For modern businesses, the Internet is no longer just a utility. It is the foundation of daily operations. Email, cloud file storage, accounting systems, VoIP phones, security tools, and remote access all depend on continuous connectivity. When the Internet goes down, work stops. That makes a single Internet connection a single point of failure.

Privacy regulations are evolving rapidly, and this year could be a pivotal year for businesses of all sizes. With recent state, national, and international rules layered on top of previously existing requirements, staying compliant is no longer optional. A basic policy won’t suffice; you need a comprehensive 2026 Privacy Compliance Checklist that clearly outlines the latest changes, from updated consent protocols to stricter data transfer standards.

Thanksgiving is a time to slow down, spend time with the people who matter, and maybe eat far more than we planned. It is also a time when many small businesses loosen up a bit. Staff take vacation days. Offices close early. Security habits get relaxed. That is exactly when cybercriminals go to work.

The mass migration to cloud-based environments continues as organizations realize the inherent benefits. Cloud solutions are the technology darlings of today’s digital landscape. They offer a perfect marriage of innovative technology and organizational needs. However, it also raises significant compliance concerns for organizations. Compliance involves a complex combination of legal and technical requirements. Organizations that fail to meet these standards can face significant fines and increased regulatory scrutiny. With data privacy mandates such as HIPAA and PCI DSS in effect, businesses must carefully navigate an increasingly intricate compliance landscape.

Small businesses often struggle to leverage technology effectively. It can be a challenge just to survive, much less thrive. In many cases, they instinctively fall back on a reactive approach to I.T. challenges, rather than planning and acting proactively. That’s where an I.T. roadmap can help. It becomes a digital compass for organizations, a strategic document that provides alignment between technology needs, initiatives, and business goals.

AI has quickly moved from being a buzzword to something most of us use every day. Not in a sci-fi sense, and not as a replacement for people, but as a tool to help get work done faster. Small and mid-sized businesses use AI to schedule meetings, write drafts, summarize documents, generate reports, answer support questions, and even help spot cyber threats.

Picture this: A well-respected developer at a major U.S. firm was marked as a “top performer” year after year. Behind the scenes, though, he was quietly mailing his company security token overseas so a consulting firm in China could log into the corporate VPN and write his code for him, while he spent his workday browsing Reddit and watching cat videos. (Yes, this really happened. Here's the story.)

Last week, I was working with a client who got what looked like a normal email. It said:

Web browsers are starting to change in a big way. A recent Dark Web article showed that , instead of just showing you websites, some of the new AI-powered browsers can actually take actions on your behalf. They can click buttons, add items to shopping carts, or even complete a purchase for you.

When something online is labeled as “free,” it’s tempting to give it a try. After all, who doesn’t like saving money? But in cybersecurity, free often comes with hidden costs, and sometimes those costs are higher than you could ever imagine.

Imagine getting an email from your own company telling you to transfer money to a vendor. It looks legitimate, the signature matches, and it uses the right company logo. But it didn’t come from you at all. That’s email spoofing, and it’s happening to small businesses every day.

A recent investigation by KrebsOnSecurity uncovered more than 1,200 online gaming websites tied to a scam network. These sites are made to look polished and legitimate. They offer free credits or bonus payouts, but once someone deposits cryptocurrency to claim a prize, the site disappears—and the money is gone.