Weekly Roundup · Week of 22–28 June 2026
The week in business IT & comms
If you only read one thing this week, make it this. We pull the week's business IT and comms news into the handful of things that actually affect how you run your business, and tell you plainly whether you need to do anything about them.
Listen · The Cobalt Roundup
Week of 22–28 June 2026
With Mark & Sophie · 4:51
- 01Microsoft & Cloud
Microsoft 365 prices rise on 1 July
The main business plans go up, Business Basic by around 16% and Business Standard by around 12%, while Business Premium and Office 365 E1 hold flat. Existing subscriptions change at renewal, so there's a window to review your licences first.
Read the full story - 02The Switch-Off
The switch-off won't be a 'big bang', but the deadline holds
Openreach says there won't be one overnight cut-off in 2027, and the number of old lines has fallen to around 1.9 million. ISDN business lines still have no like-for-like replacement to wait for.
Read the full story - 03Compliance & Data
New data rules now apply to every business
From 19 June every organisation needs a formal data protection complaints process, with no small-business exemption. Separately, fines for breaking the electronic marketing rules have risen to match GDPR levels.
Read the full story - 04Cyber Security
Around 612,000 UK businesses were breached last year
The government's 2026 survey puts breaches at 43% of businesses, with phishing still the most common way in. The basics, MFA, staff awareness and tested backups, remain the highest-value defence.
Read the full story - 05Connectivity & Broadband
Fibre and leased-line pricing under review
Ofcom is scrutinising Openreach's proposed wholesale prices for full fibre and leased lines ahead of changes due in October, with discounts to move off older platforms. Worth knowing if your connection is up for renewal.
Read the full story - 06AI for Business
Most UK firms now use AI, but few get real value yet
More than half of UK firms now use AI, though most stick to off-the-shelf tools. The firms seeing real operational change are the ones that did the data groundwork first.
Read the full story
What we’re watching
Next week we're watching how the Microsoft 365 price rise lands at the first renewals under it, and any signal from Ofcom on whether Openreach's October fibre and leased-line prices get the green light. If you want a straight answer on what any of this means for your setup, that's a phone call away.
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Got a question this raises?
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