Practical knowledge and expertise from our team. Read about cloud workspaces, Microsoft 365, security and everything you need to work smart and secure.
At Virtual Computing we believe in sharing knowledge. Our articles are based on what we see daily at our clients ā from small practices to organisations with dozens of locations. No theoretical stories, but practical insights you can apply immediately.
Our CTO Mohammad Moghtader joined MSP Late Night on Tour at the MSP Show in Utrecht. The theme was performance, and the conversation covered culture, sales and AI that helps people rather than replacing them. Read what he said, with the full conversation included.
Robin Damen
For years MFA was the answer to stolen passwords. Attackers now get past SMS codes, app codes and push notifications, even with number matching, using fake sign-in pages. Read which kinds of MFA exist, which ones are phishing-resistant and why, how a YubiKey works, what the official advice says and where Virtual Computing's MFA options sit on that ladder.
Robin Damen
Modern workplace and digital workplace are names for the same idea: logging in with one account, files in one central place, management and security handled remotely. Read which five building blocks such a workplace consists of, which two versions we deliver, what they cost, where your data sits and how to get started.
Robin Damen
Microsoft is overhauling Copilot with Home, Code and Autopilot. Work that Copilot carries out on its own, such as Cowork, is already billed by usage, and Code and Autopilot now join it. Almost all of it is still in preview, and there is no date for the Netherlands. Read what was announced, what it costs, where the risks are, and what an SME should set up now and what can wait.
Robin Damen
Windows Server 2016 gets no more updates after 12 January 2027 and Teams meetings work poorly on RDS. How to replace a terminal server with Azure Virtual Desktop: two routes, a step-by-step plan and the pitfalls.
Robin Damen
More and more providers stamp 'Dutch data centre' on their cloud. But if the company behind it has an American owner, your data still falls under the US CLOUD Act ā wherever the disk sits. The real question is not where your data is, but who holds it. Here is how to check, and how we solve it.
Robin Damen
An online workspace is a purchase you live with for years. These seven questions surface up front what you would otherwise run into later: where your data sits, what the price really covers, who manages it and how you get out again. Each question says what you may expect from a good provider.
Robin Damen
In Azure you pay per hour for the servers, plus storage, data traffic, licences and management. With us you pay ā¬38 per user per month plus Business Premium (ā¬19.56), together ā¬57.56 all in. We calculate it for an office of 25 users, with the assumptions stated.
Robin Damen
The same Online Workspace, the same data centres, the same team. On top of that comes AVD, Microsoft's workplace technology. Sign in once, Teams like on a regular PC and an environment of your own, for the same fixed price.
Robin Damen
With Windows Autopilot, your employee unboxes a new laptop, signs in with their work account and the laptop sets itself up through Intune. Read how it works, which modes there are, what you need and where it goes wrong.
Mohammad Moghtader
Microsoft Intune is the cloud service you use to manage and secure your employees' laptops, phones and apps. Read what Intune handles, what it doesn't, which licences include it and where the cost of management really lies.
Mohammad Moghtader
Microsoft has completed the EU Data Boundary: customer data for Microsoft 365, Azure and Copilot stays within the EU and EFTA. Even so, that is not a complete answer to the sovereignty question ā the US CLOUD Act has not gone away. What does that mean for an SMB that simply wants to get work done?
Robin Damen
Basic, Standard or Premium? The difference lies in the desktop apps and in security and management. With a comparison table reflecting summer 2026, a guide per type of business and the signs that an upgrade makes sense.
Robin Damen
Windows 10 has been out of support since October 2025. If you are still running on Extended Security Updates, the price per device doubles after 13 October 2026 ā and anyone joining later pays for the missed years anyway. Four routes for SMBs, with an honest calculation.
Mohammad Moghtader
The 1 July price increase got all the attention. What was added in the same round did not: a 100 GB mailbox, expanded Copilot Chat and time-of-click protection on Basic and Standard. What it is, what to do with it, and the pitfall that comes with it.
Robin Damen
On 1 July 2026 Microsoft raises prices on Apps for Business (+21%) and EMS E3 (+13%), among others. Three practical checks to run this month: clean up dormant licences, pick the right licence mix and time your renewal smartly. Sometimes the outcome is simply: you are fine.
Robin Damen
The Cyberbeveiligingswet, the Dutch implementation of NIS2, has applied since 15 August 2026. Does your business fall under it (often indirectly, as a supplier)? And which five measures should you arrange now?
Mohammad Moghtader
What does an online workspace cost per employee? An honest answer: from ā¬38 per user per month for the workspace, plus the Microsoft 365 licence. We do the math and translate it to a team of 5, 20 or 50 people.
