Small Business (SMB) stories

Temenos and Bain warn that banks must modernise core systems, governed data and cloud architecture as AI, stablecoins and personalisation gather pace.

Thrive widens post-Abacode push with managed compliance service for firms facing tougher rules and cyber risk.

Everywhen warns businesses and consumers to check web addresses, padlocks and browser alerts as fake sites fuel rising cyber fraud risk.

Acronis rolls out GenAI Protection for managed service providers to spot shadow AI, curb data leakage and block prompt injection.

Xero rolls out AI-powered business health scorecards as 4.6 million subscribers gain deeper KPI tracking, cash flow forecasts and sharing tools.

CrowdStrike deepens managed security push in Japan and Asia Pacific with Dicker Data and Otsuka to reach more SMBs through channel partners.

Intuit's QuickBooks is under pressure as AI start-ups push automated bookkeeping, forcing accounting software to prove it can do more than digitise ledgers.

Xero unveils AI-native finance platform and JAX assistant to cut admin for small firms, with accountants and bookkeepers also in line for gains.

Atomgate's Renee Lovell says education, testing and partnerships are helping the South African MSSP turn SonicWall upgrades into measurable business gains.

Apple rolls out unified business hub in 200 markets as signs mount that local ads in Maps will debut across North America this summer.

Emergent unveils Wingman, an always-on AI agent for email, scheduling and sales support as Australian firms seek to ease admin pressure.

Emergent's Wingman puts autonomous AI agents to work across email, calendars and chats, with human approval for higher-risk actions.

SMBs already own the tools, but cyber breaches keep breaking through because patchwork security, weak access controls and over-trust still leave gaps.

Rockwell's Plex wins Major Player status in six IDC MarketScape reports as AI-enabled ERP and finance tools gain ground among manufacturers.

Splashtop bets on AI-assisted patching and security alerts in a single console as it targets lean IT teams and MSPs with a new endpoint platform.

8x8 unveils AI Studio to let customer experience teams build agents with natural language, aiming to cut integration delays and costs.

Intuit appoints Xero veteran Matthew Miles as Head of Product for APAC as it steps up investment in Australia and wider Asia Pacific.

Xero's Anthropic tie-up deepens finance software AI split as groups weigh integrated platforms against agent tools that work across multiple systems.

PayPal brings payment links into Canva for 265 million users, letting creators, entrepreneurs and small firms sell from designs with QR codes and checkouts.

Cloudflare and GoDaddy team up to give site owners more control over AI crawlers while backing open standards to verify agent identity.