Critical to these businesses' success is their reliance on technology and by implication resilience against cyber attacks.  Check Point Software explores major trends affecting SMMEs and how they can thrive in a hyperconnected world in the era of AI.

Top Tech Trends Affecting SMMEs

Four key trends are currently affecting SMMEs.

    The ever-growing need for internet bandwidth. Connectivity needs are constantly growing as more devices join the Wi-Fi network, and more services are consumed from the cloud like AI tools, SaaS and cloud.
    The need to ensure continuous operations and business uptime. Managing to get customers to your physical or online business only to find out that your internet connection is down is something SMMEs try to avoid at all costs. 
    The threat of cyber attacks. According to Check Point Research, during the first five months of 2025, SMME organisations experienced an average of 180 weekly cyber attack attempts (per organization), an increase of 61% compared to the same period in 2024. This increase is significantly higher than in enterprise networks, where the volume of attacks increased by 37%. SMMEs have less resources to weather a cyber attack, making stronger security essential.  
    The pervasive use of AI tools. While a neighborhood cafe, hair salon or dentist don't necessarily use AI, myriad professionals from jewelers to service agencies likely do. The risk of someone divulging sensitive data is non-zero.

Eight Tech Essentials that SMMEs can Afford

To survive and thrive, SMMEs should watch out for these handy innovations.

Effective Prevention of Threats and Exploits 

By leveraging AI engines and big data analysis, firewalls can minimise the number of threats that ultimately make it into your network. Better cyber security means smoother operations, and a smaller risk of getting crippled by data breaches and ransomware.When evaluating network security solutions, make sure to find out how well potential solutions can block malware, phishing and vulnerability exploits. 

Dedicated Anti-Ransomware Technology 

According to the 2025 Verizon DBIR, 88% of SMME breaches last year were caused by ransomware. Many solutions take the first step of identifying a malicious link and blocking it, at the network or email level, for example. However, a dedicated anti-ransomware solution can be installed as part of endpoint security so that even if a single ransomware strain gets through, the solution can identify and block the ransomware infection before it can access, encrypt, or breach an organisation's sensitive data.

This type of solution constantly monitors for ransomware specific behavior, identifies illicit file encryption (without requiring prior threat intelligence) and quarantines all elements of a ransomware attack. If files are encrypted, they can be automatically restored from snapshots to ensure full business continuity.

Browser-based Security for AI 

How can you ensure that an employee doesn't divulge sensitive data to an LLM?  With a simple browser extension, you can see what AI tools are being used in your environment and most importantly, block conversational prompts in real time that include sensitive information like business plans, PII and financial details, all while maintaining user privacy.

All-in-One Network & Security Appliances  

Large companies have the resources to manage four or five different devices, including firewalls, routers, network switches and Wi-Fi access points. Small businesses don't. Converged solutions solve this by combining all these functionalities into one small appliance that you can easily place on a counter, table or shelf. 

Real Time Page Scanning to Prevent Phishing

Phishing tops the chart as the main entry point into networks, but few people realise that a technology called 'zero-phishing' can scan every online form on every page you access – in real time as you browse that page – and in seconds determine if that site will send your credentials to a questionable destination. By sending a bit of data in the background and following its tracks, zero phishing can identify a site as fraudulent even if it got published, or got compromised, just a second ago(!). 

Latest Connectivity Standards

Businesses are constantly using more online and SaaS services to support their operations. In fact, our estimates show that bandwidth needs for internet traffic have doubled in just two years. To wit, telcos have been offering SMMEs increased internet bandwidth, growing from just 1Gbps to 2.5Gbps or even 5Gbps. Accordingly, branch Wi-Fi needs are also affected, as downstream connectivity bandwidth requirements increase rapidly as well (think Microsoft 365, Zoom, Teams, etc.). Last but not least, cellular standards have evolved to require 5G technology. Using Wi-Fi 7 and 5G connectivity can help you future proof your connectivity.

Redundant Hardware for Maximum Resilience

If one of your internet connections goes down, do you have a backup connection you can fail over to? If you live in a remote area, and your wireless access malfunctions, do you have another cellular connection to keep your business going? Dual ISP support in an SMB firewall can keep your operations online and running smoothly, as can dual SIM card support, in case you're using a wireless connection. Other features like dual power supply can help ensure your business is failproof.

Autonomous IoT Security 

Most cafes and shops don't fear getting compromised because of a few web cams. But IoT devices are often old, and their software is often outdated and unpatched. According to Check Point Research 12% of SMMEs experienced an IoT exploit attempt since the beginning of the year. Rather than allowing a single printer or tablet to become a potential entry point into your network, consider integrating IoT device security into your firewall, ideally with automated features.