Christmas IT Survival Guide 2025

It's 9 PM on Boxing Day. You've had a sherry. You check your work email. Big mistake. Here is why the 'Sherry Scroll' is a security nightmare, and how to fix it.

It is December 16th, 2025. The advent calendars are half empty, the office radio is playing *that* Wham! song for the 400th time, and your team is mentally checking out for the holidays. It is the most wonderful time of the year.

But for IT professionals (and cyber criminals), it is often known as 'Squeaky Bum Time'. The combination of relaxed guards, empty offices, and end-of-year chaos creates the perfect storm for security incidents.

Here is your survival guide to navigating the 'Crimbo Limbo' and ensuring you don't return to a disaster in January 2026.

1. The "Sherry Scroll" Phenomenon

We see it every year. A manager is sitting on the sofa on Boxing Day, perhaps after a few too many sherries or mince pies. They are doom-scrolling on their phone and checking work emails out of habit.

An email pops up: *"URGENT: Suspicious Login Attempt"* or *"FINAL NOTICE: Unpaid Amazon Delivery"*.

On a small mobile screen, without the usual office context (and with festive inhibitions lowered), it is much harder to spot a fake. One click on a phishing link can compromise your entire network.

The Fix: Remind your team now: Do not action urgent emails from your phone over the break. If it's truly urgent, verify it by calling the sender. Better yet, we can implement Cyber Security tools that block these emails before they even reach the inbox.

2. The Ghost of Windows Past (Windows 10 Stragglers)

We hate to be the Grinch, but we need to talk about the elephant in the room. Windows 10 End of Life happened in October 2025. That was two months ago.

If you still have machines running Windows 10 in your fleet, you are now officially running unpatched, unsupported software. Microsoft is no longer releasing security updates for these devices. Every day that passes, a new vulnerability is discovered that will simply *never be fixed* on your computers.

If you are a 'Straggler' who put off the upgrade, you are now driving a car without brakes. You need to replace these machines immediately. Check out our Hardware Procurement page for Windows 11 Pro devices that can be deployed before the New Year.

3. "Crimbo Limbo" Working & The Truth About Grandma's WiFi

The week between Christmas and New Year is prime time for remote working. A common worry is connecting to "insecure" WiFi at relatives' houses.

Here is the truth: Grandma's TalkTalk router is probably fine. Most modern routers have decent firewalls by default.

The *real* risk isn't the network; it's the Device.

If your staff are logging into company email from an unmanaged family laptop (which the kids also use to download dodgy Minecraft mods), that is a massive security hole. We do not recommend using legacy VPNs to try and secure these connections. They are slow, clunky, and staff hate them.

The Modern Solution: We use Microsoft Business Premium with Intune (MAM). This creates a secure "bubble" for company apps on personal devices.

• They can access Outlook and Teams securely.
• They cannot copy/paste data out of the bubble.
• If the device is compromised (or lost), we can wipe *just* the company data, leaving their holiday photos untouched.

4. Planning for 2026

The quiet period is actually a gift. While the phone isn't ringing, take a moment to look at your strategy for 2026.

• Do you have a backup plan if the office floods?
• Are you paying for software licenses you don't use?
• Is your internet fast enough for the new AI tools coming next year?

If you want to hit the ground running in January, book a Strategic Project review with us for the first week back.

Stay Safe, Stay Festive

From Sam, Matt, and the whole Fresh Tech alliance, we want to wish you a relaxing and secure Christmas. We will be monitoring the systems while you eat turkey, so you can actually switch off.

*For advice on avoiding holiday shopping scams personally, we recommend checking the NCSC Guidance.*