We conducted an exercise asking AI (artificial intelligence) important questions about Isle of Man education, taxation, and government policy. Using GPT-3 models, trained on millions of public data sources – the answers are insightful, informative and often hilarious.
The Times has published a Smart Cities 2022 report that explores how technology can improve urban areas, making them cleaner, more efficient and our societies happier and more equitable. The report looks at policies and technology that can be used to create future cities.
The Digital Cities Index 2022 whitepaper sets out the key factors that have helped cities worldwide adopt digital technologies. The report provides an insight into the many benefits digital technologies offer and highlights best practice examples from the top-performing smart cities.
The report emphasises there is a sizeable bank of experience based on digital technology deployments throughout the world, which can be used when cities choose to form their own policies/strategies. In this blog post, I’ll summarise the key takeaways of the DCI report.
Once malware or a malicious exploit has bypassed your defences and run on your system, it may establish a foothold that ensures it will continue to run, even after reboots or the user logs off. This type of threat is known as a persistent foothold. EDR/MDR software can identify and neutralise these types of persistent threats. Read more
We receive a lot of enquiries from small business (SMB) and SME customers looking at ways they can enhance the security of their IT and network environment. We thought we’d share a Small Business Security Blueprint which provides advice, examples and suggested products that can enhance the security of any small business. Read more
The ability to remote monitor river and stream levels is possible with IoT technology. IoT allows you to monitor river or creek levels in multiple locations remotely, and the data can be transmitted back wirelessly in real-time. This blog post looks at the components and sensors required to monitor river or creek levels.
As of 1st March 2022, Microsoft will be making changes to its Microsoft 365 product subscriptions. The changes relate to pricing and the minimum term.
The changes announced by Microsoft apply to Microsoft 365 services provided by MTG and direct from Microsoft.
Microsoft announced a price increase of approximately 15-20% across a range of products. The products and the proposed price changes are set out below.
| License | Current Price | New Price | Increase |
| Office 365 E1 | £6.00 | £7.28 | 21% |
| Office 365 E3 | £17.60 | £20.25 | 15% |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | £3.80 | £4.56 | 20% |
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium | £15.10 | £16.60 | 10% |
Microsoft has changed the way in which services are provided and the following will now apply:
If you have any questions – please e-mail sales@mtg.im and we will gladly assist
The price increase is the first major price change in the UK since Office 365 was launched in 2011.
Microsoft has emphasised the price changes are due to the increased value, security, and the investment they have made in the Microsoft 365 platform, particularly with the introduction of new services such as Microsoft Teams etc.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2021/08/19/new-pricing-for-microsoft-365/
When you read a small business firewall datasheet or brochure, you may be confused by the terminology or lost in the wealth of performance metrics quoted. This problem is often made worse when different vendors use subtly different terms or use a different basis to assess performance! Read more
The Isle of Man is home to five datacentres, each with resilient cooling, power, and security systems. Typical services include colocation, cloud, IP transit and managed hosting. The Island benefits from several fibre links connecting the Isle of Man to the UK and Ireland for onward connectivity. Read more
It is widely recognised that poor air quality and high levels of particulates can significantly impact an individual’s health. The WHO estimates that 7 million people die each year from exposure to fine particles in polluted air. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has confirmed the association between short-term exposure to particulates and increased cardiovascular and respiratory mortality. The significant health risk posed by pollution is a crucial driver behind IoT air quality monitoring, electric vehicles and renewables.