by Andrew Shone | Feb 18, 2026 | Cybersecurity, Newsfeed
For years, enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) has been a cornerstone of account and device security. While MFA remains essential, the threat landscape has evolved, making some older methods less effective.
The most common form of MFA, four- or six-digit codes sent via SMS, is convenient and familiar, and it’s certainly better than relying on passwords alone. However, SMS is an outdated technology, and cybercriminals have developed reliable ways to bypass it. For organizations handling sensitive data, SMS-based MFA is no longer sufficient. It’s time to adopt the next generation of phishing-resistant MFA to stay ahead of today’s attackers.
SMS was never intended to serve as a secure authentication channel. Its reliance on cellular networks exposes it to security flaws, particularly in telecommunication protocols such as Signaling System No. 7 (SS7), used for communication between networks.
Attackers know that many businesses still use SMS for MFA, which makes them appealing targets. For instance, hackers can exploit SS7 vulnerabilities to intercept text messages without touching your phone. Techniques such as eavesdropping, message redirection, and message injection can be carried out within the carrier network or during over-the-air transmission.
SMS codes are also vulnerable to phishing. If a user enters their username, password, and SMS code on a fake login page, attackers can capture all three in real time and immediately gain access the legitimate account.
Understanding SIM Swapping Attacks
One of the most dangerous threats to SMS-based security is the SIM swap. In SIM swapping attacks, a criminal contacts your mobile carrier pretending to be you and claims to have lost their phone. They then request the support staff to port your number to a new blank SIM card in their possession.
If they succeed, your phone goes offline, allowing them to receive all calls and SMS messages, including MFA codes for banking and email. Without knowing your password, they can quickly reset credentials and gain full access to your accounts.
This attack doesn’t depend on advanced hacking skills; instead, it exploits social engineering tactics against mobile carrier support staff, making it a low-tech method with high‑impact consequences.
Why Phishing-Resistant MFA Is the New Gold Standard
To prevent these attacks, it’s essential to remove the human element from authentication by using phishing-resistant MFA. This approach relies on secure cryptographic protocols that tie login attempts to specific domains.
One of the more prominent standards used for such authentication is Fast Identity Online 2 (FIDO2) open standard, that uses passkeys created using public key cryptography linking a specific device to a domain. Even if a user is tricked into clicking a phishing link, their authenticator application will not release the credentials because the domain does not match the specific record.
The technology is also passwordless, which removes the threat of phishing attacks that capture credentials and one-time passwords (OTPs). Hackers are forced to target the endpoint device itself, which is far more difficult than deceiving users.
Implementing Hardware Security Keys
Perhaps one of the strongest phishing-resistant authentication solutions involves hardware security keys. Hardware security keys are physical devices resembling a USB drive, which can be plugged into a computer or tapped against a mobile device.
To log in, you simply insert the key into the computer or touch a button, and the key performs a cryptographic handshake with the service. This method is quite secure since there are no codes to type, and attackers can’t steal your key over the internet. Unless they physically steal the key from you, they cannot access your account.
Mobile Authentication Apps and Push Notifications
If physical keys are not feasible for your business, mobile authenticator apps such as Microsoft or Google Authenticator are a step up from SMS MFA. These apps generate codes locally on the device, eliminating the risk of SIM swapping or SMS interception since the codes are not sent over a cellular network.
Simple push notifications also carry risks. For example, attackers may flood a user’s phone with repeated login approval requests, causing “MFA fatigue,” where a frustrated or confused user taps “approve” just to stop the notifications. Modern authenticator apps address this with “number matching,” requiring the user to enter a number shown on their login screen into the app. This ensures the person approving the login is physically present at their computer.
Passkeys: The Future of Authentication
With passwords being routinely compromised, modern systems are embracing passkeys, which are digital credentials stored on a device and protected by biometrics such as fingerprint or Face ID. Passkeys are phishing-resistant and can be synchronized across your ecosystem, such as iCloud Keychain or Google Password Manager. They offer the security of a hardware key with the convenience of a device that you already carry.
