Why the increase?

Microsoft are introducing 1,100 new features coming in 2026, one of these “new capabilities” is Copilot almost everywhere. Microsoft has now embedded Copilot across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams.

• Word and PowerPoint: Generate drafts, summarise documents and create presentations all with AI assistance in minutes.
  
• Excel: Get help with Formulas, create charts, and analyse data all with ease.
  
• Outlook: Draft emails, summarise long threads, manage your inbox. Need help softening your language or changing the tone of it. Copilot has you covered.
  • Microsoft 365 Business Basic (Moving from 50GB to 100GB)
  • Microsoft 365 Business Standard (Moving from 50GB to 100GB)
  • Microsoft 365 Business Premium (Moving from 50GB to 100GB)
    
• Teams: Copilot can transcribe meetings and convert them into actionable items and summaries instantly.
  
• SharePoint: Microsoft has not announced any increases in Storage for SharePoint (Tenant Base 1TB + 10GB per licensed user). What they have added is:
  
  URL Protection (Safe Links Lite): Plans like Business Basic and Business Standard will now include basic URL checking when users click links within Office files stored in SharePoint.

If you currently pay for “Exchange Online Plan 2” add-ons just to get 100GB mailboxes for certain users, you will likely be able to cancel those add-ons once this change takes effect, saving you money.

Source Microsoft https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2025/12/04/advancing-microsoft-365-new-capabilities-and-pricing-update/

Updated pricing

So far, Microsoft has only released the USD prices and no UK-specific pricing. The Following list price changes will go into effect on 1^st July 2026.

Source Microsoft https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2025/12/04/advancing-microsoft-365-new-capabilities-and-pricing-update/

UK pricing: UK customers should expect the same percentage increases. Microsoft has a “pricing hamonisation” policy. This policy means Microsoft reviews foreign exchange rates twice a year (Typically February and August/September) to reaglin with the USD.

Even if the GBP remains strong we will still see the prices increase. If the pound weakens Mid 2026 we could see a further rise in September. If the pound strengths we could see the price drop.

Charity and Not for Profit

On 1st of July 2025 started retiring the 10 Free Microsoft 365 Business Premium licenses. Existing customers retained their licenses until their next renewal dates.

Microsft have shifting it’s “free” focus towards cloud-only solutions.

• The New “Free” Offer: Up to 300 free licenses of Microsoft 365 Business Basic. This includes web and mobile versions of apps (Word, Excel) and Teams, but it does not include the desktop-installed apps or the advanced security/device management (Intune) found in Business Premium.
  
• Discounted Premium: You can still get Business Premium, but it will no longer be free. Eligible charities will receive a 75% discount, making the cost roughly $5.50 (or ~£4.20) per user per month.

So, if you are a charity and keeping costs as low as possible you no longer enjoy free office licences but can get cheap, or you can remove the desktop versions of Office and work purely in the browser using the web version of Word, Excel, Outlook and teams.

What should our customers do?

• Contact the helpdesk and ask for a licence report, and remove any staff who are not needed. Identify unused and redundant licences.
• If you have any Exchange plan 2 used as a bolt-on to increase your mailbox size, then ask for these to be removed in July.
• Consider Annual pricing, buying your licenses upfront for the year will lock you in to pre-July pricing for 12 months. It will reduce your flexibility to reduce your licence counts and change your cash flow.

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Endometriosis UK

Endometriosis impacts on the physical and mental health of 1 in 10 women and those assigned female at birth in the UK. That’s over 1.5 million who desperately need support and information to help them understand this chronic condition.

Endometriosis UK is a leading charity for all those affected by endometriosis, determined to ensure that everyone gets a prompt diagnosis and the best treatment and support.

They work to break down barriers to access – whether information, treatment or support – wherever endometriosis impacts on lives. They are a powerful voice for those with endometriosis, driving up care standards across the UK.

Tommy’s

Tommy’s is the leading charity carrying out research into pregnancy loss and premature birth in the UK.

Thanks to their supporters, they have been able to carry out more than £2m worth of ground-breaking research every year in 4 centres across the UK, into the causes of miscarriage, premature birth and stillbirth, and to improve maternity outcomes for women and birthing people.

Their world-leading research is finding the causes of and treatments for pregnancy complications, and help to save more babies’ lives. But pregnancy loss and prematurity still cause heartbreak for millions of families every year. We exist to change that.

Through their network of expert researchers, doctors and midwives working across our research centres, we’re making breakthroughs all the time. Together, with the strength of our community, they’re saving babies’ lives.

