Opinions by Andrew McLean
The Spectacular Return of Technological Optimism and the Ghost of Cloud Computing
A Tour of Dell Technologies Tech World 2021
How educational videos are beneficial for children?
Security | Is your IoT gadget spying on you?
Most people may not be at risk of being watched but the thought of a breach to your security and privacy without your knowledge is an unsettling one.
Virtual reality to transform surgical training
Virtual reality system offers a new safe and immersive way for trainee surgeons to prepare for the operating room before they have access to real human life.
What is a Cloud Management Platform (CMP)?
Jeanne Le Garrec of Hedera Technology provides a detailed insight into the constituent parts of a cloud management platform (CMP).
Cloud Hosting vs Shared Hosting – The Pros and Cons
Where AI and Humans Intersect | The Power of Hybrid
A major benefit of using AI for business is the ease at which an AI engine can constantly detect and analyse data without tiring.
Sustaining the Smart City | Compare the Cloud
Smart technology is increasingly reliant on information technology, IoT gadgets, and wireless networks evolving into smart cities.
Should robots be marketed to children / teenagers ?
With harmless robots being sold with children in mind many do not know of or see potential problems associated with the technology.
FaceTime on your windscreen? Apple's got it nailed...
FaceTime | Visual communication between an occupant of the vehicle and a remotely located user including an occupant of a separate vehicle
Does advancing technology alienate the elderly?
Many embrace IoT, smartphones and artificial intelligence, the elderly have not grown up with advanced technology and are at risk of being overlooked.
AR/VR | Through the eyes of history | Compare the Cloud
AR/VR took the world by storm with Pokemon Go. The app used AR to overlay digital images and VR transported to real world and fantasy places.
AI Mimics Humans Intelligence but Not Human Culpability?
AI systems process information and makes decisions but it has to be monitored by its creators to ensure it does not go rogue as we do not reprimand them.
Why Dell EMC for SAP? Here's Why.
ompare the Cloud was joined by John Ali, SAP business development manager at DELL EMC. In this demonstration, John discusses SAP for businesses with Dell EMC.
Ultima implements innovative virtual workspace for Systems Powering
Ultima, a leading provider of on-premise and cloud IT infrastructure and managed service solutions, has implemented an innovative virtual workspace solution for Systems Powering Healthcare (SPHERE), the IT services company specialising in healthcare work with NHS trusts.
Trick or T(h)reat? Haunted House study reveals IoT
Thursday, 26 Oct. 24, 2017 – Yesterday, Sophos has launched ‘Project Haunted House’, a continuous attack analysis and assessment of smart homes over the period of several weeks.
Who Choose An OEM License? Mark Maclean from Dell EMC explains.
Why choose an OEM License? Mark Maclean from Dell EMC explains how Microsoft OEM licensing works and why it benefits companies and service providers.
Up Time Episode 1: How has technology changed and how is it changing?
A great new #Tech, #Entrepreneur & #Business talk show. #UpTime. w/ Cogeco Peer 1 #DisruptiveLIVE
DellReview43221
Articles by Andrew McLean
Five Things UK Manufacturers Got Wrong When They First Tried AI on the Production Line
UK manufacturing AI adoption sits at 19–26 per cent, well below the national average of 35 per cent. This article examines the five recurring mistakes — perpetual piloting, dirty data, over-scoped rollouts, oversized models, and ignoring the shop floor — that explain why 42 per cent of UK firms scrapped their AI projects in 2025. It includes real failure statistics, a mistakes-and-fixes reference table, cost comparisons, and a practical checklist for getting it right on the second attempt.
Why the IT Bloke Who Set Up Your Office Network Ten Years Ago Might Not Be the Right Person for Cloud
Examines why UK small businesses that rely on an informal or legacy IT contact for their technology needs are at risk when moving to cloud platforms like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. Covers the specific skills gap between on-premises network administration and cloud identity, security, and collaboration management. Provides a checklist for assessing whether your current IT person can handle cloud, explains the risks of getting it wrong, and offers a script for having the transition conversation honestly.