Passkeys reduce the workload for IT support, as there are no passwords to store, reset, or manage. They simplify the user experience while strengthening security.
Balancing Security With User Experience
Moving away from SMS-based MFA requires a cultural shift. Since users are already used to the universality and convenience of text messages, the introduction of physical keys and authenticator apps can trigger resistance.
It’s important to explain the reasoning behind the change, highlighting the realities of SIM-swapping attacks and the value of the protected information. When users understand the risks, they are more likely to embrace the new measures.
While a phased rollout can help ease the transition for the general user base, phishing-resistant MFA should be mandatory for privileged accounts. Administrators and executives must not rely on SMS-based MFA.
The Costs of Inaction
Sticking with legacy MFA techniques is a ticking time bomb that gives a false sense of security. While it may satisfy compliance requirements, it leaves systems vulnerable to attacks and breaches, which can be both costly and embarrassing.
Upgrading your authentication methods offers one of the highest returns on investment in cybersecurity. The cost of hardware keys or management software is minimal compared to the expense of incident response and data recovery.
Is your business ready to move beyond passwords and text codes? We specialize in deploying modern identity solutions that keep your data safe without frustrating your team. Reach out, and we’ll help you implement a secure and user-friendly authentication strategy.
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by Andrew Shone | Feb 18, 2026 | Cloud, Newsfeed
Time moves fast in the world of technology, and operating systems that once felt cutting-edge are becoming obsolete. With Microsoft having set the deadline for Windows Server 2016 End of Support to January 12, 2027, the clock is ticking for businesses that use this operating system.
Once support ends, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or patches, leaving your business systems vulnerable. It’s not just about missing new features, continuing to use unsupported software significantly increases the risk of cyberattacks.
If your systems are still on Windows Server 2016, now is the time to plan your upgrade. With about a year until support ends, waiting until the last minute can lead to rushed decisions and higher costs.
Understanding the Security Implications
When support ends, the protection provided by security updates and patches disappears, as Microsoft will no longer fix bugs or vulnerabilities. Hackers often target unsupported systems, knowing any new exploits will go unpatched and open the door to attacks.
Legacy systems put IT administrators in a tough spot. Without vendor support, defending against threats becomes nearly impossible, compliance with industry regulations is compromised, and running unsupported software can lead to failed audits.
Additionally, customer data on servers running this operating system is vulnerable to theft and ransomware. The cost of a breach far outweighs the cost of upgrading. Using unsupported systems is like driving a faulty, uninsured car, failure is inevitable. The question isn’t if it will happen, but when.
The Case for Cloud Migration
With the end-of-support deadline approaching, businesses face a choice: purchase new physical servers that run the latest Windows Server editions, or migrate their infrastructure to the cloud. Investing in new hardware and software comes with substantial upfront costs and locks you into that capacity for five years, the typical span of mainstream support for Windows Server, plus an additional five years for Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) releases.
On the other hand, a cloud migration strategy offers a more flexible alternative. Platforms such as Microsoft Azure or Amazon’s AWS cloud services, allow you to select virtualized computing resources such as servers and storage, which can scale as needed. On these platforms, you only pay for what you use, transforming your IT spending from capital expenditure to operating expense.
The cloud provides greater reliability and disaster recovery, eliminating concerns about hard drive failures in your server rack. Cloud providers handle the management and upgrades of the physical infrastructure, freeing your IT team to focus on driving business growth.
Analyze Your Current Workloads
Before moving to the cloud, it’s essential to know what you’re working with. Take inventory of all applications running on your Windows Server 2016 machines. While some are cloud-ready, others may need updates or reconfiguration.
Identify which workloads are critical to your daily operations and prioritize them in your migration plan. You may also discover applications you no longer need, making this an ideal time to streamline and clean up your environment.