Kevin Sinfield – 7 in 7 Together

Kevin and his team are aiming to raise funds for Motor Neurone Disease Associations and bring together the MND Community with his latest challenge. They are setting themselves a challenge to run seven ultramarathons in seven days across seven cities or regions. This will include an Extra Mile event where members of the MND community will join Kev for one mile each day from 1st to 7th December 2025. Each day will be broken down into 7km blocks that Sinfield must complete within the hour, before setting off on the next leg at the hour.

Six MND charities will once again benefit from the challenge. The MND Association are the main beneficiary, along with donations to Leeds Hospitals Charity’s support for the Rob Burrow Centre, Irish MND Association, Darby Rimmer Foundation, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and MND Scotland.

The post Proudly Supporting: Endometriosis UK, Tommy’s & 7 in 7 together (Supporting MND) appeared first on Mear Technology.

What is causing this issue?

The clue is in the news, “Micron Technology”, who trade as Crucial, has been producing RAM and hard Drives for more than 30 years, announced on Wednesday, 3rd December, 2026 that it would stop selling its RAM in the consumer market.

Their reason is essentially that they have a much more profitable market. The AI-driven market. AI needs specialized RAM and lots of it. The AI boom has led to memory manufacturers switching their manufacturing processes to deliver this type of RAM as demand and value have been driven up.

“The AI-driven growth in the data center has led to a surge in demand for memory and storage,” Sumit Sadana, EVP and chief business officer at Micron Technology, said in a statement. “Micron has made the difficult decision to exit the Crucial consumer business in order to improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments.”

It’s not just Micron Technology’s exit causing it. There are other factors impacting growth.

• Samsung have reported a 60% increase in charges on chips
• Other factors like Trump slapping 100% tariffs on Chinese manufacturers
• SanDisk also announced cost increases

What does this mean for small businesses?

Replacing Desktops, Laptops, Servers, tablets, mobiles, graphics cards are all going to be more expensive, as will consumer electronics.

Lenovo told Bloomberg that it is stockpiling DRAM and NAND components to supply all the machines it intends to manufacture by the end of 2026. We have heard similar media reports from other vendors through the media.

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He will be cycling 66 miles (106km) around the iconic and beautiful Loch Ness

To support Tony, please visit his Just Giving Page
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/br-K45N4VLTGBGU-2026-etape-loch-ness?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

To find out more about Etape visit https://www.etapelochness.com/event/etape-loch-ness/

To find out more about Etape and Macmillan Cancer Support, visit https://www.macmillan.org.uk/fundraise/charity-cycle-rides/etape-loch-ness

The post Proudly Supporting Macmillan Cancer Support appeared first on Mear Technology.

This initiative wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support and collaboration of Resusing-IT (Registered Scottish Charity Number SC037716), a local organization dedicated to giving electronics a second life and reducing waste. Their expertise in refurbishing and preparing these devices was invaluable, ensuring each laptop is ready to inspire and educate.

In today’s digital world, access to technology is more crucial than ever for a child’s learning and development. These laptops will open up a world of opportunities for the students at St Paul’s Primary School, enhancing their classroom experiences, supporting their creative projects, and helping them develop essential digital literacy skills.

We extend our sincere gratitude to everyone involved, especially Resuing IT, for making this dream a reality. This project is a testament to what we can achieve when we work together to support our local community and invest in the future of our children.

ReusingIT helps so many around the world, and Mear Technology has been donating hardware and supporting Reusing IT since 2013. A fantastic local charity with which Mear Technology is deeply proud to be associated. See how Reusing IT and Yorkshire aid are helping to support the vulnerable people in Ukraine in the video below.

Please consider donating to Reusing IT. Help them continue their great work.

What does Mear Technology do with Reusing IT?

Mear Technology has been working with Reusing IT to help reduce our clients’ environmental impact. We collect and store all electronic waste from our clients, then donate it all to Reusing IT, who repurpose what it can and recycles the rest. We love that our clients’ waste is being put to such a worthwhile cause. It is humbling to not only support a local charity but to ensure that our electrical waste is put to good use.

Beyond our digital waste, we have worked alongside Reusing IT to help our charity clients reduce their IT costs through refurbished hardware supplied by Reusing IT.

The post Empowering Young Minds: 21 Laptops for St Pauls Primary School, East Calder! appeared first on Mear Technology.

We are proud to have supported Positive Help Edinburgh, a vital charity dedicated to providing free, practical support to people affected by HIV and Hepatitis C in Edinburgh and the Lothians. Established in 1989, Positivive Help’s services have evolved to meet the changing needs of the community. offering life-changing assistance that includes helping service users access essential treatment and appointments, providing companionship, and supporting children with their education and wellbeing. We are particularly inspired by the dedication shown when their Director, CEO, and five other incredible people recently completed an 11-mile kilt walk to raise funds and awareness for their essential work, an effort that perfectly reflects the charity’s commitment to making a tangible difference in the lives of those they serve.

