Virgo Associates

Guidance for small businesses using online services

Talk to an expert

The National Cyber Security Centre have issued some new guidance on “Using online services safely.”


To avoid having to set up and manage their own IT infrastructure, many small businesses use online or cloud services. For instance, these might include email, online storage, online accounting and managing of invoicing, website hosting, and social media.


The guidance is designed to help small businesses reduce the likelihood of cyber attacks when using these services.


The guidance provides help on:

  • Choosing a good service,
  •  Backing up critical data,
  • Protecting the domain name you use for your website and email addresses,
  • Creating separate user accounts and securing them,
  • Protecting your admin accounts,
  • Defending against malware,
  • Using the security features that are built into the service, and
  • Recovering a hacked account or service.
    If you are a small business without the resources to employ a dedicated IT specialist, this advice can help you to consider and cover off the risks you face when using online services.
    For the guidance, see:
October 23, 2025
New Cyber Toolkit Helps Small Businesses Strengthen Their Defences

Small businesses across the UK are being urged to take simple, practical steps to protect themselves from growing online threats - and a new free toolkit from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) aims to make that much easier.

Read article
October 22, 2025
CMA Publishes Review and Proposals for the Vet Industry

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published proposals to overhaul how the veterinary market works. While this review focuses on vet businesses, its findings provide some useful insights for businesses of all types - particularly around transparency, communication, and customer confidence.

Read article