Lighthouse IT

08/20/2026

Good food, a little friendly competition, and a chance to hang out with some of the people who keep Lighthouse running every day. Thanks to everyone who came out to our Summer Party. We had a great time and are already looking forward to next year!
(In case you are wondering about some of the expressions, there was a watermelon seed spitting contest for distance and accuracy, and we have some real competitors).

08/10/2026

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reported that nearly 4 in 5 small businesses say technology platforms help them prevent passing cost increases to consumers and mitigate supply chain difficulties. Eighty-five percent of small businesses are confident technology will help their organization grow.

Technology is not a cost center anymore. It is the only reason small margins survive inflation.

Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce (https://www.uschamber.com/assets/documents/Empowering-Small-Business-Report-2025.pdf)

08/07/2026

08/05/2026

Worldwide IT spending is expected to hit $6.15 trillion (a 10.8% increase) in 2026, driven largely by AI investments and security modernization across all business sizes. Source: https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-02-03-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-it-spending-to-grow-10-point-8-percent-in-2026-totaling-6-point-15-trillion-dollars

If your IT budget has not grown this year, you are falling behind whether you realize it or not.

Worldwide IT spending is expected to reach $6.15 trillion in 2026, up 10.8% from 2025, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company.

08/05/2026

SensCy research found that generative AI phishing emails in 2025 had nearly double the open rate of traditional phishing, sounding natural and matching organizational communication styles. Source: https://senscy.com/top-3-cybersecurity-threats-of-2025-what-small-businesses-need-to-know/

Your employees can no longer spot phishing by "bad grammar." The next generation of attacks will sound exactly like your CEO.

The cybersecurity landscape has evolved dramatically in 2025. While traditional threats like phishing remain prevalent, three emerging dangers are fundamentally changing how small and midsize businesses (SMBs) must approach their defense strategies. What makes these threats particularly concerning i...

08/04/2026

Microsoft 365 Copilot just passed 30 million paid seats. SMBs are adopting AI for drafting, summarizing, and automating routine work at a pace most IT teams didn't expect. The question is no longer whether to use AI, it is whether your IT team can help you use it securely and cost-effectively. Microsoft Blog (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2026/07/30/the-next-measure-of-ai-momentum-is-work-transformed/)

New data from Microsoft 365 Copilot telemetry signals, along with examples from our customers around the world, demonstrate AI transformation in action.

07/31/2026

Forbes reports that small business tech and innovation is shifting faster than ever, with AI integration, cloud migration, and cybersecurity converging into a single priority list. The businesses that thrive are the ones treating technology as a growth strategy, not just a cost center.
Source:

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