Insights
What the rules say
Each article lists its sources and the date FourWinds last checked it against the law. None is legal advice.
By subject
All articles, newest first
- Search
Keyword research for a small Irish business, with Google's own tools
6 minute read · 14 sources - Online shops
Selling on Etsy, on Amazon or from your own shop: what each charges a seller in Ireland, and what each controls
8 minute read · 17 sources - Processes
A standard operating procedure (SOP) template for a small business, and what each section is for
8 minute read · 8 sources - AI at work
ChatGPT, Microsoft 365 Copilot or Gemini for a small business: price, training on your data, and who controls what
6 minute read · 9 sources - Data protection
GDPR fines in Ireland: what the Data Protection Commission has done to small organisations, from its own published record
8 minute read · 18 sources - Standards
What ISO 27001 certification costs in Ireland, from the certification bodies' own pages
6 minute read · 12 sources - HubSpot
HubSpot pricing for a small team: Starter, Professional and Enterprise in euro, and what each one counts
7 minute read · 12 sources - n8n
n8n for a small business: Cloud plans, what an execution is, and what self-hosting leaves to you
8 minute read · 16 sources - Recruitment
A recruitment CRM for an Irish agency: the licence, candidates' data, and what to automate around it
7 minute read · 11 sources - Cyber security
A firewall for a small office: the router, the laptops, and what neither one stops
8 minute read · 11 sources - Search and AI
Google reviews: how to ask for them, how to reply, and what Google and Irish law forbid
8 minute read · 15 sources - Websites
Redesigning or moving a website: the steps Google sets out, in its order
9 minute read · 6 sources - Data protection
The Data Protection Act 2018: what Ireland's own law adds to the GDPR, and the parts a small business meets
14 minute read · 8 sources - EU AI Act
AI agents in a business: what the AI Act and the GDPR already say about software that acts
9 minute read · 11 sources - Standards
ISO/IEC 42001, the AI management system standard: what it asks, who certifies it in Ireland, and what it does not prove
8 minute read · 15 sources - CRM
HubSpot, Pipedrive or Zoho CRM: free plans, seat prices, limits and where the data is kept
8 minute read · 17 sources - Power Automate
Power Automate with Microsoft 365: what the business plans include, and when you need Premium or Process
7 minute read · 9 sources - Email marketing
Mailchimp, Brevo or Klaviyo: what each charges for, what the free plans allow, and where your list is kept
6 minute read · 12 sources - Online shops
Shopify or WooCommerce for an Irish online shop: what each costs, and the rules that apply to both
6 minute read · 14 sources - Websites
Wix, Squarespace or WordPress: the prices, your own domain, selling online, and leaving
5 minute read · 14 sources - Websites
SSL certificates: what one does, how a site gets one free, and the shorter lifetimes from 2026
6 minute read · 17 sources - Reporting
Power BI or Looker Studio, now Data Studio: what each costs a small business, and who needs a licence
6 minute read · 21 sources - Measurement
Conversion rate on a service business's website: what to count, and how Google Analytics works it out
6 minute read · 18 sources - Tag Manager
Google Tag Manager for a small business: what it is, when the Google tag is enough, and who should own it
8 minute read · 17 sources - Email and files
Google Workspace or Microsoft 365: what each business plan includes, at Irish prices
8 minute read · 21 sources - Microsoft 365
SharePoint for a small business: what it is, what you get, and the settings to decide once
7 minute read · 16 sources - Chat and meetings
Microsoft Teams or Slack: what each costs, what the free plans keep, and how each works with outsiders
5 minute read · 15 sources - Accounting software
Xero, Sage or QuickBooks: Irish prices, bank feeds and VAT returns compared
6 minute read · 19 sources - Payroll
Payroll software in Ireland: what Revenue requires of it, and what BrightPay, Thesaurus and Sage charge
6 minute read · 21 sources - Project management
Asana, Trello, monday.com or Microsoft Planner: project management software for a small team, priced
5 minute read · 6 sources - Standards
SOC 2 or ISO 27001: a CPA's report or an accredited certificate
4 minute read · 9 sources - Cyber security
A ransomware attack: what to do in the first hour, and who to tell
6 minute read · 12 sources - Microsoft 365
Microsoft Intune for a small business: what it manages, what it costs, and what it leaves to you
