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Jessica Pett / March 17, 2026

It’s Time to Spring Clean your Workflow

Spring is on the horizon –  a time synonymous with a fresh reset and often serving as a trigger to start on our seasonal chore list. This is also a great time for businesses to partake in their own version of a ‘spring cleaning.’ Seasonal business check-ins can help to ensure that small issues don’t silently accumulate like dust bunnies behind the couch. In this article, we take a look at what aspects of your business could benefit from a reset.

Vendor Relationship Reset

Maintaining close vendor relationships is an important aspect of ensuring your business is getting the most out of your contract. Open lines of communication between you and your vendor allow for more frequent updates on things like changes in the marketplace or increases in fees. Having a heads up on some of these important items will prevent surprises to your bottom line down the road. Reach out to your contacts to reconnect and stay up to date, your business will thank you later.

Declutter your Finances

With the busy nature of the day-to-day, it can become easy to wait on checking off those seemingly less-urgent items. When it comes to your business financials, maintaining them is always more effective than playing catch up. Making sure your books are in order, your payment methods are still accurate, and your contracts haven’t lapsed will save major headaches. Dedicate and commit to a chunk of time that works for you to focus on these small tasks, and you’ll be thanking yourself later.

Optimize Operational Efficiency

This time of year is all about renewal and energy and that idea can and should translate to your operations as well. Throughout the year, minor setbacks, changes in staffing and other influences can quietly create bottle necks in day-to-day operations. Things like outdated processes, overstocked items or workflow inaccuracies can demand a much greater time investment later. To tackle these hold-ups, consider implementing monthly or quarterly reviews of your operational processes so you can spot inefficiencies early, streamline tasks and keep your team from getting bogged down by preventable delays.

Prepare for Seasonal Growth

As businesses enter the spring and summer season, demand often increases as well, regardless of the industry. Beyond internal operations, it is important to ensure that your external processes are set up too. This can mean checking in on your supply-chain for any weak links or verifying that the current systems in place are ready to handle a sudden surge. Take action now so your business can run smoothly even at full capacity later.

Proactivity Blueprint

Think of this reset as less of a seasonal chore and more of a plan for proactive management going forward. When teams adopt more regular check-ins, last minute ‘fire drills’ can be avoided. This will not only foster a sense of accountability but also keep the business adaptable all year long. Treat this as a regular and necessary task, even schedule it into your calendar, soon it will become second nature.

In conclusion,

Spring is the perfect time to revitalize your business. Just like we all enjoy a tidy home, a consistently fresh business can only benefit those involved. You’ll find the business runs smoother and more profitably but with less major disruptions along the way. Investing a small effort now will spare you the bigger hassles later.

Michelle Soper / March 9, 2026

How to assess a SaaS platform’s security.

Over the years, Software as a Service (SaaS) has become widely used across all industries for a variety of functions. However, moving data online comes with the risk of a data breach, which can be costly to a business and their reputation.

In 2025, IBM found that the average data breach cost was $4.4 million USD. Further yet, the use of artificial intelligence poses an additional risk. New global research from IBM and Ponemon Institute shows that AI is “greatly outpacing security and governance in favor of do-it-now adoption” and that ungoverned AI systems are more likely to be breached and more costly when they are.

In this article, we’ll dive into how you can assess a SaaS platform’s security and make the most informed, and safest, choice for your business.

When in doubt, ask. 

The SaaS vendor or reseller you’re working with should be an expert in their offerings. Ask them to explain the security of the software and show proof. Some SaaS providers will even offer detailed security whitepapers or a more thorough security assessment upon request. If they can’t answer your questions, that should be a red flag.

Some questions to highlight.

If you are talking to a vendor and don’t know what to ask, here are some questions to help guide the discussion:

  • What sort of data encryption protocols does the platform follow?
  • Is multi-factor authentication an option for user login? What about single sign-on?
  • Does the platform allow granular permissions based on user roles?
  • What is the vendor’s documented incident response process and how do they handle security breaches?
  • What is the platform’s backup frequency, retention policy, and recovery time objective (RTO) in case of an outage?
  • Do they have a vulnerability assessment for you to review? Do they conduct regular third-party penetration tests?
  • Does the software have AI integrations? What AI access controls are in place?

