Storm Dot Com

Storm Dot Com We specialise in providing cost effective IT support solutions to the business sector.

With over 20 years of experience StormDotCom is a single source provider for total network solutions; transforming technology into business solutions.

We have spent this week walking through what end of support really means now that Office 2021 has passed its deadline. H...
16/10/2026

We have spent this week walking through what end of support really means now that Office 2021 has passed its deadline. Here is the straightforward path forward.

Step 1: Inventory first
Find out where Office 2021 actually sits across your machines. Most businesses find the answer is more manageable than expected.

Step 2: Match the licence to the job
Not everyone needs the same solution:
- Daily collaborators who use cloud services benefit from Microsoft 365 Apps.
- Standalone stations that do not need cloud connectivity can use Office LTSC 2024.
- Occasional users may get by with the free Office web apps in a browser, with no desktop licence needed.

Step 3: Phase the upgrades
Start with the people opening external documents daily. They carry the greatest exposure. The rest of the fleet can follow at a steady pace.

Software lifecycles are part of running any modern business. A straightforward plan keeps things secure, compliant, and predictable.

If you want a hand getting started, we are here.

sdcom.co.za | [email protected] | +27 21 556 0696

Twenty years of dependable IT support.“Justin and Wendy are always responsive, and they genuinely understand our busines...
15/10/2026

Twenty years of dependable IT support.

“Justin and Wendy are always responsive, and they genuinely understand our business.” That kind of partnership is why clients stay with StormDotCom for the long term.

If you want reliable support from a team that knows your industry, contact us today.

Here is something that does not come up often in IT conversations: how end-of-support software can affect your business ...
15/10/2026

Here is something that does not come up often in IT conversations: how end-of-support software can affect your business contracts.

Cyber insurance renewal forms and client vendor questionnaires have changed significantly over the last two years. Where they once asked "Do you have an antivirus?" they now ask "Are all your critical applications actively supported and patched by the vendor?"

Three areas where this matters:

1. Cyber Insurance: If an incident traces back to an unpatched application, insurers look at whether reasonable security hygiene was in place.

2. Client Contracts: Enterprise clients often require that service providers operate within standard vendor support baselines.

3. POPIA and Compliance: Maintaining supported software is a baseline expectation under privacy and governance frameworks.

Most businesses are not in breach overnight. But it is worth knowing where your software stands before your next renewal or audit.

We can help you work through it: sdcom.co.za

It is Wednesday morning, 14 October. Office 2021 reached end of support yesterday, and your spreadsheets opened without ...
14/10/2026

It is Wednesday morning, 14 October. Office 2021 reached end of support yesterday, and your spreadsheets opened without a problem today. So what actually changed?

Beyond missing future security patches, there is a second issue worth knowing about: cloud drift.

Most businesses connect their desktop Office to Microsoft 365 email, SharePoint, OneDrive, or cloud accounting software. Microsoft keeps updating those cloud services continuously. Older desktop versions gradually fall out of step.

The result is not usually an immediate failure. It tends to look like this:
- Outlook asking for your password several times a day
- Shared workbook sync errors
- "Cannot connect to the server" messages on Monday mornings

A supported application gets a patch when that happens. A retired application simply does not.

If any of those symptoms sound familiar, it may be worth a conversation.

sdcom.co.za | [email protected]

Today is the official cut-off: 13 October 2026 marks the end of support for Office 2021.No paid extensions are available...
13/10/2026

Today is the official cut-off: 13 October 2026 marks the end of support for Office 2021.

No paid extensions are available this time. Today's patches are the last ones Microsoft will release for this version.

Here is the practical risk: every day your team opens supplier quotes in Excel, customer documents in Word, invoice attachments via Outlook, and shared spreadsheets from outside contractors.

Cyber threats do not try to hack the programme directly. They craft files with hidden flaws that exploit how the application reads complex data. Supported software receives monthly patches to close those gaps. Retired software does not.

You do not need to panic or rush into emergency purchases today. But knowing where unsupported software sits on your network is a worthwhile step.

Not sure where your business stands? We can help you find out.

sdcom.co.za | [email protected]

Tomorrow, Microsoft officially ends support for Office 2021.Yet on Wednesday morning, Word and Excel will open exactly l...
12/10/2026

Tomorrow, Microsoft officially ends support for Office 2021.

Yet on Wednesday morning, Word and Excel will open exactly like they did today. No warning bells, no lockouts, no red banners. That quiet transition is exactly why this deadline gets missed so easily.

