Small Business Technology

1. Windows 10 End of Support Forces Long-Overdue Device Decisions

Now that Windows 10 support ended in October 2025, many small businesses have to take a closer look at aging laptops and desktops that were previously meeting basic needs. Microsoft’s Windows 10 lifecycle documentation makes it clear that once support ends, devices no longer receive security updates, which increases security risk.

At the same time, many older devices will not meet Microsoft’s Windows 11 hardware requirements, so an upgrade path is not always available. For SMBs, the bigger issue is the day-to-day support burden: too many device types, inconsistent configurations, and manual updates that strain limited IT time.

Practical steps to take now:

• Build a simple device inventory to understand what can be upgraded and what must be replaced.
• Standardize on a small set of device models and configurations that meet Windows 11 requirements.
• Use basic endpoint management so updates, encryption, and security settings are applied consistently.

2. AI Moves From Experimentation to Everyday Work

AI is becoming part of everyday work for small businesses. Employees are using it to draft emails, summarize meetings, generate content, and support research, often before formal policies or approved tools are in place.

In 2026, the question is not whether AI can add value. It’s whether it is introduced with clear use cases, simple standards, and a defined review step so outputs are checked before they are shared or acted on. Without that structure, AI use can create inconsistency and increase unnecessary security and compliance risk.

For small businesses, the takeaway is to be deliberate. Productivity gains matter most when tools are introduced with clear guardrails around approved platforms, appropriate data use, and consistent workflows, rather than leaving adoption to individual preference.

Practical steps to take now:

• Identify two or three business use cases worth standardizing, such as customer communications, internal documentation, or meeting summaries.
• Define simple guardrails that clarify approved tools, restricted data, and access levels.
• Provide a set of short “how we use AI” guidelines so usage is consistent and aligned with business expectations.

3. Identity Becomes the Primary Security Control

Most attacks on small businesses don’t start with a sophisticated network break-in. They start with someone logging in using stolen credentials. Phishing, credential reuse, and account takeover remain highly effective, especially when employees access business systems from multiple locations and devices.

Guidance from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) highlights multi-factor authentication as one of the most effective steps to reduce account compromise. As more work moves into cloud apps, identity controls often matter more than the office network perimeter. For many small businesses, the best progress comes from tightening basic access controls rather than adding new tools.

Practical steps to take now:

• Enforce multi-factor authentication broadly, especially for email, administrative tools, and finance systems.
• Remove shared administrator accounts and reduce excessive privileges.
• Adopt passkeys or passwordless authentication where supported by core applications to reduce phishing risk.

4. Backup Alone Is Not Enough Without Proven Recovery

Many small businesses assume they’re protected because they have backups. In practice, ransomware and outages often expose recovery gaps, such as backups that can’t be accessed, restores that take too long, or missing credentials at the worst moment.

Federal ransomware preparedness guidance and NIST’s small business cybersecurity resources both emphasize protecting backups and validating recovery processes before an incident occurs so recovery is possible when it matters and downtime is minimized.

Practical steps to take now:

• Secure backup systems with separate access controls, multi-factor authentication, and limited administrative rights.
• Enable immutability or retention protections where supported to prevent tampering.
• Test restores on a routine basis to confirm recovery assumptions and reduce downtime risk.

5. SaaS Sprawl Increases Costs and Security Exposure

As SaaS adoption grows, subscriptions multiply, features overlap, and licenses often go unused. But over time, this sprawl can increase costs, complicate support, and leave behind unnecessary access that expands the attack surface. SaaS sprawl becomes a problem when organizations lack clear ownership and visibility into application usage. Managing subscription growth is not just a budgeting exercise. It is also a governance and security challenge, particularly for small businesses with limited IT oversight and fast-changing toolsets.

Practical steps to take now:

• Consolidate overlapping applications where possible.
• Define clear ownership for approving new SaaS tools and reviewing usage.
• Regularly remove inactive users and reclaim unused licenses to reduce cost and risk.

The 2026 Priority: Fewer Emergencies, Smoother Work

Across these trends, the theme is simple: small businesses need to modernize in a few unavoidable areas while putting basic standards in place for fast-growing tools. Focusing on device readiness, identity controls, recovery planning, and SaaS oversight reduces risk without adding unnecessary complexity.

Our Small Business Guide to Cybersecurity helps to identify valuable assets and conduct a risk assessment for your small business. If you want support turning these priorities into a practical plan, Connection can help you assess what to fix first and then plan, source, deploy, and manage the technology with your team’s capacity in mind.

Success in 2026 is less about adding new tools and more about keeping systems stable, risks manageable, and day-to-day work running smoothly.

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Small Business Printers

Printers are a common feature in any small business. But not all printers are the same and they’re not equally suited for each printing task. The printer used by a law firm to print extensive contracts is not going to be used to print transaction receipts at a retailer or to print large banners at an ad agency. Find the right printer to meet your unique business needs.

Small Business Printers