Whilst we don’t have a crystal ball to reveal exactly what will happen in the year ahead, we do know one thing for certain. Technology will continue to evolve rapidly, and small to medium businesses will need to evolve too if they want to remain competitive, relevant, and growing successfully.

From building resilience and enhancing cybersecurity to adopting new technologies for enhanced business performance, there are many IT strategies that will benefit your business in 2025. Here, we’ll run through the six that we recognise as the most important for SMBs in the UK.

Top 6 technology trends for 2025

Which technology trends and developments should SMB owners be aware of this year? We predict that these are the key trends that will impact small businesses in the coming months.

1. Enhanced cybersecurity measures

Sadly, as we waved goodbye to 2024, we didn’t say ‘good riddance’ to the cyber criminals too. They’re very prevalent still, and their cyber threats are growing ever more sophisticated. The ways that they can attempt to penetrate your IT systems and scam your people continue to rise, both in number and complexity.

Trying to stay one step ahead of cyber criminals needs to be a high priority for SMBs. That calls for advanced security solutions. Two key tech advancements have emerged to help with this. Firstly, Zero Trust architecture which ensures that every access request is verified, regardless of who or where that is. Secondly, AI-driven security tools have increased in popularity as they automatically detect and react to threats in real-time.

Secure data protection is no longer simply a nice to have. In 2025, stricter regulatory compliance and standards will mean that securing sensitive data appropriately will be essential. What’s more, your customers will expect it from you too.

Protecting these valuable, and vulnerable, data assets is crucial. Firstly, apply advanced security solutions to maximise data protection and minimise your risk of attack. Secondly, you should consider cyber insurance which can help your business to recover from a cyber attack. These attacks can be absolutely devastating for businesses, and the likelihood of them happening is high. Protecting your business and its data with a cyber insurance policy can be a smart move and an investment in its future longevity.

How Mirus’s managed IT support can help: we offer comprehensive cyber security services that are tailored for SMBs. We’re experts in this area and can ensure that your business is compliant and protected by exceptional cyber security.

2. Integration of advanced AI capabilities

Let’s leave the narrative on ‘scary’ AI in 2024. Looking ahead, let’s embrace the positive opportunities and efficiencies that AI can bring to your business. AI-powered tools enable SMBs to automate repetitive tasks, improve workflows, analyse data quickly, and enhance customer service.

We’ve discovered the efficiency gains provided by Microsoft Copilot for ourselves. It’s a great tool that can take on tedious daily tasks, like taking meeting notes or summarising lengthy documents or emails for example. That frees you up to focus your attention elsewhere.

Leverage AI for better business insights and strategic planning. Let AI dive deep into your data and summarise the findings for you to analyse. It can really streamline the analysis process, making it easier to make those all-important data-driven decisions.

Have you considered using Microsoft Copilot for customer service? Use it to provide round-the-clock customer assistance, generate personalised responses, resolve customer issues quickly and analyse their feedback. The cookie-cutter approach won’t cut it in 2025 though. This year, marketing needs to create personalised experiences for your target market. AI can help with this too. For example, it can draw on previous customer behaviour to make personalised recommendations, or to use their preferences to guide customers towards your most appropriate products or services.

How Mirus’s managed IT support can help: we’re advocates of Microsoft Copilot and can advise you on how best to implement it in your business, integrating it seamlessly within your existing Microsoft 365 environment.

3. Expansion of Microsoft Teams Voice

The landline is being cut off. BT will cease using it at the end of this year. If you haven’t adopted hosted voice services (VOIP) already, this is the year to do it. We believe that Microsoft Teams Telephony is the simplest, and most robust, solution for small to medium businesses. Why?

Unified communication

You may well be using Microsoft Teams to collaborate within your business. By integrating Voice too, you have a single tool for everything – voice, video and chat.

Remote and hybrid work support

Hybrid work has become the norm. Use Microsoft Teams Voice to bridge the gap between in-office and remote employees. It’s the ideal tool for enhancing collaboration with dispersed teams.

Cost-effective communication solution

If you already have a Microsoft licence (E5), you’ll already have access to Teams Voice. Otherwise, it’s simply a case of incorporating it into your existing business toolkit. This is considerably less costly than traditional telephony systems.

How Mirus’s managed IT support can help: we’ve helped numerous SMBs with migrating to and optimising Microsoft Teams Voice. It’s a simple solution that can futureproof your business, and we can help you to adopt Microsoft Teams Voice with minimal disruption to your business.

4. Leveraging culture-building tools

Your company culture plays an important role in staff retention. For many new recruits, it can be the deciding factor between choosing one employer or another. So, using technology to improve and build your company culture makes business sense. For us, SharePoint-based intranets (Fresh Intranet in particular) are a game-changer for boosting employee engagement, collaboration and morale.

Enhanced collaboration: Fresh Intranet makes it easy to connect, collaborate and share information and ideas. Used well, it can become your single source of truth – your go-to hub for information.

Improved employee engagement: use the interactive tools to gather valuable insights from across your business, helping to foster a collaborative and inclusive workplace culture. It can also be a hub for fun! Celebrate achievements, anniversaries and birthdays, and plan social events there.

Customised, scalable solutions: your business is unique, so make sure to tailor your intranet to meet your specific business needs. Select the add-on features that will help your business to run better.

How Mirus’s managed IT support can help: chat to us about designing and implementing Fresh Intranet to align with your company culture. Together, we can create the best intranet for your business.

5. Smarter, more strategic IT and cloud services

Cloud computing is nothing new, but in 2025 there’ll be a notable shift towards intelligent clouds that optimise data usage and enhance decision-making.

When you migrate to cloud platforms, you may feel a sense of freedom from your legacy infrastructure. Cloud adoption enables increased flexibility and scalability. Leverage cloud technologies to lower your IT overheads by replacing, or at least reducing, your on-premises systems.

Think holistically about your business objectives and align the best technologies and approach to meet those requirements. Cloud services can be cost-effective for SMBs. Importantly, you can choose the cloud service that works for your business – tailored solutions at cost-effective prices!

How Mirus’s managed IT support can help: not only can we deliver Microsoft 365 cloud services, but we’re also on hand for strategic IT consulting for SMBs and can provide ongoing support and management of your cloud infrastructure too.

6. Emphasis on IT resilience and business continuity

Stuff happens – cyber-attacks, IT or power outages, or human errors for starters. It’s important to put measures in place to reduce your risks, build business resilience and plan how to recover from a disastrous incident.

As the likelihood of a cyber incident (or other disaster) rises, so does the need for business resilience and crisis planning. We advise SMBs to upgrade and modernise your IT systems to make them more robust. Make sure software and patch systems are updated regularly. Develop back-up and recovery plans to minimise downtime if an incident occurs. Implement systems that ensure business operations can continue if systems fail.

How Mirus’s managed IT support can help: we can work with you to enhance your IT resilience and support business continuity. With a managed service provider like Mirus by your side, you’re better placed to minimise the potentially devastating effects of a disastrous incident.

Get ahead of the technology trends this year

There are exciting opportunities for SMBs in 2025, and technology can play a transformative role in your business growth and efficiency.

As a managed IT support provider, at Mirus we’re here to help you navigate these changes effectively. We can support you to determine the best solutions for your business and implement them seamlessly. Please get in touch to find out more about our SMB consultations and services.