SmarterIT

Many security risks begin with someone trying to save a bit of time.

A login gets shared because it's quicker.
A software update is delayed because the team is busy.
An old account stays active because nobody gets around to removing it.

None of them feels like a security risk until the problem becomes obvious…

A few years ago, if someone told you they'd received a phone call from their boss asking for an urgent payment, you'd probably have asked one question: "Did you recognize their voice?" 🗣️

That question is becoming less useful.

Research suggests there's growing demand among cybercriminals for "deepfakes-as-a-service".

That means criminals can now pay for convincing fake voices and videos without needing the technical skills to create them themselves.

Like many legitimate technologies, AI is making powerful tools more accessible.

Unfortunately, that works both ways 😢

One area to be concerned about is what's known as a "fake boss" scam.

Traditionally, these attacks arrived as emails pretending to come from a senior manager asking someone to transfer money or share sensitive information.

Now imagine an employee receiving a video call or a voice message that appears to come from you, asking them to deal with something urgently.

That's where things become difficult.

The technology is improving quickly enough that simply recognizing someone's face or voice may no longer be enough to confirm they're genuine.

Does that mean every unexpected call should be treated as suspicious?

Of course not.

But it does mean businesses need to think less about recognizing people and more about verifying requests.

If someone asks for a payment to be changed, sensitive information to be shared, or money to be transferred, there should always be a process for checking that request independently, even if it appears to come from somebody senior.

That might feel unnecessary on an ordinary day.

But it's the kind of habit that prevents fraud when something unusual happens 🔒

These attacks are still relatively targeted rather than widespread. And good processes are remarkably effective against them.

Taking a moment to verify an unexpected request is still one of the simplest and most powerful security habits any business can have.

👉 If your employee received what looked and sounded like a genuine voice message from you asking them to make an urgent payment, would they have a way to verify it before acting?

I don't think the biggest problem with meetings is the meetings themselves.

It's everything that happens afterwards 😳

Trying to remember who agreed to what…

Searching for a recording from three weeks ago…

Digging through transcripts because you're sure someone mentioned an important deadline... you just can't remember where.

That's why I think Microsoft's latest update to Teams is a sensible one.

Instead of hiding recordings inside individual meeting invites or cloud folders, Teams is getting a dedicated Recap app that brings them all together in one place 🥳

I think it will save people a lot of time.

If you've ever spent longer looking for a meeting recording than watching it, you'll know exactly what I mean.

For businesses with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, there's another interesting addition too.

The app can generate AI-powered summaries and even create podcast-style recaps from multiple meetings.

Imagine coming back from holiday and getting a summary of the meetings you missed instead of working your way through hours of recordings 🏖️

That's a much more practical use of AI than simply asking it to write an email.

What I like about updates like this is that they solve a problem most people already have.

Nobody enjoys searching through folders trying to remember whether a conversation happened on Monday's call or the one before it.

Making information easier to find is every bit as valuable as creating new information in the first place.

💭 What's the task that wastes the most time after your meetings finish: Finding notes, remembering decisions, or following up on actions?

Most of us are used to inviting people into Teams meetings 🤗

What's becoming more common now is inviting software.

Transcription tools, note-taking assistants, AI meeting helpers... they're all designed to make meetings more productive, and in many cases they do a great job 👍

The problem is that they don't always leave when you expect them to.

Microsoft has announced a new feature that gives organizations more control over which bots can join Teams meetings.

It comes after concerns that some have continued appearing automatically, even in meetings where they weren't wanted 😬

Every time we connect a new app or AI tool to a business system, we're creating another participant in our digital workplace.

Sometimes that participant can read messages, join meetings, record conversations or access documents, depending on the permissions it's been given.

Most of the time that's exactly what we intended.

But occasionally, it isn't 😳

Microsoft's new approach is straightforward. Instead of allowing these bots to join automatically, they'll wait in the meeting lobby, just like a guest would.

Someone in the meeting then decides whether they're allowed in.

It puts you back in control 💪

I suspect this will become more common over the next few years.

Businesses are adopting AI tools at an incredible pace, but there's also growing awareness that convenience shouldn't come at the expense of privacy or security.

Not every meeting contains sensitive information, but some absolutely do.

And things like board discussions, financial reviews and HR conversations deserve a little more thought before another piece of software is allowed to listen in.

Stay aware of which tools have access to your information and make deliberate decisions about when those tools should be involved.

It's a healthy habit, whether you're talking about meeting assistants, browser extensions or any other software connected to your business.

The more technology we introduce into our working day, the more important it becomes to know exactly who... or what... is in the room.

👉 How many AI tools or meeting assistants do you think currently have permission to join meetings in your business? Would you know where to check?

AI can do some impressive things.

But there’s something the successful rollouts have in common.

Information is organized, systems are well managed and people know where to find what they need.

In other words, the foundations were built before AI was expected to transform the business.

Our latest guide explains how to prepare your business for tools like Microsoft Copilot, so you can get real value from AI instead of wondering why it isn't living up to the hype.

Download your free copy now.

One of the biggest frustrations people have with AI is a simple one…

"How do I know it's right?"

It's a fair question.

AI can produce brilliant answers in seconds, but if those answers are based on incomplete or inaccurate information, you still must spend time checking them 😒

Microsoft seems to be tackling that problem with an update coming to Excel.

It’s improving how Copilot searches the web by changing what happens behind the scenes.

Instead of carrying out a single search and presenting the result, Copilot will use multiple AI agents to research the same question from different angles.

Those agents compare what they've found, look for gaps, and check information against multiple sources before producing an answer 🔎

You won't notice any of that happening.

But you will get a more complete response with better supporting information.

The aim is to make AI more trustworthy.

If businesses are going to rely on AI to help with research, planning and decision-making, they need confidence that the information they're receiving has been checked as thoroughly as possible.

I still wouldn't recommend accepting any AI-generated answer without applying a bit of common sense, especially if the decision is important.

But reducing the amount of time people spend double-checking responses makes AI much more useful in the real world 🌎

This could be particularly helpful when researching markets, comparing information, gathering background on suppliers, or pulling together data from several different sources.

Instead of opening half a dozen browser tabs, the research starts happening inside the workbook you're already using.

It’s a more natural way to work.

👉 When you use AI for research, do you trust the first answer it gives you?