7 minute read · 13 sources - Booking tools
Calendly or Microsoft Bookings: calendars, reminders, payment and the booker's details
6 minute read · 20 sources - E-signatures
Docusign, Adobe Acrobat Sign or a cheaper option: what Irish and EU law accept, and what each costs
8 minute read · 13 sources - Online forms
Collecting personal data with Google Forms or Microsoft Forms: the account, the settings and the notice
6 minute read · 19 sources - Standards
ISO 27001 in plain words: what it asks of a business, and what certification means
5 minute read · 6 sources - Microsoft 365
Two-step sign-in for every Microsoft 365 user: the admin screens, in order
5 minute read · 4 sources - Research
Email security in five Irish sectors: 4,101 domains, read on 29 October 2026
6 minute read · 6 sources - Microsoft 365
Microsoft Authenticator for a small team: set-up, sign-in and new phones
5 minute read · 7 sources - Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 Basic, Standard or Premium: what each adds for security, at Irish prices
5 minute read · 6 sources - Passwords
A password manager for a small business: what to look for, and how to run one
5 minute read · 3 sources - AI at work
Microsoft Copilot and the GDPR: what to check before you switch it on
3 minute read · 3 sources - Data protection
Special category data: what counts, and what holding it changes
2 minute read · 3 sources - Data protection
What a data processing agreement must contain: the Article 28 checklist
3 minute read · 3 sources - Data protection
Controller or processor? How to tell which you are, relationship by relationship
2 minute read · 3 sources - Automation
Zapier, Make, Power Automate or n8n: which suits a small business
2 minute read · 5 sources - Automation
What to automate first in a small business, and how to tell if it is worth it
3 minute read · 4 sources - Advertising
What Google Ads costs in Ireland: clicks for sixty local searches, and the rest of the bill
3 minute read · 3 sources - Websites
Testing your website's speed, and what the numbers mean
2 minute read · 3 sources - Websites
Website hosting for an Irish business: what the price buys, and what to ask
3 minute read · 3 sources - Websites
Registering a .ie domain: who can, what proof you need, and whose name it goes in
2 minute read · 3 sources - Websites
How much does a business website cost in Ireland?
3 minute read · 3 sources - Search and AI
A Google Business Profile for a business with no shopfront
2 minute read · 3 sources - Search and AI
Why is my website not showing on Google? Six checks, in order
3 minute read · 5 sources - Search and AI
AI crawlers and robots.txt: what to allow, what to block, and how it is read
3 minute read · 8 sources - Search and AI
llms.txt: what it is, who says they read it, and whether to bother
3 minute read · 3 sources - Search and AI
How Google's AI features, ChatGPT and other assistants find and cite a business
4 minute read · 8 sources - Cyber security
Someone clicked a phishing link at work: what to do, in order
3 minute read · 4 sources - Cyber security
Cyber security for a small Irish business: the six measures, and the proof
4 minute read · 4 sources - Email security
SPF, DKIM and DMARC on Google Workspace: the records and the order
3 minute read · 3 sources - Email security
SPF, DKIM and DMARC on Microsoft 365: the records and the order
4 minute read · 3 sources - Email security
SPF "too many DNS lookups": what it means and how to fix it
4 minute read · 3 sources - Cyber insurance
What does it cost to meet cyber insurance requirements in Ireland?
6 minute read · 8 sources - Email security
What does DMARC set-up cost?
5 minute read · 6 sources - GDPR
What does GDPR compliance cost a small Irish business?
5 minute read · 8 sources - Choosing help
FourWinds Protect or a managed IT provider: which do you need?
5 minute read · 4 sources - GDPR
A record of processing for a small Irish business: what goes in it, and whether you need one
16 minute read · 17 sources - Marketing and ePrivacy
When an Irish business can send marketing email and texts without consent
19 minute read · 36 sources - GDPR
CCTV in an Irish shop, salon, clinic or office: before the cameras go up, and after
15 minute read · 16 sources - EU AI Act
Your staff use ChatGPT. What the law asks, and a policy to adopt
15 minute read · 13 sources - Backups
Your backup shows green. What the GDPR and an insurer expect you to show
16 minute read · 23 sources - Cyber security
Two-step sign-in on every mailbox: turning it on, and proving it
15 minute read · 40 sources - GDPR
Does a small Irish business need a Data Protection Officer?
