How SMB IT Leaders Can Collaborate Across the Cloud

Unifying Communication and File Sharing

Lori Mac Vittie, distinguished engineer in the office of the CTO at F5, says no platform is going to satisfy everyone. But fragmenting communication and file sharing reinforces existing silos and makes it hard to change behavior.

“Don’t forget to keep communication, content and meetings within the same environment,” she says. “Don’t mix and match. This is collaboration, not a buffet line.”

She recommends choosing an integrated platform such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace and staying with it, cautioning that nothing undermines collaboration faster than training everyone on one system and then abandoning it for another.

Organizations should align artificial intelligence copilots and assistants with the same collaboration platform. If your copilot cannot reach the conversations, documents and channels where work happens, it becomes a novelty.

“Integration makes AI genuinely useful by surfacing context, automating responses and turning collaboration into an intelligent feedback loop instead of background noise,” Vittie says.

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Standardizing Access Policies, Implementing SSO

To simplify and secure access to business applications, it’s essential to have consistent policies SSO for both cloud and on-premises tools.

Start by choosing an identity provider — such as Microsoft Entra ID or Okta — that can connect your existing on-premises directory (such as Active Directory) with all of your cloud apps.

“This way, your team only needs one set of credentials to access what they need,” explains Shannon Byrne, former global vice president of SMB marketing at HPE.

Set up clear access policies based on job roles and use multifactor authentication for all users to reduce the risk of unauthorized access. Standardizing these policies ensures everyone gets the right access and helps protect your business data.

Byrne adds that organizations should ensure their SSO solutions support common protocols (such as SAML and OAuth) so it works smoothly with all applications.

“Automate the process for adding and removing users as people join or leave the company and regularly review access logs to spot any unusual activity,” she says.

Cloud Collaboration and Security

Byrne says cloud-based collaboration tools, such as Microsoft 365 for Business, are game changers for SMBs. Features such as real-time co-editing in Word, Excel and PowerPoint enable simultaneous collaboration on documents, whether team members are in the office or working remotely.

“This eliminates the hassle of emailing files back and forth, ensuring everyone is always on the same page,” she says.

Byrne says that permissions management in Microsoft 365 offers complete control over who can view, edit or share business documents.

Additionally, built-in security features such as file encryption, automatic backups and detailed audit logs provide peace of mind and support regulatory compliance.

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Shared Repositories and Role-Based Access

Vittie recommends building around roles rather than individuals, noting that a shared repository should mirror how work flows, not who happens to hold a title.

“Automate role assignments through your identity system and keep structure predictable with templates, consistent folders and logical tagging,” she says. “If people have to search endlessly for files, you have lost the efficiency you paid for.”

This alignment extends to AI copilots and assistants. They must inherit the same role-based access controls as the people they support. When copilots operate inside the same identity and permission framework, their recommendations stay contextually relevant and secure.

“That consistency prevents overreach, protects sensitive data and ensures AI enhances collaboration instead of exposing it,” Vittie says.

Automation, Integration and the API Contract

Automation is the connective tissue that holds collaboration together. Every handoff among systems, tools and clouds introduces risk and delay. Application programming interfaces bridge that gap only when they are consistent, secure and stable.

Well-documented APIs make systems interoperable without custom glue code. Stability matters even more. If a vendor changes endpoints or payload structures every quarter, that is not an API, it is an outage in disguise.

“Stable, documented and consistently secured APIs form the backbone of a collaborative ecosystem,” Vittie says.

They allow IT to automate provisioning, synchronize identity and permissions, and maintain operational continuity across hybrid environments.

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Training and IT Support

Byrne says that for SMBs, the successful adoption of new collaboration technologies depends on more than just purchasing the right solutions; the team must know how to use them effectively.

CDW Managed Services can also help SMBs navigate hybrid cloud environments with integrated tools, continuous support and services tailored for small businesses.

“Training and IT support are vital to helping staff quickly get comfortable with new tools, reducing confusion, minimizing errors and keeping productivity high,” she says.

When employees understand how to utilize collaboration platforms and hardware, she adds, they can work together more efficiently and confidently — which helps the business derive the maximum value from its investment.