Of course, depending on your industry and needs, there may be more questions you need to ask, but this list will provide you with a good starting point to determine the strength of a platform’s security.

Keep security certifications in mind. 

Industry standards mean that many SaaS applications should proudly disclose their security certifications. Some of the important ones to look out for include:

  • ISO/IEC 27001 – the world’s best-known standard for information security management systems (ISMS). It provides companies of any size and from all sectors of activity with guidance for establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving an information security management system. Conformity with ISO/IEC 27001 means that a SaaS platform’s operations respect all the best practices and principles enshrined in this International Standard.
  • SOC 2 Type II – the System and Organizations Control (SOC) framework’s series of reports offer some of the best ways to demonstrate effective information security controls. A SOC 2 Type II report confirms that a SaaS platform has robust controls for data security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.
  • PCI DSS – any platform that handles payment card data should be PCI compliant, just like your business has to be.

There are also industry-specific certifications, such as HIPAA for healthcare organizations that conduct electronic transactions, that should be taken into consideration as they apply to your organization.

In conclusion…

It’s critical that you assess any SaaS platform’s security before purchasing a subscription. Your business’ financial health and reputation depend on it. Asking the vendor tough questions and ensuring the necessary security accreditations are met is a strong first step in determining which platforms are safe for your business.

Cal Wilson / March 3, 2026

How to Introduce Yourself — and Get Hired

First impressions matter, so how do you make yours count? Communication consultant Rebecca Okamoto outlines five simple ways to introduce yourself in 20 words or fewer, setting up any interview or conversation for those three crucial words: “Tell me more.”

Cal Wilson / February 23, 2026

How much of the United States and Canada has access to fiber optic internet?

In the past decade, fiber optic connections have become the norm, growing increasingly popular and replacing copper wire cable internet connectivity across the continent. This has resulted in improved connection speeds and reliability for many; allowing for better access to remote work, education, fewer outages or throttling, and other conveniences that accompany the technology.

With fiber optic being the superior option for internet connectivity, it’s no wonder that most providers have made the switch wherever possible. But not everyone across the United States and Canada have access to this better connection. In this blog, we take a look at how many people really have fiber optic internet connections.

How connected are we?

The advocacy group Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) found that in 2025 fiber deployment hit around 60% of the United States and 75% of Canada. That is a record high for accessibility to this technology. However, accessibility does not mean adoption.

According to FBA, “take rates are in the mid-40% range… and they continue to trend upward despite aggressive new construction. Markets with two fiber providers reach combined take rates of roughly 60% or more.”

Their prediction is that fiber will be “the leading fixed-internet delivery method as early as 2028.”

Why does this matter to businesses and organizations?

While studies of connectivity are looking at households across the continent, this is no less important for businesses and other consumer or public-facing entities. The internet your customers, clients, patients, or public you serve utilizes makes a difference when interacting with your services.

Services like home security, telehealth, and more are reliant on the speeds provided by fiber internet to work properly, especially with the rise of AI, as AI features are incorporated into virtual services, these connectivity speeds are critical. Likewise, any business that employs remote workers stands to benefit from the conferencing and multi-device benefits of fiber connections.

Overall, the more consumers and members of the workforce have access to fiber connections, the more your business or organization can utilize technology to serve or work with them.

 

Bria Murray / February 17, 2026

Business trends to look out for in 2026

To be successful in the world of business, it is critical to be aware of the current trends that are at the forefront. Even if your operation is thriving, being in the know could be prevalent for any future market demands. In this week’s issue of The Pulse, we will be talking specifically about four trends to keep an eye on.

1. E-Commerce

Even though E-commerce has been around for several years, this digital channel has expanded to become crucial within in the current business climate.  According to industry leader Novatize, “globally, online sales already account for just over 20% of total retail sales, and that share is expected to reach approximately 21.5% in 2026”. This digital channel is no longer in the experimentation stage but has quickly become critical for business operations and growth.