16 minute read · 25 sources - European Accessibility Act
What an Irish online shop's accessibility statement must say, and who does not need one
17 minute read · 17 sources - Cookies
Does your website track visitors before they say yes? How to check it yourself
18 minute read · 31 sources - GDPR
A subject access request has arrived. What you owe, and by when
22 minute read · 24 sources - Payment fraud
A supplier emails new bank details. What should happen next
18 minute read · 18 sources - Email security
Can someone send email as your business? What SPF, DKIM and DMARC decide
23 minute read · 23 sources - NIS2
Your customer is under NIS2. What they will ask you, the supplier
23 minute read · 18 sources - GDPR
GDPR for a small Irish business, and what the Data Protection Commission deals with
18 minute read · 33 sources - Compliance deadlines
The legal clocks that can start running against an Irish business, and what starts each one
21 minute read · 28 sources - Cyber insurance
What a cyber insurer asks an Irish small business, and how to answer it truthfully
18 minute read · 19 sources - Cyber security
A customer wants a security standard. CyFun, ISO 27001 or Cyber Essentials?
17 minute read · 28 sources - Automation
Automating something that touches personal data: what has to be written down
9 minute read · 5 sources - Measurement
What you are allowed to measure before anybody clicks accept
8 minute read · 3 sources - Regulators
Who regulates what online in Ireland, and who can contact you
9 minute read · 8 sources - Digital Services Act
Does the Digital Services Act apply to an Irish online shop?
10 minute read · 5 sources - Cyber Resilience Act
Does the Cyber Resilience Act cover a website, or a SaaS?
9 minute read · 4 sources - NIS2
NIS2 is not Irish law yet. Here is when it still reaches you.
22 minute read · 29 sources - European Accessibility Act
WCAG AA on an Irish website: what the law asks, and what to fix
10 minute read · 9 sources - European Accessibility Act
Does the European Accessibility Act apply to your website?
10 minute read · 7 sources - GDPR
Health research in Ireland: explicit consent, and the way around it
8 minute read · 6 sources - GDPR
You have had a data breach. What the first 72 hours require
22 minute read · 20 sources - Cookies
Cookie banners in Ireland, and what the DPC said
21 minute read · 28 sources - GDPR
Sending personal data to the US from Ireland, in 2026
11 minute read · 7 sources - GDPR
Do you need a DPIA? Ireland has its own list, and it is specific
10 minute read · 11 sources - EU AI Act
Who regulates AI in Ireland, and which one is yours
20 minute read · 19 sources - EU AI Act
AI literacy: a real duty, and nothing you have to buy
8 minute read · 11 sources - EU AI Act
Does your chatbot have to tell people it is AI? Yes, unless that is obvious.
9 minute read · 6 sources - EU AI Act
Does the EU AI Act apply to my business?
14 minute read · 11 sources - European Accessibility Act
Being a microenterprise exempts your website. It does not exempt your shelf.
16 minute read · 13 sources - Cyber Resilience Act
If you ship software, a 24 hour reporting clock has applied since 11 September 2026
9 minute read · 5 sources - Measurement
What server-side conversion tracking does, and what it does not
11 minute read · 7 sources - GDPR
An SEO plugin update exposed board reports, and the Data Protection Commission made three findings
7 minute read · 4 sources - Funding
Irish digital grants in 2026: the one that closed, and the one that did not
6 minute read · 4 sources - Support
What Support, our monthly service, covers
3 minute read · 1 source - GDPR
Does a small Irish business website need a privacy notice?
10 minute read · 11 sources - Integrations
What it takes to connect Revolut Business to your accounts package
8 minute read · 3 sources - Funding
What Irish state funding for AI pays for
8 minute read · 12 sources - GDPR
AI in hiring: the rule that is already in force
10 minute read · 11 sources - EU AI Act
Article 25: when using AI makes you its provider
10 minute read · 7 sources - EU AI Act
The EU AI Act: what starts on 2 December 2026, and what waits until December 2027
24 minute read · 23 sources