When in doubt, consult with your software vendors to confirm compatibility, as they might have specific requirements for newer operating systems. Gathering this information early helps you to avoid surprises during the actual migration.
Create a Phased Migration Plan
When transitioning to a new system, moving everything at once is risky, ‘big bang’ migrations often cause downtime and confusion. The best approach is a phased migration to manage risk effectively. Begin with low-impact workloads to test the process, then proceed to medium and high-impact workloads once you’re confident everything runs smoothly.
Set a realistic timeline that beats the server upgrade deadline by a significant margin, and then work backward from the end-of-support date. This approach allows for plenty of buffer time for testing and troubleshooting, since rushing migrations often results in mistakes and security gaps.
Communicate the schedule to your staff clearly, they need to know when maintenance windows will occur, so that they can also manage their workflows effectively. Managing expectations is just as important as managing servers, and you don’t want to get in your own way. A smooth transition requires everyone to be informed and on the same page.
Test and Validate
Once you migrate a workload, it’s essential to verify that it functions as expected. Key questions to ask include: Does the application launch correctly? Can users access their data without permission errors? Testing is the most critical phase of any migration.
After migration, run extensive performance benchmarks to compare the new system with the old one. The cloud should offer equal or better speed, and if things are slow, you might need to adjust resources. Optimization will be a normal part of the migration process, until you find the perfect balance that works for you.
The summarized steps for a successful migration include:
- Audit all current hardware and software assets
- Choose between an on-premise upgrade or a cloud migration
- Back up all data securely before making changes
- Test applications thoroughly in the new environment
- Do not declare victory until users confirm everything is working
The Cost of Doing Nothing
Ignoring the end of support deadline is not a viable strategy. Some businesses hope to delay until the last minute and then rush a migration, but this is extremely risky. Cybercriminals constantly target outdated, vulnerable systems, often using automated bots to scan for weaknesses.
If you continue using Windows Server 2016 past the extended support dates, you may need to purchase ‘Extended Security Updates.’ While Microsoft offers this service, it is extremely costly, and the price rises each year, making it more a penalty for delay than a sustainable long-term solution.
Act Now to Modernize Your Infrastructure
If your business still relies on Windows Server 2016, the end of support marks a pivotal moment for your IT strategy, upgrading your technology stack is no longer optional. Whether you choose new hardware or a cloud solution, decisive action is required.
Take this opportunity to enhance your legacy system’s security and efficiency, ensuring your modern business runs on a modern infrastructure. Don’t let time compromise your data’s safety, plan your migration today and safeguard your future.
Concerned about the approaching Windows Server 2016 end-of-support deadline? We specialize in smooth migrations to the cloud and modern server environments. Let us take care of the technical heavy lifting, contact us today to begin your upgrade plan.
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by Andrew Shone | Feb 18, 2026 | AI, Newsfeed
AI chatbots can answer questions. But now picture an AI that goes further, updating your CRM, booking appointments, and sending emails automatically. This isn’t some far-off future. It’s where things are headed in 2026 and beyond, as AI shifts from reactive tools to proactive, autonomous agents.
This next wave of AI is called “Agentic AI.” It describes AI that can set a goal, figure out the steps, use the right tools, and get the job done on its own. For a small business, that could mean an AI that takes an invoice from inbox to paid, or one that runs your whole social media presence. The upside is massive efficiency, but it also means you need to be prepared. When AI gets more powerful, having the right controls matters just as much.
What Makes an AI “Agentic”?
Think of the difference between a tool and an employee. A chatbot is a tool you use to help you with tasks while you stay in control. An AI agent, on the other hand, is more like a digital employee you give direction to. It has access to systems, can make decisions with set boundaries, and learns from outcomes.
A research article on the evolution and architecture of AI agents explains the big shift like this: AI is moving from tools that wait for instructions to systems that work toward goals on their own. Instead of just helping with tasks, AI starts doing the work, making it possible to hand off whole processes and collaborate with it like a teammate.
