Harrison I.T. Services

30/04/2026

06/01/2026

people and hashtag , what have we learned from Microsoft's rebranding of MS Office / Office 365 ? And why haven't you commented yet?

The new name is: Microsoft 365 Copilot app. Clearly, they're heavily pushing the whole AI thing.

Speaking of which, the cost of desktop RAM has gone through the roof. I know this is not the most exciting of subjects, and if you're not in the IT game, it's probably not something you're going to follow.

I've been trying to source some additional desktop RAM for a client, refurbished ( second hand ) DDR4 ( that's the older stuff ), 16GB is around the £ 100.00 mark!

This time last year, from memory ( see what I did there ?), around £ 30 ish to £40.

Don't even look at DDR5 ( the current standard ), unless you're on strong medication or have very deep pockets.

I've seen prices fluctuate over the years, but nothing like this.

None of it is helped by the fact Crucial have pulled out of the PC market and is only focusing on supplying AI data centres, and that OpenAI has booked nearly 40% of the total global capacity of RAM production.

The knock-on effect is that a lot of consumer electronics, in particular desktop PC's, are going to increase in cost. Yes, you can run Windows 11 on 8GB of RAM, but in the real world, 16GB is your working minimum.

The only slightly good news is; laptop RAM hasn't been affected as badly.

Well, here's to another year of 'interesting times' in the exciting world of IT.

21/11/2025

I was working on a last week, basically, correcting what should have been right from the beginning. I often come across incorrect installation. The first two images are what I found; the last one is what I installed.

It may not seem the most riveting of subjects, but a correctly installed network is the backbone of any IT setup, be it in the home or office, and your hashtag is literally the foundation.

Untwisting the wires, as in the first two pictures, can cause problems sending data from your device back to your router ( if you suffer from insomnia, give me a ring and I'll go through it in detail; you'll be out like a light in 5 minutes ).

I've often seen this kind of bad installation over the years, and it's usually carried out by people who generally don't do network installations on a daily basis.

As bad as these are, there are a lot worse examples out there. In my experience, it's often in new build homes. Builders sometimes sell ' home networks ' ( dear reader, they're not really ), some of the quality of the installs is shocking., The data ports don't often work and have clearly never been tested.

It's not just home networks either; I've also come across bad installation in office networks, too.

It's what I like to refer to as a ' Sparky Special'. Not saying that all electricians are bad at running and installing Ethernet networks, but I could count on one hand the good ones I've met.

And yes, I'm rubbish at electrics, I won't touch them or even comment, simply because I don't know enough.

Just to cap it off, the original installer had run some of the indoor cable outside to another part of the house. Technically, you can do this, but it's never recommended. Over time, weather and sunlight begin to break down the quality of the cable and can cause problems ( yes, I did find problems; the cable would only run 100 Mbps max ). That cable was replaced with quality outdoor ethernet, and it's working perfectly.

If you're network is struggling or you're looking for a new office or home network, get in touch.

https://harrison-it.com/data-cable-installation/

31/10/2025

Happy everyone

11/08/2025

Once again, we were out and about the other week, quoting for a solution, and had the absolute privilege of seeing a house that has to be the oldest I've ever seen by quite some margin.

Until this property, the oldest I'd ever worked in was from 1780; the core of this house dates back to the 13th century.

Originally built as a peel house and added to over the centuries, some of the ground-floor walls are over 5 feet thick.

Up in the wilds of , ( along the old Military Road ) it was a real privilege to just walk around, as the old saying goes, " if walls could talk..."

The most impressive part had to be a huge stone fireplace that had been built using parts that had been 'liberated' from a local Roman Temple.

Just to clarify, it wasn't the current owner; they'd been there for a while. I'm willing to bet there will be bits of in this house somewhere.

It's going to be interesting to see how hashtag behaves.

We're going to need a bigger drill bit !

If you have a medieval property that needs a spot of -fi, give us a call, I like a challenge.

https://harrison-it.com/home-networks/

12/06/2025

Did you know we offer and ?

We can source business-grade systems ideal for MS Office or web-based work, such as Xero Accounting Software.

With 10 going end of life in October, now is the right time to upgrade your systems.

Get in touch if you want to increase your productivity and save money.

https://harrison-it.com/

28/02/2025

A job yesterday and there was this fella in the back garden.

https://harrison-it.com/home-networks/

18/02/2025

It’s this time of your year that you might be starting to think about installing a home garden office/gazebo.

Depending on what you purchase, they can be quite the investment, there’s lots to think about; does it require planning permission, how do I install utilities, and things like that?

We’ve installed lots of home networks and quite a few of these garden offices over the years, internet connectivity is always just about at the bottom of the list.

Believe us, you will want a strong internet connection for your new investment. They make an ideal work location, especially during the summer months, and then become a mini bar with a TV for relaxation in the evenings.

The vast majority I have ever seen is a 50/50 split between office and bar. It will also make a good secure enclosure if you have teenagers who want to invite their friends over and game. Gaming does not like Wi-Fi.

Think Jurassic Park, but don’t forget to hide the drinks.

We’d always recommend running ethernet directly from your house into the new office. We’ve seen people try Wi-Fi boosters or power line adapters, if they do work, they often struggle especially if you’re trying to stream the match or watch the latest film.

You can see the images from a project we completed in the Tyne Valley last year as a good example.

During the initial build stage, and before the insulation was fitted, we ran two ethernet ( added redundancy ) cables from the house directly into the office. Once the rest of the build and plastering were completed, we returned to fully wire up the ethernet ports and installed a hardwired Wi-Fi access point.

This solution gave the client the best of both worlds, he can hard-wire his computer directly into his router, making the most of his internet speeds but also have Wi-Fi for flexibility. The added bonus is that Wi-Fi in the office will pe*****te the wooden walls easily, meaning you have good Wi-Fi coverage in the garden.

If you are thinking of building a new office this year, get in touch today and we can make sure your home office internet runs smoothly.

https://harrison-it.com/home-networks/

14/12/2024

As we all know are always looking for new tactics but this is a new one for us.

We've just been talking to a friend who's a Practice Manager at a large health center.

They had a member of the public inform them of an attempted scam call.

The scammer claimed to be from the Doctors surgery, they were ( supposedly ) updating their computer system and wanted to update their patient records.

Here's the worst part;

if the person ( the member of the public ) didn't provide their details they would be struck off / removed surgery's system.

There was no indication of any data breach, it looks more like random calls.

This kind of thing could be very worrying for an or someone with additional or complex medical needs.

It's very easy to see how someone could give out personal information.

Just keep an eye out and maybe remind any relatives not to give out any personal info to anyone who calls them.

If you're not sure, hang up ! Don't give them anything !

( We quite enjoy it when we get the ones claiming to be from Microsoft or internet providers, we know how to mess with them. Don't try this at home! We're professionals )

If you think it's your doctor's, bank, water, electric, or anything like that call back from a different phone ( legitimate numbers are listed on their websites ) and try to have a trusted relative or friend with you.

Explain that you've had someone try to scam you and they should put you through to the relevant department.

The big organisations are much better these days for scams and fraud and have dedicated teams. They would much rather you call with any questions before you become a victim of fraud rather than try and sort out a mess after the event.

We'd be interested to hear if anyone else has come across this or any kind of similar scam.

31/10/2024

Happy to all of you.