What were the top IT issues in 2023? And how can you solve them in 2024?

In 2023, our client support platform was flooded with various issues ranging from the common issue of forgotten passwords to the urgent challenge of compromised accounts.

We’ve spoken to our support team and they’ve highlighted five different IT issues or queries that have been encountered and how we can provide you with solutions.

While our support team are always happy to help with any IT issues you encounter, this should empower you with the knowledge to navigate these top 5 challenges faced in 2023…

“I’ve forgotten my password”

The rapid digitalisation of businesses and the cyber-advice to not reuse the same password for multiple accounts has led to an avalanche of passwords to remember. Because of this, a common issue we receive from customers is forgetting these combinations of lower-case and upper-case letters, numbers, and symbols.

In 2024, we recommend leveraging password management tools. It’s useful to save passwords to your web browser for convenience, however if the device in which the passwords are saved is no longer useable, or if the web browser itself encounters a problem and becomes ‘corrupt’ or needs a re-install, a lot of these passwords and saved settings will be lost.

A solution for this would be to sign into your browser with your work email and synchronise your settings. This handy feature also allows you to include bookmarks and web history, both of which can be quite useful!

This also enables the most important solution – saved passwords. These saved passwords can be synchronised device to device by logging into your browser with your work email, which empowers you to work from multiple devices in a hot-desking office or in a hybrid-approach to working.

For this reason we recommend using Microsoft Edge as your day to day web browser for all staff, which can synchronise this information into your Microsoft 365 account.

“Is this email I have received spam?”

With phishing attacks and email scams becoming more and more common, identifying spam is paramount. In 2024, the key is to scrutinise emails if you think they may be suspicious.

You can check for legitimacy by verifying with the sender via a different means of contact, for example if your colleague sends you an email which you believe may be suspicious, you could send them a Microsoft Teams message or a quick call to verify their email request.

You should also evaluate the message in the suspicious email, phishing emails will often have a sense of urgency, for example, the message may encourage you that “your password needs to be changed in less than 2 hours otherwise your account will be locked”.

We’ve written a blog post which delves deeper into identifying a suspicious email, which you can read here.

The key is to stay vigilant and educate yourself and your team on identifying phishing tactics to strengthen your defence against spam emails.

If you’re ever in doubt, you can always get in touch with your IT Support company who will be able to verify the emails legitimacy and take any necessary steps. We also recommend enquiring about Cyber Awareness Training.

“I get spam emails from this account a lot, help!”

For those receiving multiple emails from the same spam account, the solution lies in proactive blocking.

In Outlook, you can block unwanted senders by selecting the message or senders you want to block, and then from the top toolbar, navigate to the ‘Block’ option and choose ‘Block sender.’ Once you select ‘OK’, this not only deletes the selected messages, but it also prevents future messages from this sender cluttering your mailbox.

Unblocking is equally straightforward, all you need to do is open you ‘Block senders list’ and select the bin icon next to their name. Alternatively, you can report emails as junk or spam by selecting the messages and using the ‘Report’ option, this will help improve your experience with Outlook. Junk email is retained for 30 days before it is automatically deleted so it’s important to double-check your junk email folder, especially in case you’ve reported an email as junk by mistake, if this is the case, you can easily select the message and click ‘Report’ and then ‘Not Junk’.

“How can I use ChatGPT?”

You can interact with ChatGPT in various ways, from engaging in natural conversations to seeking assistance with specific queries, it’s easier than ever to embrace the power of AI.

We asked ChatGPT what it’s helpful for, here’s the response we got:

“Information Retrieval and Summarisation:

ChatGPT can help retrieve information from a wide range of topics. You can ask questions and get concise summaries on specific subjects, making it a valuable tool for quick information retrieval.

Language Translation:

With its proficiency in multiple languages, ChatGPT can assist in translating text from one language to another. This can be useful for individuals who need quick translations or help in understanding content in different languages.

Learning and Education:

ChatGPT can help learners by providing explanations, answering questions, and offering clarification on various topics. It can be used as a study aid or a virtual tutor to supplement learning in different subjects.

While ChatGPT has these strengths, it’s important to note that it has limitations, such as the potential for generating inaccurate or biased information, and it may not be suitable for tasks that require real-time or critical decision-making. Users should exercise caution and critically evaluate the responses provided by the model.”

“Where can I find shared mailboxes in the new Outlook?”

With the continuous evolution of email platforms, finding shared mailboxes in the changeover to the new Outlook can be a puzzle.

With the new Outlook, users can now access shared mailboxes through a dedicated “share with me” folder in the left navigational bar, under your Outlook folders, providing a more organised approach.

Limiting IT challenges is crucial to the productivity of your team, so as we bid farewell to the IT issues of 2023, we welcome the solutions in 2024!