Business Solutions & Software Group Blog

Does your business look at its Point of Sale (POS) system as a simple digital cash register? In reality, it’s the centralized system that keeps your business running. When it works, it works, but when it doesn’t, your entire business could grind to a halt. These systems are much more complex than they used to be, so we want to help you adjust by addressing the five greatest challenges that your business will face with its modern POS system.

For technology professionals, supporting small businesses is a constant balance between high-stakes problem-solving and strategic frustration. While tools are more accessible than ever, the gap between owning technology and utilizing it correctly remains a primary point of contention. As we move through 2026, IT experts are focusing on four critical areas where businesses must evolve.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked excitement, innovation, and, let's be honest, a fair bit of anxiety. It's a conversation happening in offices, factories, and even around dinner tables: "Is AI coming for my job?" It's a valid concern. We've seen incredible advancements, from AI writing articles and generating art to automating complex data analysis. So, how many jobs are truly at risk, and what does this mean for the future of work?

Over the years, I have watched many industries get disrupted, but few have evolved as dramatically as the automotive sector. In just over two decades, the car has undergone a total metamorphosis. We have moved past the era of purely mechanical machines into an age where our vehicles are essentially high-performance computers on wheels.

Let’s look back at the 25-year digital revolution that turned the automobile into an intelligent, interconnected ecosystem.

The money you throw at anything to do with your business can work as one of two things: a fix or an investment. Obviously, the latter option is the better one, but how can you tell if your spending is actually helping support your future successes?

Here, you’ll find four questions that will act as a sort of litmus test to help you answer that question.

One of the more frustrating parts of running a business with an IT budget is the rush to spend all those dollars before they get redistributed to other departments. This happens more often than you might think, yet despite this, you have businesses spending without thought, trying to use up the funds before they dry up. In reality, you want to have each of your IT purchases be an investment in the future of your business—an investment made with intention and thought.

Do you remember Tay? In 2016, Microsoft launched an AI chatbot on Twitter, named Tay, designed to learn from casual and playful conversation. The result was a spectacular public failure. Within 16 hours, the Internet had taught Tay to be wildly offensive, racist, and conspiratorial. Microsoft had to pull the plug in a panic.

You’ve invested serious money into your manufacturing equipment. We’re talking about your half-million-dollar workhorses that are supposed to be driving profit. If you’re being honest, though, you’re often just waiting for the next thing to break.

You run your machines hard, and if you only act when the alarm sounds, the grinding noise gets too loud, or the machine throws that dreaded red maintenance light, you’re cooked.

Have you been struggling to read small text or see details on a webpage or in an application? The solution is simple: zoom in! While basic, many people aren't aware of the powerful, built-in zooming functions available. Today, we've compiled helpful tricks to improve your viewing experience, including a powerful tool we bet you haven't tried.

Cryptocurrency is one of the more interesting technological innovations that has been introduced over the past 15 years.

The rise of cryptocurrency has changed finance, but it has also provided cybercriminals with a powerful tool to monetize their illicit activities, primarily through ransomware. Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts a victim's files, extorting payment in cryptocurrency—usually Bitcoin—in exchange for the decryption key. Understanding why criminals favor this digital asset and what businesses can do is essential for modern defense.

It can be challenging for small to medium-sized businesses to see the true value of artificial intelligence. After all, up until not that long ago, most people associated AI with things like the Terminator, so it has a bit of a reputation to make up for. Regardless, AI is now accessible enough that even these SMBs can embrace its features.

Let’s review some of the ways you could incorporate AI into your business, relatively easily.

A data backup is meant to give you a sense of relief, a safety net in case of disaster. This means it needs to be reliable… but what if it isn’t?

Too many businesses simply set up a backup and never think about it again, working under the assumption that all is well and everything is working according to design. Often, it is too late by the time these issues come to light, and the backup is needed but isn’t there.

Having a backup is a good start. However, the real difference comes from having a backup that you know will work. 

The idea of an audit might strike fear into your heart, but an IT audit is actually a cause for celebration. You’re finally discovering what needs to be done to improve your business, as well as checking to see whether or not compliance regulations are being met. Today, we want to look at three of the common reasons why a business might fail an IT audit and what you can do to ensure the process is a learning experience that makes your business stronger as a result.

Not to skip over the holidays, but the new year is rapidly approaching, and it is more than clear that—short of a Y2K-level event—artificial intelligence isn’t going anywhere. Quite the opposite: AI is being adopted en masse, and for many, it’s without any oversight or strategy… or appreciation for how dangerous it is to feed data into AI without any thought or consideration.

Your business has a choice to make with its IT solutions: reactive or proactive. You might be wasting countless dollars on an IT model that works against your best interests, and worse, you might not even realize it until it’s too late. Today, we want to explore this idea that reactive IT actively hinders your business’ growth and operations—and what you can do about it.

Running a business isn’t cheap. Nobody can blame you for wanting to save a few bucks wherever you can. That said, one place you should not pinch pennies is your business technology, particularly when it comes to updates. While that old computer may still look like it’s perfectly fine, technology being broken is measured on a spectrum. Yours could easily be holding your business back and costing you potential income.

Let’s estimate just how high these costs could be, and how to resolve them moving forward.  

Business is all about friendly competition, and you might be wondering how your competitors reach out to leads to turn them into paying customers. With automated technology solutions like customer relationship management software, it’s as easy as can be. If your competitors are using innovative new technology solutions in this way, you might also be wondering, “How can I use technology to beat them at their own game?”

The success of a business is heavily dependent on the smooth operation of its technology. When the technology it depends on fails, it can disrupt productivity and ultimately alienate customers. Obviously, this is bad for the profitability of the endeavor. One key to avoiding many of the technology pitfalls you could encounter is a conscious change from a reactive strategy to a proactive one. 

Businesses face a constant tug-of-war. How do you keep your customers coming back while also rigorously protecting the data they share with you? You know it to be true that if you want sustainable success, you’ll need to do both. It's a delicate balance between steps to optimize data protection while also ensuring that it doesn’t hinder your ability to turn a profit. Today, we’re going to take a look at how you can lay down the law while also rolling out the red carpet for your customers. 

For many business owners, choosing the right technology is a real challenge. You're faced with countless hardware and software options, each promising to revolutionize your business, often with a hefty price tag. It's a tough spot to be in: you want to empower your team and innovate, but it's hard to justify the cost of a new tool when it might not be worth the investment. At the same time, holding back can feel like you're stifling progress.