What's the biggest challenge your small business is facing with technology right now?

We see things moving pretty fast with regards to innovation in the AI space. Being a startup from market research industry (https://www.metatechinsights.com/), we have too many apps to choose from for data representation and promotion. For instance, there are so many paid and unpaid AI tools we can use for graphics creation, video editing and we face a dilemma if we are using the most effective and affordable option; or we are missing out on something (FOMO effect). Let me know if this is wierd or if we have others on the similar path. Glad to hear from others in the community.

My biggest challenges as a new business owner are:

• Ensuring the right balance of privacy for prospective client data online with that which I need for marketing my business (i.e. Not having 20 consent banners because I want to run paid ads)
• Cybersecurity threats, not sure how real this is but pretty scared about getting hacked. My husband who's in the IT industry says that my site and agency management portal are as reasonably secure as they can be, nevertheless
• SaaS subscription overload, yikes there are so many!
• AI's synthetic noise, it's everywhere

I'm sorry you were burned by an IT consultant in the past.  Unfortunately there is no solution for people who don't do their jobs well and are dishonest.  But there are thousands of honest and knowledgeable IT consultants who can help, but it will certainly come with a cost for that expertise.  Ask for recommendations from people you trust.  After reading you post, my feeling is you need a technology advisor that you trust, not trying to manage your business's IT infrastructure and data by a massive corporations service desk.

Not surprised you don't have any replies.  I run an insurance agency with 7 365 Business Premium licenses.  For 20+ years I had an IT Consultant I'd bring in for projects when needed.  He taught me very well and since about 2008-09 'ish we've operated in a paperless environment first essentially using a shared drive in Dropbox (much like a SPO Doc Library) and now are Azure AD, Intune, the whole deal.  Sad to say that I've recently found out some things occurred a couple of years ago that have broken my trust with him and won't allow me to hire him in the future. But what's package in 365 Premium, my knowledge, and support will generally be fine.  But to answer your question is that most small business owners don't have the knowledge how to "find you."  It must be much clearer where to go to shop for what I need, product, service, or customer support.  For example, I have one laptop that I'm getting a download error that is preventing me from getting to 24H2 of windows. So since I pay for 365 Business Assist I expect they can help me navigate the issue, direct me to the proper support team if it's not them.  That's what they've done in the past if it was an Intune question I had, or Exchange, etc. But this time they have just dropped the ball.  I'm essentially told "we support the 365 apps like Word, Excel, Outlook, not Windows - sorry."  One nice guy tried to send me to file my own support ticket at support.windows.com but when I did my email didn't see me as an existing 365 Business PREMIUM customer.  The site saw me as an IT ADMIN who had NO SUPPORT LICENSE and told me i would need to buy one.  Talk about frustrating.  So I think this is Microsoft's biggest fail right now.  You speak to two audiences it appears but clearly there are three.  You speak to IT Admins (this is the largest volume of what you do including this very platform techcommunity.microsoft.com - rightly so, they bring you clients...) and secondly you speak to the consumer side - the Microsoft Family products that my wife & kids use, also great stuff, but the idea is these people don't know much technical stuff.  And of course, the business owners true SMBO, don't know anything.  But the third group that I think you miss the mark on, that Home Depot & Lowes has marketed to by & large is the DIY community.  Yes the professional contractors might go buy their tools & products at Home Depot b/c it's convenient, just like your IT Professionals do.  But some business owners or employees at these companies are pretty sharp people or they wouldn't be successful.  And your products do SO MUCH SO WELL that OOB 90%+ of businesses 50 and less Business Premium, at least, and following your best practices in terms of security and configuration, will be just fine.  Those owners just don't know where to go.  I go to admin.microsoft.com, this community, I have a copilot license as do a majority of my team, and still for me I can get lost.  And don't even ask me about billing, invoices, etc.  That's a joke.