Business Technology

2025 has arrived and many businesses will need to prepare for a significant event in the tech world. On October 14, Windows 10 will reach its end of support. This means Microsoft will no longer provide updates, patches or security fixes for this operating system.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools seem to be everywhere these days, and your business is looking to implement them and reap the benefits. The tools you currently use might even tout that they are now “powered by AI.” This prospect of increased productivity is exciting, but we should take a step back and assess these tools.

Every business uses technology differently, and how you leverage technology plays a crucial role in your company’s productivity and efficiency. But how well are you aligned with the people managing that technology? What meetings or mechanisms are in place to ensure satisfaction, reinforce strategy and plan for the future?

Now, more than ever, small businesses like yours have to find ways to stand out amongst the crowd and create a valuable customer experience. There are a ton of different options out there for consumers, so how can you gain an edge on the competition and provide a top-notch customer experience? Through technology!

You probably have a lot on your plate when running your small business. Each day brings new challenges, and there isn’t a ton of time to sit down and worry about your cybersecurity strategy. You’re a small business, so why would anyone want to hack you? Wouldn’t they be better off going after a large corporation with loads of cash and data?

A couple of weeks ago, a widespread IT issue caused downtime for industries worldwide. This downtime was caused by an update from the cybersecurity application CrowdStrike that crashed Microsoft operating systems.

Even after a thorough vetting process, switching IT companies can be scary. It’s a new company, new people and, potentially, new solutions and equipment. As you’re considering MSPs, evaluating and understanding their onboarding process is an important part of understanding their long-term service and operations.

Ever since the start of the pandemic in 2020, we’ve seen rapid growth in the number of people working remotely. Pre-pandemic, roughly five percent of full-time employees with office jobs worked primarily from home. In 2023, 28.2% of employees had a hybrid work schedule. You’d love to see more of this in your business so your workforce has the flexibility, but you only want to do so if they can be supported.

If you read our article about the difference between national and local MSPs, you know they are structurally and operationally different.

Odds are, you currently use a video conferencing platform in your business. Whether it’s Microsoft Teams or Zoom, tools like these provide an amazing service that lets you easily connect with your team and clients from anywhere.