Robin Damen
SMB directors face two AI options: Microsoft Copilot in M365, or an own AI assistant like Alex. The two aren't comparable ā they do fundamentally different things. When do you pick which (and when both).
Robin Damen
Microsoft sells Copilot in two flavours: for Microsoft 365 Business customers and for Microsoft 365 Enterprise (E3/E5). Both ā¬30.40 per user per month, but what you get differs fundamentally. When to pick which?
Robin Damen
Microsoft pitches Copilot at ā¬30.40 per user per month. That's just the licence. For an SMB of 20 staff, real annual costs sit between ā¬8,700 and ā¬23,000 ā depending on licence, implementation and governance. Full breakdown.
Robin Damen
Microsoft Copilot out of the box is a data leak waiting to happen. It can see everything the user can see ā including HR data, salary overviews and client dossiers that accidentally sit in shared SharePoints. Three minimum DLP settings are essential before you enable Copilot.
Mohammad Moghtader
Run AI in production without your prompts and business data ending up at an American SaaS. This is the 5-layer open-source stack we roll out for SMB teams: orchestration, agent frameworks, LLM interface, LLM-app platform and runtime ā all containerized and under Dutch law.
Mohammad Moghtader
n8n is the open-source Zapier alternative with 400+ integrations. You can run it for free on a VPS, but real costs hide in maintenance, security and compliance. Three options on the table ā with an honest cost comparison for an SMB team.
Mohammad Moghtader
Running your workplace at a hosting provider is often cheaper and safer than running your own server in 2026. But not every workplace hosting service is equal. Concrete checks on datacenter, SLA, security, pricing model and exit clauses ā before you sign.
Robin Damen
What does your business actually need from its internet? A practical guide to business fibre for SMBs: realistic speeds per profile, costs in 2026, fibre vs coax vs 5G, SLAs, redundancy, and how to pick a provider that doesn't disappear when the line drops.
Robin Damen
The fire at NorthC Almere knocked KVK, CBS, RDW, Utrecht University, UnivĆ© and GP practices offline for days. No data lost, but the impact was significant. What this incident teaches about redundancy that actually works ā and the questions you should be asking your IT provider today.
Robin Damen
In 2026, security awareness training is no longer an annual compliance exercise ā it's a continuous programme that maps onto NIS2 and NEN 7510. This article covers what actually works for an SMB of 25 to 250 employees, what to expect, and how to set it up pragmatically without giving your people a headache.
Mohammad Moghtader
An honest 5-year total cost of ownership comparison between an on-prem server (capex + maintenance) and a cloud workspace (opex per user). Real numbers for a 25-seat SMB: on-prem ā¬80,900 vs cloud workspace ā¬60,500. Plus the hidden cost lines you don't see in the quote.
Robin Damen
Microsoft announced significant price increases on commercial Microsoft 365 suites effective 1 July 2026 ā Apps for Business +21%, EMS E3 +13%, Entra Plan 1 +16%. Business Premium and Office 365 E1 stay flat. What this means for your SMB and how we limit the impact.
Robin Damen
Microsoft has extended the Copilot Business promo through 30 June 2026 ā buy now and lock in current pricing. We help customers decide when that's the right call, and when waiting or a different AI route is smarter.
Robin Damen
After the Broadcom acquisition and the new VMware licensing structure, we went looking for a mature open alternative. In late 2024 we migrated our complete hypervisor fleet from VMware to Vates VMS (XCP-ng). Here's our own story.
Mohammad Moghtader
Which accounting software fits your firm and why has cloud hosting become the standard? Overview of the main packages plus a checklist.
Robin Damen
Which practice management software fits your physiotherapy practice? We compare the main packages and show why cloud hosting makes the difference.
Robin Damen
What are the concrete benefits of cloud computing for a small or medium-sized business? Cost savings, flexibility, security and scalability explained with real-world examples.
Robin Damen
Phishing is the most common cyber attack on businesses. Learn to recognise the 7 most common tricks and protect your organisation.
Robin Damen
For over 18 years, Aushi BV has relied on Virtual Computing. From an on-premise environment to 250+ cloud workstations spread across Europe.
Robin Damen
For over 20 years, Dental Practice Tilburg has relied on Virtual Computing cloud workstations. Running Exquise and Visiquick in an ISO 27001 certified environment.
Robin Damen
Rob Huijnen of a facilities company switched from another cloud provider to Virtual Computing. Read why and how the migration process went.
Mohammad Moghtader
IT consultant Reinder Jan Postma refers SMB clients to Virtual Computing. Read why he trusts our expertise, honesty and competitive pricing.
Robin Damen
What if your servers go down or you're hit by ransomware? A disaster recovery plan is essential. Create one in 5 steps.