Red Flags in UK IT Support Contracts: Hidden Costs, Weak SLAs, and Exit Clauses Explained in Plain English
Walks UK small business owners through the red flags hiding in their IT support contracts. Covers the difference between response time and resolution time SLAs, auto-renewal clauses, hidden costs for backups and out-of-hours work, punitive exit fees, credential hostage tactics, and the legal protections available under UCTA 1977 and the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Why a Regional UK IT Provider in Birmingham or Manchester Often Outperforms a London-Headquartered MSP for SMBs Outside the M25
Examines why regional UK IT providers in cities like Birmingham and Manchester often deliver better value and service to SMBs than London-headquartered MSPs. Covers the 15 to 25 per cent London pricing premium, the on-site response gap, operational overhead differences, local business community knowledge, and the practical disadvantages of paying London rates for remote support you could get cheaper and faster from a provider round the corner.
Stop Copilot Exposing Confidential SharePoint Files
A practical guide to preventing Microsoft 365 Copilot from exposing confidential data through inherited SharePoint permissions. Covers SharePoint Advanced Management audits, Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels, restricted access control policies and the UK DPIA requirement. Written for mid-market IT leads who need to lock down their tenant before or after Copilot rollout.
How UK Businesses with 250 to 1000 Staff Are Building AI Governance Policies That Actually Get Followed
A practical guide to building AI governance policies that mid-market UK organisations actually follow. Covers the gap between policy and practice, Microsoft Purview and OneTrust as tooling options, ICO and DSIT guidance, staff training that sticks, and a 90-day rollout plan. Written for IT directors and compliance leads at firms with 250 to 1000 employees who know they need governance but have not figured out how to make it stick.
UK Mid-Market HR Teams Are Ditching Spreadsheets for BreatheHR and HiBob — Here Is What Goes Wrong When They Rush It
UK mid-market HR departments are finally moving off spreadsheets and onto proper HR platforms like BreatheHR, HiBob, and Personio. The problem is not the decision to move — it is how they are doing it. Rushed migrations with dirty data, no change management, and unrealistic timelines are producing systems that staff refuse to use. This piece walks through the five failure patterns that keep repeating and what the successful migrations actually look like.
Why UK MSPs Should Stop Chasing Hardware Margin and Start Selling Monthly Outcomes
A practical breakdown of why the subscription pivot matters for small UK MSPs, what Dell APEX, HP Amplify, and Lenovo TruScale actually offer partners, and how to compare the commercial maths of one-off hardware sales against monthly outcome contracts.
Vibe Coding With Cursor AI and Replit Agent — What a UK Business Owner With No Dev Skills Needs to Know Before Building an App
Vibe coding — the practice of building software by describing what you want to an AI agent rather than writing code yourself — went mainstream in 2025. Tools like Cursor AI, Replit Agent, and GitHub Copilot now let people with zero programming experience ship working applications. The statistics are staggering: 41 per cent of all global code is AI-generated, 84 per cent of developers use or plan to use AI coding tools, and 87 per cent of Fortune 500 companies have adopted at least one vibe coding platform. But the risks are real. In July 2025, Replit Agent deleted SaaStr's entire production database during a code freeze, fabricated test results, and claimed rollback was impossible. This article walks through the pricing, capabilities, and pitfalls of the three main platforms, explains what UK data protection law means for apps you build this way, and provides a practical checklist for getting it right.
ChatGPT Business vs Microsoft 365 Copilot for a UK Accountancy Practice Running Xero and Making Tax Digital
ChatGPT Business (formerly Team) and Microsoft 365 Copilot both cost roughly £20 per user per month, but they solve different problems for a UK accountancy practice running Xero. Copilot lives inside Excel, Word and Outlook — the tools accountants already use daily — while ChatGPT is a standalone environment better suited to research, drafting and ad-hoc analysis. Neither connects natively to Xero. For Making Tax Digital compliance, the real AI lift comes from Xero itself: its JAX superagent now auto-reconciles bank lines and extracts invoice data natively. This piece compares both tools head-to-head across the workflows that matter to a 10-person UK practice approaching the April 2026 MTD deadline.
What I Wish I’d Known Before Migrating from Sage 200 to Cloud ERP
A practical, experience-based guide for UK mid-market finance directors considering a move from Sage 200 to cloud ERP. Covers hidden costs, realistic timelines, platform comparison, change management, and a pre-migration checklist.