The cloud has leveled the playing field for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), enabling them to scale up and compete with bigger players, but keeping on top of technology trends can be daunting and overwhelming.

Here’s what you should keep an eye in 2023.

Security

We’ve already dove into what’s in store for cybersecurity in 2023, but we can’t overstate the importance of understanding the threats that are out there and growing, as well as the technologies at risk and those that can help you improve your security posture.

Remote work management

Tightly tied to security is your ability to manage remote workers. The hybrid workplace is likely here to stay, so you need to have solutions in place to support employees wherever they are, including best practices for onboarding them and closing off their access should they leave the organization.

Collaboration tools

No matter where your employees work, the ability to efficiently collaborate gives SMBs a competitive edge no matter your industry, and it helps to attract and retain talent. You must have a platform in place for management of files, chat, video meeting and communications to avoid employees getting siloed so they can be efficient, collaborate and engaged. Securely, of course.

Automation

SMBs who want to be nimble and keep pace with larger competitors must look at where they can automate – IT teams need to be able to focus on strategic initiatives such as digital transformation, not every minor aspect of onboarding and managing remote workers including identity management. Having strong polices in place supported by automation will relieve pressure on IT staff and contribute to a better security posture

Sustainability

Businesses of all sizes including SMBs will be under increased pressure to make sure they’re lowering their carbon footprint with more sustainable technology, whether it’s on-premises IT infrastructure or what they’re purchasing through suppliers, including their managed service provider, right down to the chips powering the servers. Reducing your carbon footprint is an opportunity to streamline the technology you’re running and the data you’re storing, so you’re not spending money using energy unnecessarily.

What won’t change in 2023 is that keeping up with technology trends can be daunting for SMBs, which is why you should consider working with a managed service provider to best understand how to adopt and adapt to optimize your operations and improve your bottom line.