IT Decision Maker Priorities: What SMBs Must Focus on in 2025

For IT decision makers in UK SMBs, the landscape around you is changing fast.

Technology has moved from being a support function to the driving force behind growth, resilience and competitive edge. Over the past three years, the way SMBs consume IT has transformed, with a clear pivot towards secure cloud adoption, hybrid work enablement and AI readiness.

We’ll explore the key forces reshaping the SMB IT landscape, why so many businesses are switching their managed service providers, where the real market growth is happening, and, most importantly, where you should focus your time and budget over the next three years.

Cyber security: the top, non-negotiable priority

Security is now a board-level concern, not just something for compliance teams.

What this means for you: Security must be built into every IT initiative, from cloud projects to AI rollouts. Adding it afterwards is no longer an option.

Cloud-first modernisation and AI readiness

Cloud has become the foundation for digital transformation. But while 90% of SMBs hold Microsoft Cloud licences, almost none have a best-practice security build and more than half are not ready for Microsoft Copilot.

What this means for you:

• Audit your cloud architecture for security and cost efficiency.
• Prepare your data environment for AI tools.
• Keep control of your SaaS stack before costs spiral out of control.

Hybrid work as a permanent operating model

Remote work is no longer an emergency measure, it’s now part of how SMBs operate every day. That means robust remote IT support, integrated communications and secure device management are critical.

What this means for you:

• Ensure WAN and connectivity are optimised for cloud-heavy workloads.
• Integrate UCaaS and Teams Voice to streamline communications.
• Deploy mobile device management to maintain security everywhere.

The rise of the strategic partner

SMBs are moving away from providers who simply maintain systems and choosing partners who can drive innovation. This means MSPs that can provide breadth, from cyber security to cloud to comms, are winning business at pace.

What this means for you:

• Work with one accountable partner who understands your business and can deliver multiple services under a single relationship.
• Demand continuous improvement, not just break-fix support.

Why SMBs are switching MSPs

IT leaders are making moves because their current providers:

• Lack service breadth.
• Fail to take a proactive role in innovation.
• Have gaps in cyber security capability.
• Can’t manage cloud transformation or AI adoption effectively.
• Provide a poor customer experience.

By 2028, software will overtake telecoms as the biggest area of IT investment for SMBs, with three-quarters of spend going through the channel.

Where the market is moving

Traditional telecoms and on-prem hardware are in slow decline, but there’s rapid growth in:

By 2028, software will overtake telecoms as the largest IT spend category for SMBs, with 75% of IT spend going through the channel.

Your focus for the next three years

1. Build a secure cloud foundation that’s ready for AI adoption.
2. Strengthen endpoint and mobile security.
3. Consolidate suppliers to reduce complexity.
4. Optimise cloud spend for ROI.
5. Integrate communications tools for efficiency.
6. Use analytics to shape strategy and prove results.

Final thought

2025 marks a turning point. The SMBs that succeed will use technology not just to keep pace, but to pull ahead. The right MSP can help you do exactly that, providing strategic guidance, technical expertise and the breadth of service needed to deliver growth and security in equal measure.

At RDS, we help IT leaders in SMBs build secure, modern and future-ready IT environments.

From cyber security to cloud transformation, from comms to managed services, our team works as your strategic partner, so you can focus on the business while we keep your IT future-ready.