Mohammad Moghtader
More and more SMBs are choosing managed IT services. But what does it actually include, what does it cost and when does it pay off? A clear overview.
Robin Damen
The NIS2 directive sets stricter cybersecurity requirements. We explain who it applies to, what you need to arrange and how to prepare your organisation.
Mohammad Moghtader
On the Dutch podcast Fontys AI Garage, Mohammad Moghtader and Luc Tortike explain how we built Alex, our digital employee who takes over routine tasks. What Alex does, how we keep it safe and why it didn't stay a pilot. With the full episode included.
Robin Damen
Cybercrime increasingly targets small and medium-sized businesses. What baseline measures do you need and how do you protect your company without a massive budget? A practical guide.
Robin Damen
More and more SMBs are choosing to outsource their IT. But what does that actually involve, what does it cost and what should you look out for? This guide explains everything.
Robin Damen
Choosing an online workstation isn't easy. What does it cost, which providers are there and what should you look out for? We compare the options and help you choose.
Robin Damen
The modern workplace feels logical today. Working wherever suits you. Collaborating in the cloud. Always having access to information. But anyone who thinks this happened by itself underestimates how much has been tried along the way.
Robin Damen
A Microsoft workspace offers SMB organizations a simple, secure, and well-organized digital workplace where employees have access to apps, documents, and communication with a single sign-on.
Robin Damen
In 2025, Virtual Computing BV once again received an FD Gazelle. We have now received this award for 4 consecutive years.
Robin Damen
Secure cloud working for SMBs in 5 steps. Learn how your SMB can work securely and efficiently with Microsoft 365 in the cloud.
Mohammad Moghtader
The way we work has changed for good. More and more organizations are discovering the many benefits hybrid working offers for productivity and employee satisfaction.
Robin Damen
As a modern dental practice, you want to help people with a healthy smile. Oase Dental is the software that supports you ā and Virtual Computing makes sure it runs securely and reliably in the cloud.
Robin Damen
With EHR software, physiotherapists can easily and securely manage all important data in one place. Think of patient records, treatment plans, progress reports, calendars, invoices and financial overviews.
Robin Damen
ISAH is an ERP system specifically developed for the manufacturing industry. Companies dealing with complex production processes, inventory management and customer-driven custom solutions benefit daily from this smart software.
Robin Damen
National Monument Kamp Vught is an important historical site and educational center. The organization aims to offer visitors a respectful and informative experience.
Robin Damen
Working in the cloud is becoming increasingly popular. Companies no longer want to depend on static workspaces ā by working in the cloud, employees are always reachable, wherever they are.
Mohammad Moghtader
A complete explanation of Exact Online: what it is, how it works, which modules you need for your business, what it costs (ā¬39-249/mo), and the practical tips bookkeepers don't tell you. For SMBs and accountancy firms.
Robin Damen
Virtual Computing BV once again received a Gazelle in 2024. This FD Gazellen Award confirms our consistent growth.
Robin Damen
A laptop with Microsoft 365 is not a smart workspace. A smart workspace is what emerges when cloud, telephony, device management and security work as one system ā not five separate tools side by side. We explain when it gets 'smart' and when you're still missing pieces.
Robin Damen
Many dentists, orthodontic practices, and other forms of oral healthcare can no longer do without Exquise practice software.
Robin Damen
Microsoft Copilot makes your daily work routine more efficient. This smart AI assistant from Microsoft helps you with tasks in Word, Excel, Teams, and more.
Robin Damen
More and more companies are using calling via Teams. This form of communication is smooth, efficient and sustainable ā video calls, call recording and number portability.
Mohammad Moghtader
The benefits of working in the cloud are nearly endless. Sending large files, video calling, and so much more ā everything is possible in the cloud.
Robin Damen
A cloud server is a virtual server that runs on a cloud computing platform. At Virtual Computing we use these servers to give businesses flexible and scalable cloud workspaces.
Mohammad Moghtader
Working online is the norm today, but it also comes with risks. Hackers and cybercriminals prey on unsecured networks.
Mohammad Moghtader
To answer the question 'what is cloud computing,' we explain in this blog what it entails and what benefits it offers.
Robin Damen
What is cloud telephony? Cloud telephony is changing how businesses make and receive calls. Instead of a physical phone system, you call over the internet.
Mohammad Moghtader
What do you need to know about switching to the cloud? Which cloud solution best suits your organization? Download our whitepaper.
Robin Damen
Creating a secure cloud workspace requires a layered approach that starts with the foundation: identity management and access control.
Mohammad Moghtader
Nowadays we see many companies working in the cloud, but what exactly is a cloud workspace and how does it work?
Robin Damen