Think of it like a tyre that has lost its tread depth: it still turns, the car still drives to work, and on a dry road you will not notice a thing. The moment you hit standing water, the margin for error disappears.

"Still working" means the software can execute instructions. "Supported" means engineers are actively fixing new vulnerabilities.

Quick check you can run right now: Open Word, click File > Account, and look at "Product Information." If it reads "Microsoft Office 2021" or "Office LTSC 2021," that machine reaches its vendor retirement date tomorrow.

Does your business track desktop software versions centrally?

Get in touch if you are unsure where your fleet stands: sdcom.co.za

This week we walked through the two biggest daily productivity bottlenecks in the modern workplace — how your team logs ...
09/10/2026

This week we walked through the two biggest daily productivity bottlenecks in the modern workplace — how your team logs in, and how they work together with AI.

Here is the 4-step plan to fix both inside your business within 30 days.

Step 1 — Activate Entra Passkeys for a pilot group. Management and operations is a good starting point. Once biometrics are live, you can retire the 90-day password change policies that frustrate staff and flood your helpdesk.

Step 2 — Pick one cross-functional workflow and run Copilot Cowork inside it. Monthly reporting, client proposals, or onboarding are all strong candidates. Prove the value to one team before rolling it out broadly.

Step 3 — Tidy your SharePoint permissions and apply sensitivity labels before you scale. This ensures Copilot only pulls files each user is authorised to see.

Step 4 — Measure the results at 30 days. Password reset tickets. Document turnaround time. How employees feel about logging in and collaborating.

These are not futuristic changes. They are available today for businesses running Microsoft 365.

Save this checklist for your next IT review. If you want help implementing it, give us a call.

What does a morning look like when login friction and single-player AI are gone?08:30 AM. An employee opens their laptop...
08/10/2026

What does a morning look like when login friction and single-player AI are gone?

08:30 AM. An employee opens their laptop. One glance at the screen via Windows Hello and their Entra passkey authenticates instantly. Teams, Outlook, SharePoint — all open immediately. No password typing. No waiting for an SMS code.

09:15 AM. Three team members open a Copilot Cowork canvas to work on a client proposal together. One drafts the scope. Another adds the numbers. Copilot pulls relevant documents from SharePoint and writes the executive summary in real time, right in front of the group. No emailing files back and forth.

10:00 AM. One command generates a branded PowerPoint presentation automatically, locked to approved fonts and company colours.

10:30 AM. The deliverable is done, approved, and sent. What previously took three days and a dozen email threads is finished before lunch.

This is what removing friction actually looks like in practice.

Tomorrow: The practical 30-day checklist to get here without overwhelming your team.

What is slowing your team down most right now?

Most businesses are still using AI the same way. One person, one chat window, one prompt at a time.That model creates it...
07/10/2026

Most businesses are still using AI the same way. One person, one chat window, one prompt at a time.

That model creates its own problem. Your team gets disconnected and everyone wastes time copying AI outputs back into shared documents.

Microsoft Copilot Cowork fixes this.

Instead of private chat windows, your team gets a shared workspace. Multiple people can work together on the same proposal or report while Copilot contributes in real time. It pulls data from your SharePoint, formats tables, drafts summaries, and applies your brand templates automatically to every document it creates.

No more file naming chaos. No more version confusion. Everyone sees the same thing at the same time.

Projects that previously needed three rounds of edits and a dozen emails now get done together in a single session.

Tomorrow: What a real Tuesday morning looks like when both Entra passkeys and Copilot Cowork are running in your workplace.

How is your team currently using AI — individually or together?

The corporate password had a good 40-year run. Time to retire it.Password-related issues account for up to 40% of all he...
06/10/2026

The corporate password had a good 40-year run. Time to retire it.

Password-related issues account for up to 40% of all helpdesk calls. That wasted time and frustration is now avoidable.

Microsoft Entra Native Passkeys makes passwordless sign-in a reality for businesses running Microsoft 365.

Employees simply use their fingerprint, face ID, or Windows Hello to log in across Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. One biometric scan opens Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, and every connected app. No more 16-character passwords. No more Monday morning lockout calls.

And if a device is lost, Entra's built-in recovery flow gets users back in securely without calling the helpdesk.

Security goes up. Frustration goes to zero. That is a win for your IT team and a win for every person on your payroll.

Tomorrow: What happens when your entire project team can use AI together in real time, instead of one person at a time.

Has your business started looking at passkeys yet?

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