The 2026 Opportunity for Your Business
For small businesses, this is about real leverage. Agentic AI can work around the clock, clear out repetitive bottlenecks, and cut down errors in routine processes. That means things like personalizing customer experiences at scale or even adjusting supply chains in real time become possible.
And this isn’t about replacing your team. It’s about leveling them up. AI takes the busywork so your people can focus on strategy, creativity, tough problems, and relationships, the things humans do best. Your role shifts too, from doing everything yourself to guiding and supervising your AI.
What You Need Before You Launch Agentic AI
Before you hand over your processes to an AI agent, you need to make sure those processes are rock solid. The reasoning is simple: AI will amplify whatever it touches, order or chaos, with equal efficiency. That’s why preparation is key. Start with this checklist:
- Clean and Organize Your Data: AI agents make decisions based on the data you give them. Garbage in means not just garbage out, it can lead to major errors. Audit your critical data sources first.
- Document Workflows Clearly: If a human can’t follow a process step by step, an AI won’t be able to either. Map out each workflow in detail before you automate.
Building Your Governance Framework
Just like with human team members, delegating to an AI agent requires oversight. That means setting up clear guardrails by asking a few key questions:
- What decisions can the AI agent make on its own?
- When does it need human approval or guidance?
- What are its spending limits if it handles finances?
- Which data sources is it allowed to access?
Answering these questions lets you build a framework that becomes your company’s rulebook for its “digital employees.”
Security is another critical piece. Every AI agent needs strict access controls, following the principle of least privilege. Just as you wouldn’t give an intern full access to the company bank account, you must carefully define which systems and data each agent can touch. Regular audits of agent activity are now a non-negotiable part of good IT hygiene.
Start Preparing Your Business Today
You don’t have to deploy an AI agent immediately, but you can start laying the groundwork today. Start by identifying three to five repetitive, rules-based workflows in your business and document them in detail. Then, clean up and centralize the data those workflows rely on.
Try experimenting with existing automation tools as a stepping stone. Platforms that connect your apps, like Zapier or Make, let you practice designing triggered, multi-step actions. Thinking this way is the perfect training ground for an agentic AI future.
Embracing the Role of Strategic Supervisor
The businesses that will thrive are the ones that learn to manage a blended workforce of humans and AI agents. Research from Stanford University suggests that key human skills are shifting, from information-processing to organizational and interpersonal abilities. In a world with agentic AI, leadership means setting agent goals, defining ethical boundaries, providing creative direction, and interpreting outcomes.
Agentic AI is a true force multiplier, but it depends on clean data and well-defined processes. It rewards careful preparation and punishes the hasty. By focusing on data integrity and process clarity now, you position your business not just to adapt, but to lead.
Contact us today for a technology consultation on AI integration. We can help you audit workflows and create a roadmap for reliable, effective adoption.
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by Andrew Shone | Feb 18, 2026 | Cloud, Newsfeed
When you first move your data and computing resources to the cloud, the bills often seem manageable. But as your business grows, a worrying trend can appear. Your cloud expenses start climbing faster than your revenue. This is not just normal growth, it is a phenomenon called cloud waste, the hidden drain on your budget hiding in your monthly cloud invoice.
Cloud waste happens when you spend money on resources that do not add value to your business. Examples include underused servers, storage for completed or abandoned projects, and development or testing environments left active over the weekend. It is like keeping every piece of equipment in your factory running all the time, even when it is not needed.
The cloud makes it easy to spin up resources on demand, but the same flexibility can make it easy to forget to turn them off. Most providers use a pay-as-you-go model, so the billing meter is always running. Controlling cloud waste is not just about saving money. Every dollar you save can be reinvested in innovation, stronger security, or your team.
