A lot of small business owners are looking at AI tools right now and thinking about plugging them into their business data. That is a good instinct. But there is a step that has to come first, and mos
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Metalworking Machinery Orders Hit Record High, Signaling Shop Growth
I love seeing this kind of news. December orders for metalworking machines hit a new monthly record, according to data from the National Association of Wholesale Distributors. That points to rising de
Plain-English Analytics Tools Now Give Small Businesses Answers Without Hiring an Analyst
Business analytics used to be an enterprise thing. The platforms were expensive, they were built for big companies, and they required smart people writing very complicated queries just to get a basic
Microsoft Sets February 2027 Deadline to Drop SMS and Voice Logins for Entra ID
For a long time now, the second factor in a lot of two-factor authentication setups has been your cell phone number. You enter your password, Microsoft texts you a code, you plug in the code, and you’
Law Enforcement Seizes Virtualine Bulletproof Hosting Tied to Ransomware
Law enforcement seized a hosting company called Virtualine because it was widely used by ransomware groups and other cybercriminals. I find this fascinating. If you run a hosting platform that is bein
Chrome Adds Gemini Scam Detection for ClickFix Attacks
Google is loading AI directly into Chrome, and for once, that is actually good news for your team right now, today, without doing anything extra.
3D Systems Opens Center to Boost US Advanced Manufacturing
I had never heard of 3D Systems before I came across this story, and I will be honest, my first reaction was not about the company at all. It was about location. The center opened in Colorado. And my
Rogue AI Agents on the Shop Floor: What Manufacturers Need to Know
AI agents are coming to manufacturing, and the question everybody needs to be asking right now is: can you trust one to make the right call at 2 a.m. when nobody’s watching?
Phishing Emails Abuse Legitimate Platforms to Bypass Checks
This one doesn’t surprise me at all, but it’s worth talking about because a lot of business owners think they’re covered when they’re not.
New AI Virtual Receptionist Targets Small Business Workload
I just showed you how an AI handled every single piece of setup for a webinar I wanted to run. Emails, calendar, landing page, all of it, one command. So when I see that AI virtual receptionists are n