2. Sustainable practices

ESG (Economic, Social, and Governance), is the structure in which companies use to measure sustainability, ethical impact, and risk management in addition to conventional financial benchmarks. This practice is no longer considered a voluntary obligation, but a necessary responsibility in terms of a sustainable future. Companies looking for investors in 2026 may find themselves scrutinized on this topic.

3. Brand Partnerships

This marketing technique has exploded in the last few years as a result of the increase of digital marketing.  It entails strategic partnerships with select brands that enable companies to expand their reach and elevate their brand image. By teaming up with well considered, like-minded partners, companies can develop new products and services while gaining access to new audiences through cross-promotion.

4. Marketing targeting Generation Z

Generation Z, or Gen Z, has become a huge presence in the current workforce, and therefore businesses have pivoted their marketing techniques to reach Gen Z consumers successfully. If your business is hoping to reach more of this demographic in 2026, consider the following criteria for your marketing strategy:

  • Digital fluency
  • Preference for short-form content
  • Preference for authenticity and transparency behind brands
  • Passion for cause-based marketing and social impact
  • Tendency to shop, search the internet, and seek entertainment on mobile devices

 In conclusion…

These four trends are only a small portion of the ever-evolving direction of the current business world.  Keeping these top-of-mind as well as researching the multitude of other emerging business trends will keep your organization current and allow for room to achieve your future targets.

Cal Wilson / February 3, 2026

Be aware of Business Email Compromise

While we’re used to suspicious emails being filtered into spam in our personal lives, it can be more confusing when you receive a fraudulent or phishing email on your secured work account. However, in 2026, this sort of scam is going to be happening at an increasing rate.

In this issue of The Pulse, we’re looking at Business Email Compromise (BEC); what it is, how cybercriminals practice it, and what your organization can do to mitigate the risk.

What is Business Email Compromise (BEC)?

Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a tactic spammers use to target your organization’s money or data. It happens when a scammer, under the guise of fake or stolen credentials, tricks employees into giving financial or other sensitive information. It sounds easy to avoid, like any other phishing email scam, but they’re becoming more and more sophisticated.

How does it work?

According to SentinelOne, BEC scam usually “begins with a compromised or spoofed email account. Under the guise of a trusted vendor, or a company executive, scammers typically use stolen or false credentials to trick employees into giving up financial authorization or confidential information permissions.”

What sort of financial scams do these entail? Sometimes, it’s instructions for a wire transfer that may look legitimate. Sometimes, it’s requests for a gift card to be sent to an email address. Essentially, any action that leads an employee to “unknowingly commit fraud by sending funds directly to the attacker.” Once those funds are sent, they’re unrecoverable.

This can be an expensive problem.

A 2023 report by the FBI found that “a single successful BEC attack costs a business an average of $137,132.” As scam attempts have only increased since then, the cost has likely only grown as well. For most businesses, this sort of loss is devastating.

BEC is a form of social engineering.

Any time a cybercriminal has to use manipulation to exploit human error, it’s a form of social engineering. According to cybersecurity company KasperSky, “these ‘human hacking’ scams tend to lure unsuspecting users into exposing data, spreading malware infections, or giving access to restricted systems. Attacks can happen online, in-person, and via other interactions.”

Because the whole point of these scams is to take advantage of an employee’s lack of knoweldge, the best way your business can fight BEC attacks is by arming your staff with information. You can do this by:

  • Educating them about BEC scams
  • Implementing a policy to follow in the case of receiving fraudulent emails
  • Educating them about the actual process for financial authorization, so they’re aware it would never happen over email
  • Educating them about how to flag an email as suspicious

In conclusion…

Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a social engineering scam targetting business employees’ emails. It can be extremely costly, with little recourse for the victim. Educating yourself and your organization will go a long way in defending against this method of fraud.

 

Jessica Pett / January 26, 2026

Energy Challenges Unique to Warehouses and Distribution Centers

Warehouses and distribution centers are designed for efficiency, but energy isn’t always part of the equation. Their large size, fluctuating activity, and energy-intensive equipment create unique challenges, often driving costs that feel unavoidable. High ceilings, open layouts, and large bay doors mean energy is spent heating rising air, cooling underused spaces, and lighting massive areas, even when they’re unused. Spread across such large spaces, these inefficiencies quietly inflate energy usage without immediate notice.

