Your monthly newsletter, written for humans not geeks
JANUARY 2026
TECHNOLOGY
INSIDER
Microsoft doesn’t always get it right?
Upgrading your tech could reduce the impact of sick leave Most business owners have felt the ripple effect of sick leave.
Stress rises instantly. Modern tools reduce that strain by simply working when they are needed.
One key person out for a few days can slow decisions, delay responses, and put extra pressure on everyone Better technology also supports flexibility. else. A longer absence can stall projects altogether. Cloud-based systems allow staff to work effectively from the office, from home, or What often gets overlooked is how much your while covering for a colleague. technology setup can soften that impact. AI tools can handle repetitive tasks and When people hear “tech upgrades,” they often picture surface information faster, reducing mental new laptops or shiny software. In reality, the biggest overload. gains usually come from removing everyday friction. When people feel more in control of their Slow logins. Systems that freeze. Tools that do not workday, they tend to be calmer and more work well together. Manual processes that should be productive. simple. Each one seems small, but over a year, they quietly drain hours of productive time. Training matters too. Employees want clear guidance as new tools are introduced. When Research shows that improving workplace people understand the systems they use, connectivity, meaning faster and more reliable their confidence goes up and their mistakes internet and internal systems, can help employees go down. reclaim the equivalent of several working days per year. You cannot prevent illness, but you can build a workplace where lost time hurts In a small or mid-sized business, that reclaimed time less. matters. Investing in reliable systems, sensible The reason is straightforward. When systems are automation, and proper training is not stable and predictable, people spend less time about gadgets. It is about protecting waiting and less energy fighting technology. productivity, reducing stress, and keeping your business moving when life happens. That frustration has a real cost. A large share of sick leave globally is linked to stress, and many employees say unreliable or outdated tech adds to that pressure. If you need help making an Think about trying to finish something important while a system crashes or a file will not open.
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DID YOU KNOW...
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Microsoft’s worst-selling product ever was a special version of its OS/2 operating system made for a hardware upgrade card hardly anyone owned. OS/2 for Mach 20 reportedly sold just 11 copies. And most of them were returned. In the late 1980s, Microsoft tried to extend the life of aging PCs with “Mach” expansion cards that added faster processors. But businesses were already moving toward buying new machines instead of retrofitting old ones. Releasing an operating system that only worked on this niche hardware sealed its fate.
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The world of .com began on January 1st 1985. That’s when the Domain Name System (DNS), the technology that lets us type friendly website names instead of long strings of numbers, was first created. The very first domain set up was nordu.net, used to host one of the earliest root servers. But the first domain ever registered was symbolics.com, added a couple of months later, on March 15th.
TechFacts
1
2 A couple in Essex, UK recently
took part in an unusual energy trial. Instead of using a normal gas boiler, they heated their home with a mini data center in their garden shed. The small server hub gives off enough heat while running to warm the house, turning computing power into cozy winter energy. A very geeky and surprisingly efficient way to stay warm.
2014, security researchers 3 In uncovered a botnet that had
hacked all kinds of smart devices, including a refrigerator, and used them to send over 750,000 spam emails. Yes, even kitchen appliances can become hackers’ tools if they’re connected to the internet without proper security. Proof that smart home doesn’t always mean safe home.
M L SCA L O R Y PA
Techn logy update Warn your team about payroll scams Beware: There’s a major new scam campaign nicknamed “Payroll Pirates”. It’s been using fake ads on Google and Bing to trick employees into entering their login details on spoofed payroll and HR portals. Researchers say the operation has targeted more than 200 platforms and lured in around half a million people. The scammers even intercept multi-factor authentication codes in real time using Telegram bots.
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“True leadership stems from individuality that is honestly and sometimes imperfectly expressed… Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection.” Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook.