Postive Help were kind enough to share with us some pictures from the event. Well done to all that participated.

See Positive Helps News on the walk
https://www.positivehelpedinburgh.co.uk/walk-with-us-make-every-step-count

The post Positive Help: Positive Change appeared first on Mear Technology.

They have braved the British weather and bared all to raise funds for a baby born with a serious birth complication. Nazario, who lives with Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy (HIE) – a brain condition caused by a lack of oxygen at birth, which leads to a range of life-long challenges. Estelle Keeber organised #BareForNazario to help her friend Savanna’s baby boy.

Estelle Keeber – a powerhouse female entrepreneur, Instagram expert, author, motivational speaker extraordinaire, and proud owner of Imortal monkey. She wanted to utilise her skills as a wedding photographer as well as her “advocacy for body positivity” to help raise money to fund specialist equipment, which the 15-month-old Nazario requires to manage day-to-day life. #BareForNazario sees 12 women strip off and pose nude in a variety of locations across Leicester to form a calendar.

How has Mear Technology helped?

Having given up countless hours meeting up and posing for photos in a variety of venues. This inspiring group needed help publishing their calendar. Mear Technology stepped in to help cover these costs. Allowing the group to push this campaign over the finish line. We can’t praise these women enough. Groups like this that get together to make a difference. Support them if you can visit their goFundMe page and make a donation.

The post BareForNazario – Helping a young life appeared first on Mear Technology.

Based in Livingston Mear Technology believe in offering a customer focused experience. We offer a range of IT Support services that we tailor to our customers need’s. We are a one-stop provider for your IT need (support, sales, broadband and telecoms).  If you are interested in us reviewing all your IT overheads, we would be happy to spend some time with you and see where we can help, streamline and reduces unnecessary overheads.

Why review your phone system?

After embracing a work at home model struggled with traditional connectivity options. Businesses feel trapped by the circumstances, unable to migrate.  We do not apply one solution to every customer approach. We want to understand your businesses and deliver a solution that meets your needs.

• Are you missing calls as you do not have the same staff in the office?
• Are staff unable to work from home?
• Are you missing the opportunity to convert website visitors to leads?
• Worried you will not be able to manage to move your phone system till you can get back into the office?
• Having to pay extra for Website Live Chat/Web Meeting/Call Reporting/Voicemail?
• Have a Analogue Phone System in the office?
• Looking to review and reduce costs where possible?

If any of the above sounds familiar, please get in touch (using the form below). If you can get a break down of your calls or an itemised bill  we would happily review and highlight any potential saving. There is no hard sale we are hear to help!

Why would consider using Mear Technology?

Your business would be valued. We are not a huge team big enough to deliver small enough to care. Your business is more than just a number! Our Technicians will get to know you and your team! We are local your trade stays local and allows us to respond. Distance is not an issue with us either we have customers in the USA, Germany and around the UK.  We host and manage the phone system for you. We are not just processing invoices for 3rd party systems our technicians are skilled and experienced.

Whatever service we offer our customers stay with us for long periods without retentive contracts.

[contact-form to=”stephen@meartechnology.co.uk” subject=”Phone System – Its not too late to switch.”][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Best Contact Number” type=”text”][contact-field label=”Tell us about you and your situation” type=”textarea”][/contact-form]

Please fill out the contact form and one of our team will get back to you during office hours and help with your enquiry.

FAQ

• I don’t have a phone system can you still help?
  • Yes if your a surviving with just one phone in the office we can still help!
• Do Mear Technology need to to visit our office?
  • Not normally but it does depended on your knowledge. We want to ensure we present the right options to you and if that requires a site visit we will do so why following current guidelines.
• Can you supply us with a new number?
  • Yes we can. we can supply all local, national and many international numbers.
• Is your system scalable?
  • Absolutely we can handle small and large deployments.
• My staff are at home will that cause a problem?
  • No not really we can deploy now while all your staff are at home. Their broadband may have issues supporting calls but we can assist with finding solutions for these staff

The post Phone System – Its not too late to switch. appeared first on Mear Technology.

I am sure that if you are reading this post you have had a scenario when you have had to send several emails to multiple emails on when you can all get together. Luckily Microsoft have released a free tool to Office 365 business and Office 365 educational license customers that solves this dilemma.

Watch the video above to get a quick introduction.

The post How to organise a meeting in Corvid Times. Microsoft FindTime appeared first on Mear Technology.