The Scale Problem: Heating, Cooling, and Lighting Massive Spaces

Unlike office buildings, warehouses rarely have consistent occupancy throughout the building. Yet heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) as well as lighting systems are often designed to treat the entire facility as one uniform space. Considering 17% of commercial buildings in the U.S. are warehouse and storage buildings, that adds up to a significant amount of wasted energy.

Picking areas or shipping lanes may see constant activity, while storage aisles or overflow areas are used sporadically, so energy is used to condition and light areas that may often be unoccupied. Without controls that take into account different zones and occupancies, businesses end up paying to light, heat, and cool areas that aren’t actively supporting daily operations. Over time, this “one-size-fits-all” approach leads to ongoing waste that’s difficult to detect without a closer look at when and where energy is being consumed.

Equipment That Runs Around the Clock

Warehouses and distribution centers rely on energy-intensive equipment like conveyors, charging stations, automated systems, and material-handling machinery. This heavy-duty equipment requires a substantial power source. Even when not in active use, much of this equipment continues drawing power. Extended operating hours, overnight charging, and idle systems add to energy consumption. This creates a situation where energy usage remains high regardless of actual productivity.

Seasonal Spikes That Become Permanent Costs

Every industry has its peak season, which likely requires longer hours, added shifts, and increased output. Energy usage rises accordingly, but the problem begins when those temporary changes aren’t reversed back.

Lighting schedules, HVAC settings, and equipment run times adjusted for peak demand frequently remain in place long after volumes return to normal. As a result, businesses can find themselves paying peak-level energy costs year-round without realizing it.

Aging Infrastructure and Deferred Upgrades

Many warehouses operate in older buildings with outdated lighting, HVAC systems, or insulation. While these systems may still function, they are rarely efficient by modern standards. Upgrades are often postponed in favor of seemingly more essential operational spending. Unfortunately, the longer these inefficient systems remain in place, the more they quietly drain budgets over time through higher energy consumption and maintenance costs.

How Can It Be Combatted?

Addressing warehouse energy challenges doesn’t require a total overhauling of operations. Small, targeted changes can make a measurable difference, such as implementing zone-based lighting and motion sensors to limit energy use to active areas, or scheduling equipment more efficiently to reduce idle power draw.

Get To Know Usage Patterns

Regularly reviewing energy usage patterns will help to identify hidden inefficiencies and ensures that the energy being used supports operations rather than running independently of them. For a busy warehouse manager, this can be a daunting task. Partnering with a third-party consultant to provide expert analysis and actionable recommendations allows them to focus on day-to-day operations instead.

Energy Control Is an Operational Advantage

Warehouses and distribution centers will always require energy, but wasted energy is not inevitable. By understanding the unique challenges these facilities face and regularly reviewing how energy is used, businesses can turn energy from an uncontrollable overhead cost into a managed operational expense.

The most efficient facilities aren’t just moving faster; they’re ensuring every dollar spent on energy supports real productivity.

Cal Wilson / January 12, 2026

What is agentic commerce and what does your business need to know?

One payment trend business owners may encounter in 2026, whether they want to or not, is agentic commerce. As AI evolves and becomes a bigger staple in everyday life, the way consumers want to make payments is consequently affected. In this article, we’re taking a look at agentic commerce and what businesses that accept online payments can expect.

What is agentic commerce?

Simply put, agentic commerce is the process by which an AI agent shops and potentially makes purchases on behalf of a customer. It’s also being called ‘a-commerce.’

Think of it like this; a customer using an AI tool gives a specific prompt for a flight to be purchased. Leaving from a specific airport, arriving at a specific time, within a specific price range, etc. The AI agent scours the internet for the best options, at a quicker speed than the user can, and presents the best options. Once the customer approves, the AI agent completes the purchase. This prevents the customer from having to do their own manual research or even from dealing with the checkout window.

When a user gives an AI agent a search query, it uses different protocols – such as Model Context Protocol (MCP) – to check product data in real time, accounting not just for price but for factors like return policies, shipping estimates, and more.

