Hixon Group

25/09/2026

Calling all Business Owners / Office Managers and Employees in Staffordshire & Cheshire!

Our team at Hixon Group (based on Keele Science & Innovation Park) are offering FREE cyber awareness training for you and your teammates.

- Get Annual Certified Training for Your Business
- Unlimited Online Access
- Fully Funded by (No Signup or Restrictions)
- Developed in Collaboration with Keele University and Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce

We see first-hand the damage cybercrime causes to local businesses. It is not just about stolen money or disrupted IT systems. Every attack has a knock-on effect across Staffordshire’s economy. Lost revenue, reputational damage & recovery costs, they all weaken business confidence and resilience.

That is why we created a solution that goes beyond technology. Cyber security is not just about firewalls and antivirus software. People are the first line of defence, and training them properly is one of the most powerful ways to reduce risk.

Our mission is simple: to reduce the overall cost of cybercrime in Staffordshire by giving every employee the knowledge and confidence to act.

The new online platform addresses the two barriers that have held SMEs back from cyber security training: cost and accessibility.

- Free for every employee – no subscriptions or licence fees.
- Accessible on any device – mobile, tablet, or desktop.
- Certificated and practical – giving employees confidence and employers assurance.

This is training designed to fit into busy working lives, without jargon or unnecessary complexity

Free cyber security awareness training for Staffordshire businesses. Protect SMEs, reduce cybercrime impact, and build digital resilience today.

18/09/2026

Keele University Shortlisted for Best Business School Partnership Award for our ongoing collaboration with Hixon Group and Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce. Fingers crossed 🤞

We’re delighted to see that Keele Business School has been shortlisted for another prestigious industry award 🏆👏

KBS has been shortlisted in the Best Business School Partnership Award at the 2027 Global Association of MBAs and Business Graduates Association awards, which will be held early next year.

The School has been shortlisted in recognition of the Staffordshire Cyber Resilience Programme, a collaboration between Keele Business School, the North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce and Hixon Group, created to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) tackle growing cyber-security threats.

The project brought together KBS students, academics and industry partners to enhance cyber security resilience among SMEs across the region.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony on 22nd January 2027 🤞

11/06/2026

Facebook is now uploading your Camera Roll and processing your photos using AI without your consent! Even if you opted out previously.

Go to Settings > Privacy > Camera Roll Sharing Suggestions

- Disable > Get camera roll suggestions when you're browsing Facebook

- Disable > Get creative ideas made for you by allowing camera roll cloud processing

Our MD had configured his personal settings previously to prevent this and until recently they were set to disabled for camera roll suggestions. The recent AI update has added a second option and now both are enabled by default.

This was also verified on a second users account and the settings had reverted back to enabled without consent, despite previously disabling it.

If enabled the small print states: allowing Meta to select media from your camera roll and upload it to the cloud on an ongoing basis. 😳

UK Government

27/05/2026

Most small businesses waste hours every week on tasks that could easily be outsourced. Here’s the thing: IT support is one of the biggest time-drains you don’t even realize is slowing your small business down.

🖥️ Think about it: How much time have you lost trying to fix computer issues, manage software updates, or troubleshoot slow internet? Every minute spent messing with cables and slow wi-fi, or trying to find the right tab in a sea of 100s, is a minute you’re NOT focusing on growing your business.

Here’s what you can (and should ;)) outsource to a managed IT expert:

✅ Cybersecurity & data protection to keep your business and sensitive client data safe from hackers

✅ Cloud solutions & backups so you never lose important files and can work as a team on shared files globally!

✅ Email & software troubleshooting to stop annoying tech disruptions

✅ Proactive IT maintenance to prevent problems before they happen (and IF they do happen, you know we will be right there to sort it out!)

When it comes to pro-active IT support for small businesses, Hixon Group is truly at the top of the game! (We haven't pulled these numbers out of a magician's hat, it is what our trusted clients tell us EVERY SINGLE DAY!)

Take this as a sign to stop wasting your valuable time on IT problems (seriously, it is slowing down your potential). Let’s talk about how we can take IT off your plate so you can focus on what truly matters to YOU and what you are best at: growing your dream business.

28/04/2026

If you're using Microsoft 365 and haven't tried Designer yet, it's worth five minutes of your time.

We've just published a getting started guide on the Hixon Group help centre. It walks you through the four ways to create a design, plus some practical tips on how to get better results from AI image generation (which is more about how you phrase your prompt than anything else).

Useful for anyone creating social content, presentations, or branded materials without a dedicated designer.

👉 https://support.hixongroup.com/article/microsoft-designer-getting-started/

Learn how to use Microsoft Designer to create and edit AI-powered visuals, social media posts, flyers, banners & much more.

23/04/2026

We are going to keep it short and sweet: if you've been around, you know the drill!

And if not, here’s what your small business can (and ideally should ;)) outsource to a managed IT expert:

✅ Cybersecurity & data protection to keep your business and sensitive client data safe from hackers
✅ Cloud solutions & backups so you never lose important files and can work as a team on shared files globally!
✅ Email & software troubleshooting to stop annoying tech disruptions
✅ Proactive IT maintenance to prevent problems before they happen (and IF they do happen, you know we will be right there to sort it out!)

Let’s build an IT strategy that supports your business growth!

21/04/2026

Most businesses are already using AI.

They just don’t realise it… or they’re not using it properly.

If you’re using Microsoft 365, Copilot has the potential to save hours every week across emails, documents, meetings, and more.

The problem? Most people don’t know where to start.

We’ve put together a straightforward guide to help you get up and running quickly, without the jargon.

👉 Read it here: https://support.hixongroup.com/article/microsoft-copilot-getting-started-guide/

If you’re not using tools like this yet, you’re already behind.

You don’t need to be “technical” to use Copilot AI. You just need to start. Here’s how to actually use it in your day-to-day work...