Mear Technology Ltd are looking to recruit an experienced and enthusiastic IT Support Engineer.  We provide B2B support to SMB primarily across central Scotland. Our The role will be based at our main office in Livingston, however due to the current pandemic situation this will temporarily be a remote position, carrying out client visits when necessary. Company vehicles are available but own transport would be advantageous.

You will be working as part of a busy and well-established team that provides support to a wide range of clients situated throughout central Scotland. The role is to provide support for Desktop & Server computers, Printers, Broadband, Microsoft 365 and VOIP solutions. There will be opportunities to expand on this.

You should have excellent communication skills and telephone manner. We expect you to have at least 2 years of experience in a similar role, however on the job training will be provided where required. You need to be hardworking and self-motivated with good problem-solving skills and an ability to think outside the box to solve client issues.

Daily tasks can include onsite or remote installing/configuring/diagnosing of hardware and software faults. Providing proposals to clients for new hardware and placing orders from our suppliers. There will also be a requirement for everyday administration tasks like adding users and resetting passwords etc.

Role Responsibilities

• Providing high quality technical support to our customer base
• Identifying and resolving technical issues to a high quality
• Engaging with 3rd party/vendors where appropriate to escalate and prioritise issues
• Proactively looking for opportunities to improve/upgrade systems
• Generating client proposals for clients for nor or replacement hardware
• Purchasing hardware and organising installation/delivery
• Ensuring documentation is updated and created as required
• Raising and solving tickets across the Helpdesk and ensuring a timely and friendly service
• Escalating complex queries to senior members of staff and using teamwork to reach quick resolutions for clients to minimise business downtime
• Using monitoring software systems to manage alerts in an efficient manner
• Prioritising workloads to ensure all client queries are dealt with accordingly
• Focusing on providing permanent fixes where possible instead of temporary workarounds

Required Experience/skills

• At least two years’ experience in a helpdesk role
• Experience in a fast-paced support environment
• A good understanding of networks, protocols and internet technologies
• Proven technical skills/knowledge around end-user devices, including software, printers, servers, storage, network and voice
• Experience with Managing Microsoft 365 (particularly SharePoint online)
• Friendly and keen to learn
• Experience of using PowerShell with Office 365 specifically
• Full UK clean driving license
• Right to work in the UK
• Knowledge across the full spectrum of IT, from supporting LAN/WAN networks through to router and telephony
• Excellent English skills
• Excellent telephone and written communication skills
• Excellent one to one personal skills
• Office 365 migration, set up and installation
• Configuring and troubleshooting Windows 7, 8 and Windows 10 Professional
• General software product support
• Adaptable software problem solving skill
• Some knowledge on Apple desktop operating systems would be advantageous
• First line remote support experience
• Router/Firewall set up and configuration

Personal Skills

• Excellent time management skills e.g. Ability to accurately prioritise and interleave tasks for multiple customers – takes most cost-effective route to problem resolution
• Exceeds expectations in the completion of tasks
• Exemplary team member, diligent and effective in working collaboratively with others.
• Demonstrable significant experience in providing an excellent service to a diverse range of complex customer requirements in a busy enterprise environment
• Ability to produce high quality technical documentation appropriate to the intended audience

Desirable – any of the following would be of advantage.

• Experience supporting Apple MacOS would be a significant advantage
• Working knowledge of IOS and Android platforms would be advantageous
• Microsoft Azure Set up and Installation
• Working knowledge of PowerShell/bash/VBscript/batch or any other scripting language
• Experience diagnosing broadband issues
• Industry certifications such as Cisco (CCNA, CCNP), Microsoft (MCP, MCSE), Linux (LPIC-1, LPIC-2)
• 3CX Phone Systems
• Draytek Routers
• Ubiquiti Unifi devices
• Acronis Backup
• Hyper-V
• Experience using Remote Monitoring and Management platforms RMM
• Being comfortable in a Unix environment would be a significant advantage

Mear Technology Ltd is a forward-thinking IT support and managed service provider. Our staff are like family and we are looking for another member to join our team. We have a high staff and client retention.  If you are the passionate about IT and keen to learn new technologies and services, we would like you to get in touch. We try to be a one stop shop for our clients wherever possible and we pride ourselves on the relationships we have built with our customers and the quality of the service we provide.

 Benefits

• Company Pension
• IT hardware discounted

Working Hours

• Monday to Friday 9:00 – 17:30PM
• Support Staff are required to cover helpdesk during evenings, weekends and during festive holidays. Cover is on a rota basis. Calls are typically minimal during these periods

Holidays

Annual Holidays: 28 day.

To Apply

Please email CV to jobs@meartechnology.co.uk with a covering email to tell us about yourself.

No recruitment agencies please

The post We are hiring appeared first on Mear Technology.