The latest report on the impact of technology on small businesses from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reveals that 85% of small businesses are confident technology will help their organization grow. So, it’s not surprising that SMBs are deciding how to best modernize their technological frameworks in the new year.
From outsourcing IT staff to graduating from Windows 10, here are three SMB tech trends to watch in 2025.
1. IT Staff Augmentation Will Help Manage IT Environments
IT staff augmentation is an ideal solution for SMBs struggling to build and maintain robust IT teams and technology environments in-house. And right now, that’s a lot of SMBs.
According to McKinsey, about half of small business owners report difficulty filling open positions, and 9 in 10 have few or no qualified candidates. This could become an even larger challenge for growing businesses, as IT budget cuts could rise as high as 30% for SMBs with over 25 full-time employees.
Fortunately, staff augmentation can be a more cost- and time-efficient way for SMBs to acquire talent to cover key gaps as the business scales, be it for a couple weeks or many months.
DIVE DEEPER: Explore a world of technology solutions specially crafted for small businesses.
There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for IT staff augmentation, nor are SMBs limited to one or two types. Between outsourcing, IT consulting and more, SMBs can choose the kinds of IT staff augmentation that work best for them and experience benefits including reduced IT costs, which can be particularly advantageous for resource-strapped startups.
“In the end, when considering the resource-constrained environment in which most startups exist, a staff augmentation strategy can offer significant advantages for some companies,” Andrew Amann, CEO of NineTwoThree Studio, writes in Forbes. “With a proper staff augmentation strategy, startups will have the flexibility and runway they need to stay agile throughout their early operations.”
Click the banner below to explore the solutions you need to give everyone a seat at the table.
2. The Age of AI Will Force Bolstered Security
Artificial intelligence can be a double-edged sword where security is concerned, capable of bolstering cybersecurity even as its use across operations can require additional security. This poses a unique challenge that most SMBs aren’t ready to handle, as over half don’t currently have cybersecurity measures in place, according to Verizon. So, with 94% of SMBs now considering cybersecurity to be critical to their business, organizations are looking to revamp their security approaches in this age of AI.
Recent Microsoft Security SMB research finds that 81% of SMBs are focused on increasing security for AI applications. What’s more, more than half of SMBs that aren’t already using AI security tools plan to deploy them in the next six months.
SMBs may also consider implementing advanced automation software, such as security orchestration, automation, and response solutions. This can help them react to threats in a more timely, robust manner.
WATCH: BizTech Editor Bob Keaveney discusses the top tech trends for small businesses in 2025.
According to Fortinet, “With SOAR, an organization can manage, plan and coordinate how they react to a security threat. The automation feature of SOAR eliminates the risk of human error. This makes response more accurate and cuts down on the amount of time it takes for security issues to be remedied.”
There are also three important security assessments every SMB should explore in 2025: penetration testing, incident response testing and a rapid maturity assessment. These tests can help SMBs take a more proactive approach to bolstering their cyber resilience — a must, as over 60% of SMBs are temporarily unable to operate after experiencing a cyberattack.
3. Windows 11 Upgrades Will Be a Top Priority
Today, more than twice as many people use Windows 10 as Windows 11, the newer Microsoft operating system first launched in 2021. But with support for Windows 10 ending on Oct.14, 2025, SMBs will need to focus on upgrading.
And they must begin their transitions soon. Because not every end-user device is equipped to run Windows 11, some SMBs will have to first upgrade their devices, which can take some time.
Whatever the path entails, the journey to Windows 11 will be well worth it. Among other benefits, it integrates zero-trust security models along with other security features to better defend against sophisticated security threats. Windows 11 also boasts integrated AI tools such as Copilot, a personal AI assistant that can help streamline workflows and enhance employee productivity.
Ultimately, SMBs that delay or refuse to upgrade will be doing themselves a major disservice. As CDW experts John Coleman and Sean Woodmansee recently wrote for BizTech, “Those that haven’t upgraded to the Windows 11 OS will be taking a big chance with their security, their worker experience and their most basic operations. We strongly recommend against that.”
UP NEXT: Learn why small businesses are turning to productivity suites to accelerate operations.