The Hidden Sources of Your Leaking Budget
Cloud waste can be surprisingly easy to overlook. A common example is over-provisioning. You launch a virtual server for a project, thinking you might need a larger instance just to be safe, and then forget to scale it down. That server keeps running and billing you every hour, month after month.
Orphaned resources are another common drain, especially in companies with many projects or large teams. When a project ends, do you remember to delete the storage disks, load balancers, or IP addresses that were used? Often, they stay active indefinitely. Idle resources, like databases or containers that are set up but rarely accessed, quietly add up over time.
According to a 2025 report by VMWare that drew responses from over 1,800 global IT leaders, about 49% of the respondents believe that more than 25% of their public cloud expenditure is wasted, while 31% believe that waste exceeds 50%. Only 6% of the respondents believe they are not wasting any cloud spend.
The FinOps Mindset: Your Financial Control Panel
Fixing this level of cloud waste requires more than a one-time audit. It requires a cultural shift known as FinOps, i.e., the practice of bringing financial accountability to the variable spend model of the cloud. It is a collaborative effort where finance, technology, and business teams work together to make data-driven spending decisions.
A FinOps strategy turns cloud cost from a static IT expense into a dynamic, managed business variable. The goal is not to minimize cost at all costs, but to maximize business value from every cloud dollar spent.
Gaining Visibility: The Non-Negotiable First Step
You can’t manage what you don’t measure, so start with the native tools your cloud provider offers. Explore their cost management consoles and take these steps to create accountability and track what’s driving expenses:
- Use tagging consistently to make filtering, organizing, and tracking costs easier.
- Assign every resource to a project, department, and owner.
- Consider third-party cloud cost optimization tools for deeper insights. They can automatically spot waste, recommend right-sizing actions, and consolidate data into a single dashboard if you’re using multiple cloud providers.
Implementing Practical Optimization Tactics
Once you have visibility, you can act, and the easiest place to start is with the low-hanging fruit. For example:
- Automatically schedule non-production environments like development and testing to turn off during nights and weekends.
- Implement storage lifecycle policies to move old data to lower-cost archival tiers or delete it after a set period.
- Adjust the size of your servers by checking how much they are actually used. If the CPU is used less than 20% of the time, the server is larger than necessary, replace it with a smaller, more affordable option.
Leveraging Commitments for Strategic Savings
Cloud providers offer substantial discounts, like AWS Savings Plans or Azure Reserved Instances, when you commit to using a consistent level of resources for one to three years. For predictable workloads, these commitments are the most effective way to reduce unnecessary spending at full list price.
The key is to make these purchases after you have right-sized your environment. Committing to an oversized instance just locks in waste. Optimize first, then commit.
Making Optimization a Continuous Cycle
Managing cloud costs is not a one-time project, it’s an ongoing cycle of learning, optimizing, and operating. Set up regular check-ins, monthly or quarterly, where stakeholders review cloud spending against budgets and business goals.
Give your teams access to their own cost data. When developers can see the real-time impact of their architectural decisions, they become strong partners in reducing waste.
Scale Smarter, Not Just Bigger
The cloud offers elastic efficiency, but managing waste ensures you capture that benefit fully. It frees up capital to invest in your real business goals instead of letting it disappear into unnecessary cloud spend.
As you plan for growth in 2026, make cost intelligence a core part of your strategy. Use data to guide provisioning decisions and set up automated controls to prevent waste before it starts.
Reach out today for a cloud waste assessment, and we’ll help you build a sustainable FinOps practice.
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by Andrew Shone | Feb 18, 2026 | Cloud, Newsfeed
Since cloud computing became mainstream, promising agility, simplicity, offloaded maintenance, and scalability, the message was clear: “Move everything to the cloud.” But once the initial migration wave settled, the challenges became apparent. Some workloads thrive in the cloud, while others become more complex, slower, or more expensive. The smart strategy for 2026 is a pragmatic hybrid cloud approach.
