factors that should drive spend
- Practical steps that reduce disruption
5 independent sources cited
IT strategy and investment
8 min read
IT professional development
A practical, vendor-neutral guide to planning IT professional development: setting goals, building communication, leadership and project skills, and choosing how to learn.
- Why professional development matters in IT
- Taking control of your own learning
- Setting a direction with SMART goals
4 independent sources cited
AI in business
8 min read
Is AI right for your business
A vendor-neutral guide for small and medium businesses weighing up AI adoption: cost, customer relationships, skills gaps, ethics and avoiding hype-driven decisions.
- Availability is not the same as necessity
- Cost, complexity and timing
- Protecting what makes a small business disti...
4 independent sources cited
AI in business
9 min read
Getting better AI outputs
A vendor-neutral guide to how large language models actually work, and why understanding tokens, context windows and hallucination helps you get better results.
- What a large language model is actually doing
- Tokens and the context window
- Training data, knowledge gaps and retrieval
4 independent sources cited
AI in business
9 min read
Taking AI products to market
A vendor-neutral guide to what separates successful AI products from the majority that fail: real problem validation, trust, usability and honest delivery.
- Why most AI products fail
- Start from a validated problem, not a gut fe...
- Building credibility without a track record
4 independent sources cited
Playbooks and templates
9 min read
Remote access policy template
A practical remote access policy template covering scope, access classes, identity, MFA, session logging, third-party access and review cadence.
- Scope: what the policy actually governs
- Access classes: not all remote access is the...
- Identity and multi-factor authentication
4 independent sources cited
Playbooks and templates
8 min read
Device onboarding checklist
A practical device onboarding checklist covering build, enrolment, security baseline and access provisioning for new starters.
- Why onboarding needs a checklist, not a memory
- Before day one: build and provisioning
- Day one: handover and first login
3 independent sources cited
Playbooks and templates
8 min read
Device offboarding checklist
A practical device offboarding checklist covering leaver device recovery, access revocation, data retention and asset register closure.
- Why offboarding is the higher-risk half of t...
- Access revocation on the last working day
- Recovering the hardware
3 independent sources cited
Playbooks and templates
9 min read
Patch management policy
A patch management policy example covering risk tiers, test rings, patching cadence, emergency patches and the exception register.
- Why patching needs a policy, not just a tool
- Risk tiers: not every system patches on the...
- Test rings and staged roll-out
3 independent sources cited
Playbooks and templates
9 min read
IT incident response runbook
An IT incident response runbook covering severity matrix, roles, communications, containment steps and post-incident review.
- The severity matrix
- Roles: who does what
- Containment and initial response
3 independent sources cited
Playbooks and templates
8 min read
IT asset register template
An IT asset register template covering the fields it needs and the process that keeps it accurate over time.
- What an asset register is actually for
- The fields an IT asset register needs
- Making the register accurate, not just compl...
3 independent sources cited
Playbooks and templates
8 min read
Remote support acceptable use policy
A remote support acceptable use policy covering consent, what operators may do in a session, recording, monitoring boundaries and breach handling.
- Consent: what a user is actually agreeing to
- What operators may and may not do
- Recording, monitoring and disclosure
4 independent sources cited
Playbooks and templates
9 min read
MSP client onboarding checklist
A practical MSP client onboarding checklist covering discovery, documentation, agent rollout, escalation paths, the first 30 days and handover to steady state.
- Discovery and audit
- Documentation
- Agent and monitoring rollout
3 independent sources cited
Playbooks and templates
9 min read
IT service desk SLA template
An IT service desk SLA template covering the priority matrix, response versus resolution targets, business hours, exclusions and reporting.
- The priority matrix: impact and urgency
- Response versus resolution targets
- Business hours and out-of-hours coverage
3 independent sources cited
Compliance and procurement
8 min read
Cyber Essentials & remote access
How the five Cyber Essentials controls apply to remote access and remote support tooling, and what to check before certifying.
- What Cyber Essentials actually covers
- Firewalls and secure configuration
- Security update management
3 independent sources cited
Compliance and procurement
9 min read
NHS DSPT & remote access
What the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit expects of remote access to clinical systems and third-party supplier support.
- What the DSPT asks organisations to show
- Access control for remote users
- Third-party and supplier remote access
3 independent sources cited
Compliance and procurement
9 min read
ISO 27001 & remote support
Which ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A controls remote support touches, and what evidence an auditor typically asks for.
- How ISO 27001 is structured
- Access control (A.5.15 to A.5.18, A.8.2 to A...
- Cryptography and network security (A.8.24, A...
3 independent sources cited
Compliance and procurement
8 min read
UK GDPR & session recording
How UK GDPR principles apply to remote session recording and access logs: lawful basis, transparency and how long to keep them.
- When a session recording becomes personal data
- Choosing a lawful basis
- Being transparent about recording
3 independent sources cited
Compliance and procurement
8 min read
Schools digital standards & remote access
How DfE digital and technology standards and safeguarding expectations apply to remote access and remote IT support in schools and academy trusts.
- The DfE's digital and technology standards
- Safeguarding and filtering and monitoring
- Access control for remote IT support
3 independent sources cited
Compliance and procurement
8 min read
Vendor security questions
The security questions worth asking any remote access vendor before buying, and why each one matters to your organisation.
- Encryption and how sessions are protected
- Authentication and account management
- Logging, audit and retention
3 independent sources cited
Compliance and procurement
8 min read
Remote access audit evidence
How to build an audit evidence pack for remote access, covering logs, approvals, access reviews and retention records.
- Why evidence packs matter more than policies...
- The policy and approval layer
- The activity layer: session logs
3 independent sources cited
Compliance and procurement
8 min read
Data residency & remote support
What data residency and international transfer rules mean for remote support, and where session traffic and metadata actually go.
- Why remote support traffic is not always local
- UK GDPR and international transfers
- Sector and contract requirements beyond data...
3 independent sources cited