NEW TO
MICROSOFT AI
Microsoft is expanding Copilot in Windows 11 Soon you’ll see an “Ask Microsoft 365 Copilot” option in the Home tab. It will let you send a file directly to Copilot for a quick summary or insight without leaving Explorer.
ans a new e m r a e y w e n A fun tech quiz ?
in a computer system e ar w rd ha by nt ea m 1. What is mputing context? co a in to r fe re on ti 2. What does applica eracy? 3. What is computer lit computer mean? 4. What does booting a mming language: ra og pr a t no is g in w 5. Which of the follo t Word? Python, HTML, Microsof below.
board, hard drive) (e.g., monitor, key ents of a computer 1.Physical compon cific task d to perform a spe 2.Software designe tly and safely computers efficien system 3.The ability to use ing the operating computer and load 4.Starting up the 5.Microsoft Word
The answers are
Behind the scenes it uses the ChatGPT engine to process the file, likely via Microsoft’s cloud. Windows 11 is also testing a new universal AI writing assistant that can proofread or rewrite text in different tones, though this feature will be exclusive to Copilot+ PCs for now.
It’s time to prepare for the era of agentic AI A quiet shift is happening in the digital world. But most businesses won’t notice it until it’s already reshaped how work gets done. We’re entering the era of agentic AI. Smart, autonomous systems that don’t only assist people, but act on their behalf. While that might sound futuristic, the foundations are already in place today. Unlike traditional tools that wait for someone to click, type or browse, agentic AI can read data, talk to other systems, and complete entire tasks end-to-end. It can negotiate prices, fill out forms, run processes and make decisions within rules you set. To do that safely and effectively, it needs clean data, reliable systems and secure paths to the information it uses. That’s where lots of businesses will need to prepare. Most companies have grown their technology stack over years, adding apps, cloud services, storage locations and workflows along the way. It works, but it’s often messy behind the scenes. Data sits in different places. Integrations are fragile. Permissions aren’t always up to date. These things might not cause major problems today, but they’re exactly the areas agentic AI depends on. For example, AI agents rely heavily on APIs, the simple, secure digital doors that allow one system to talk to another. If those doors don’t exist, don’t work properly or aren’t secure, the agent’s capabilities become limited or, worse, risky.
The same goes for identity management. If your business still relies on shared passwords, old login methods or inconsistent MFA, an autonomous system can only do so much safely. Then there’s data quality. AI agents don’t guess, and they don’t “work around” human mistakes. If your data is duplicated, inconsistent or outdated, the agent will simply act on whatever it sees. Even if that leads to poor decisions. Good data governance suddenly becomes a business essential, not a nice-to-have. You may also need to rethink how automations run inside your business. Many companies already use basic workflow tools, but agentic AI expects deeper, more reliable automation pathways that don’t break the moment a system changes. Luckily, it’s simply a case of strengthening the digital foundations you already rely on. Better identity systems, cleaner data, solid cloud infrastructure, modern security and well-designed integrations.
Agentic AI will introduce incredible opportunities, but only for businesses whose tech environments are ready for it. If you need help getting those foundations right, get in touch.
Business gadget of the month
TSJ Office glass desktop whiteboard You’re juggling your PC, phone, and a tablet. You want to jot down a reminder and keep it in sight (you will NOT forget that important appointment). But you already have loads of windows open, and frankly, your desk is a mess. This is your solution. It’s a handy little wedge that sits on your desk. You can write notes on the whiteboard, store your devices on top of it, and even tidy away cables and stationery (and snacks) inside it. Suddenly, your desk is neat, and your reminders stay right where you can see them. $25.99 from Amazon.
This is how you can get in touch with us: CALL: (502) 200-1169 | EMAIL info@zjak.net WEBSITE: www.zjak.net
Q: Why are we getting so many phishing emails? A: Scammers constantly change tactics. Try updating your filters to catch more of these emails.
Q: Why does my new computer keep slowing down? A: Usually something running in the background is eating up resources. A tidy-up or update often fixes it.
Q: How much downtime is normal? A: Very little. Regular outages, even short ones, usually point to aging equipment or misconfigured systems.