A hybrid cloud strategy blends public cloud services like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud with private infrastructure, whether that’s a private cloud in a colocation facility or on-premise servers. The goal isn’t to avoid the cloud, it’s to use it wisely.
This approach recognizes that one size does not fit all. It gives you the flexibility to place each workload where it performs best, considering cost, performance, security, and regulatory requirements. Treating hybrid as a temporary solution is a mistake, as it is increasingly becoming the standard model for resilient operations.
The Hidden Costs of a Cloud-Only Strategy
Relying on a single model can create blind spots. The cloud’s operational expense (OpEx) model is fantastic for variable workloads. but for predictable, steady-state applications, it can cost more over time than a capital investment (CapEx) in on-premise equipment. Data egress fees, the cost of moving data out of the cloud, can lead to surprise bills and create a form of “lock-in.”
Performance can also suffer. Applications that require ultra-low latency or constant, high-bandwidth communication may lag if they’re forced into a cloud data center far away. A hybrid approach lets you keep latency-sensitive workloads close to home for optimal performance.
The Strategic Benefits of a Hybrid Cloud Model
First, a hybrid cloud strategy is all about balancing resilience and flexibility. For example, during peak periods like a holiday sales rush, you can take advantage of the public cloud’s scalability and then scale back to your private infrastructure when demand drops. This approach can significantly reduce costs.
Second, hybrid cloud helps meet data sovereignty and strict compliance requirements. You can keep sensitive or regulated data on infrastructure you control while running analytics or other workloads in the cloud. This setup is often essential for healthcare, government, finance, and legal sectors, where data must remain within a specific legal jurisdiction. According to FedTech, hybrid cloud gives government agencies the best of both worlds, allowing innovation while meeting strict security standards.
Why Some Workloads Need to be kept On-Premise
There are several scenarios where private infrastructure makes the most sense:
- Legacy and proprietary applications: Some organizations run systems that are difficult to move to the cloud, either because of security requirements or simply because they perform better and cost less on-premise.
- Large-scale data processing: When moving data out of the cloud could trigger high egress fees, it can be more cost-effective to run applications on-site.
- Predictability and control: Certain workloads require consistent performance and precise control over hardware. Real-time manufacturing systems, high-frequency trading platforms, or core database servers often perform best on dedicated, on-premise infrastructure.
Build a Cohesive Hybrid Architecture
The main challenge of a hybrid cloud is complexity. You’re managing two or more environments, and success depends on how well they integrate and are managed. That’s why reliable networking is essential, a secure, high-speed connection between your cloud and on-premise systems, often through a dedicated Direct Connect or ExpressRoute link.
Unified management is just as important. Use tools that provide a single dashboard to track costs, performance, and security across all environments. Containerization, using platforms like Kubernetes, can also help by allowing applications packaged in containers to run smoothly in either location.
Implement Your Hybrid Strategy
Start by auditing your applications and categorizing them. Which ones are truly cloud-native and scalable? Which are stable, legacy, or sensitive to latency? Mapping your applications this way will highlight the best candidates for a hybrid approach.
Begin with a non-critical, high-impact pilot. A common example is using the cloud for disaster recovery backups of your on-premise servers. This tests your connectivity and management setup without putting core operations at risk. From there, migrate or extend workloads strategically, one at a time.
The Path to a Future-Proof IT Architecture
Adopting a hybrid mindset creates a future-proof IT architecture. It reduces the risk of vendor lock-in, preserves capital, and provides a built-in safety net. The cloud landscape will keep evolving, and a hybrid foundation lets you adopt new services without a full rip-and-replace. It also allows you to move workloads back on-premise if that makes sense for your business.
The goal for 2026 is intelligent placement, not blind migration. Your infrastructure should be as dynamic and strategic as your business plan, and a blended approach gives you the flexibility to make that happen.
Reach out today for help mapping your applications and designing the hybrid cloud model that best fits your business goals.
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