Every January, the headlines scream: AI! Crypto! The Metaverse! But if you're running a 15-person firm trying to grow by 20%, what really matters?

We read the trends so you don’t have to.

Here are 3 that deserve your attention — and 2 you can ignore:

1.) AI Inside the Tools You Already Use This isn’t about learning a new app.

AI isn’t just changing how we work—it’s transforming how cybercriminals operate.

From deepfake voicemails that sound just like your CEO to phishing emails crafted by AI with perfect grammar and branding, the game has changed. And small businesses are often the first to get caught off guard.

You set it. You forget it. And just like that, while you’re packing for vacation, your inbox starts automatically broadcasting:

“Hi there! I’m out of the office until [date]. For urgent matters, please contact [coworker’s name and e-mail].”

Sounds harmless, right? Convenient, even.

It's a calm summer morning. Half your team is on vacation. The rest are working remotely from hotels or coffee shops.

Then… everything breaks.

The network crashes.
Printers stop printing.
Shared files disappear.
A phishing email slips through.

When it comes to running a business, most owners consider aspects like quality customer service, reliable products or services, and closely monitored P&Ls as reasons for company success or failure. Most never consider one other sneaky element that is often overlooked as a make-or-break factor because it’s “a boring necessity.

Business e-mail compromise (BEC) is quickly becoming one of the most dangerous cyberthreats businesses face. While these scams have challenged organizations for years, the introduction of advanced AI tools has made them more sophisticated – and far more dangerous.

Imagine you and your team walking into work ready to tackle the day’s tasks when suddenly the Internet goes down, e-mails stop working and productivity grinds to a halt. What would you do? When the “Internet goes down,” most businesses’ operations come to a halt, which can cost thousands in lost productivity and sales.

When it comes to IT support, most business owners assume “good enough” is just that - good enough. But what if your IT provider is actually putting your business at risk with slow responses, poor communication or a lack of proactive solutions?

The truth is, you might not know how bad your IT support is until you see what great IT service looks like.

January isn’t just for fresh starts and ambitious resolutions - it’s the perfect time to evaluate your business’s technology needs. As we step into 2025, staying competitive means leveraging IT solutions that boost efficiency, improve security and prepare you for the demands of a rapidly changing, AI-focused digital world.

In 2024, cyberthreats are no longer just a big-business problem. In fact, large corporations with deep pockets are not the primary target for most cybercriminals. Less well-defended small and medium-sized businesses are increasingly at risk, with the average cost of a data breach now totaling over $4 million (IBM). For many smaller businesses, an incident like this could be devastating.