The SST Insider – June 2026

From the Helm

June marks the close of our Q2 manufacturing campaign. Over the past three months, we focused on helping manufacturers understand what they cannot see in their environments and the cost of that blind spot. The risk lies in the gap between what businesses assume their technology is doing and what it actually does.

Beginning in July, we shift our focus to law firms. Attorney-client confidentiality is not just an ethical obligation. It is a liability exposure that touches every file, every communication, and every vendor relationship in a legal practice. The stakes for data protection in this industry are among the highest we encounter, and the controls most firms have in place do not reflect that.

This month’s case study illustrates what deferred IT investment actually produces over time. Aging equipment drives unplanned outages and service interruptions. Unmanaged accounts and neglected security configurations erode cyber hygiene in ways that rarely surface until something goes wrong.

If any of this is relevant to a conversation you have been putting off, now is a reasonable time to have it.

— SST Leadership

Client Success Story

When deferring IT investment costs more than spending it.

A 40- to 60-employee organization came to SST with years of deferred IT investment. Aging workstations, unmanaged user accounts, and an underutilized Microsoft 365 environment were generating costs the business had never quantified. The savings from avoiding IT spending had been borrowed from future budgets, with interest.

Workstations were in service well past their useful life, causing daily friction for end users. Former employee accounts remained active in Microsoft 365, and security configurations within the subscription had never been enabled. The client was paying full price for a platform they were only partially using, while carrying security exposure they were unaware of.

SST conducted a device inventory, an Active Directory audit, and a Microsoft 365 tenant review. Dormant accounts were removed, licensing was reconciled, and foundational security controls, including multi-factor authentication and conditional access, were enabled. A phased device refresh plan spread the backlog across multiple budget periods, aligned with the client’s constraints.

Results

Security exposure was reduced within 60 days. License reconciliation recovered unused seats, partially offsetting engagement costs. Helpdesk tickets related to hardware performance declined as priority devices were refreshed. Leadership gained a predictable multi-year investment plan, replacing unpredictable break-fix spending.

Wondering what deferred investment could be costing your business? Reach out to your SST account team to schedule a Technology Assessment.

— Operations Manager

Proactive Insights

Five Low-Cost Ways to Move from Reactive to Proactive

Do you know which accounts in your environment are still active but no longer in use? Disabling former employee accounts costs nothing and removes one of the most common entry points for unauthorized access.

Is multi-factor authentication enforced across your organization? MFA is available within most existing Microsoft 365 subscriptions and is one of the highest-impact security controls available at no additional cost.

Are you paying for software licenses that no one is using? A simple licensing audit often recovers enough to partially offset the cost of other improvements, making it a logical first step.

Do you have a documented device inventory, including the age and replacement status for each workstation? Without one, refresh decisions are reactive by default. A basic inventory gives leadership the visibility needed to plan rather than respond.

Could you absorb an unplanned hardware failure today without disrupting operations? If the answer is uncertain, a phased replacement plan built around your actual budget is a more manageable path than waiting until failure forces the decision.

AI Corner

6 AI Stats Every Business Owner Should See

• AI-powered cyberattacks surged 340% in 2025
• Only 11% of SMBs have deployed AI-powered security defenses
• AI-driven predictive maintenance can reduce costs up to 25%
• 83% of SMBs say AI has raised their cybersecurity threat level
• Unsanctioned AI tool breaches cost $670,000 more on average
• AI-generated phishing costs 95% less to produce than traditional attacks

SST News & Events

• Boys & Girls Club Golf Classic – 6/1
• WI Drives Manufacturing Summit – 6/2
• Milwaukee Entrepreneurs Summer Mixer – 6/24
• La Crosse Chamber Ribbon Cutting – 6/25
• Unscripted with SST Episode 19 – 6/26

Is Your IT Strategy Aligned with Your Growth Goals?

Schedule your FREE Technology Assessment today and uncover hidden risks, inefficiencies, and opportunities in your current environment.