What does this mean for businesses?

For businesses that rely on online marketing to boost their sales, agentic commerce may throw a wrench in your usual strategy. AI tools aren’t going to be as swayed by typical marketing techniques, favoring “clean and structured data, fast responses and zero guesswork.”

Of course, not everyone is adopting a-commerce. Traditional digital marketing strategies still matter. Businesses who find that this trend is impacting them must be proactive in appealing to both types of shoppers; human and artificial intelligence.

Part of that includes building payment processing flows that can handle agent-initiated payments; something you may need to speak to your merchant services solution provider about. Likewise, while a-commerce agents can search regular websites and product listings, some companies are starting to build sites optimized for this purpose, including product catalogues and checkout flows meant to be agent-readable, rather than best for human use.

Who are the agents in agentic commerce?

The agents in question are “autonomous or semiautonomous software programmes that use artificial intelligence.” But who is operating these platforms? AI developers as well as payment processing companies both have their foot in the door of this new landscape.  Stripe, Open AI, Google, and Amazon are all among the companies working to deliver these platforms.

In conclusion…

As AI becomes a larger presence in our lives, businesses have to adjust strategies to account for new consumer behavior, which businesses should be aware of if they do online sales. If your platform doesn’t account for it, your competitors’ may.

Jessica Pett / January 6, 2026

Start 2026 Strong!

It’s easy to fall victim to setting those New Year’s resolutions only to let our busy lives get in the way of the follow through. This year could be no different if you don’t implement some solid work-related intentions. In this edition of The Pulse, we discuss six helpful ways to start your year off strong.   

Reflection and Redirection 

After spending the month of December preparing for the holidays, spending valuable quality time with family and eating to our hearts’ content, we may also find ourselves reflecting on the past year. The new year can be a perfect time to reassess your professional goals based on the reflection you’ve done. Are the goals you set last year still aligned with what you wish to accomplish in the coming year? Are your intentions still the same; will they still help get you to the result you originally planned for? Do those goals still excite and inspire you? If the answers to questions like these are no longer supporting your vision for the new year, take them time to reassess, you owe it to yourself and your business!  

Once you’ve established a few concrete goals for the new year, it is important to continue to revisit often, maybe monthly, to ensure you’re on track. Without a clear vision for the future ahead, it can be far too easy to fall off track. As you monitor your progress throughout the year, it will become much more apparent when you’ve taken a misstep.  

A Mindset for Growth 

Along the same lines, a plan written down is just that, a plan. Like previously mentioned, it takes constant monitoring and dedication to ensure your goals are being worked toward efficiently, but that is not all. Above all, you have to want to reach that end goal. Set yourself up for success by ensuring that the goals you’ve set are not only achievable but are also something you really want to strive for. Your mindset should match the steps required to achieve your goal. 

Reimagine your Productivity 

A study done by Redbooth outlined when people are the most and least productive. In a typical day, most tasks are completed at around 11:00 a.m. with productivity dropping after lunch with a complete plummet following 4:00. Most tasks are completed at the beginning of the week and (maybe as expected) Fridays are the least impactful. Finally, the highest number of tasks are completed in October, but the least are in January. While these numbers are not universal, because everyone works differently, this information can be helpful in potentially adapting our own schedules in order to achieve the highest levels of productivity. 

Modify your Environment 

Clutter can equal chaos, both mentally and physically. Consider purging your workspace in order to create space. Anyone who has deep cleaned a closet or reorganized a basement knows that there is an instant feeling of relief when the unnecessary clutter has been removed from the space. Once the extra physical room is there, you’ll quickly notice the mental room that has become available. With the extra mental clarity there will be more room for productivity towards your goals. 

Positive Team Engagement 

Whether you’re a leader or a member, engaging with the team you are a part of is necessary for your overall success. A positive workplace environment cultivates productivity, so collaborating and engaging with your team will prove to be a helpful approach to your workday. While putting your head down and getting work done is obviously important, remember to enjoy the social aspects of work too. Get to know your coworkers, we could all use a little comedic relief in our day. 

Prioritize a Work-Life Balance 

It can be difficult to separate ourselves from work after leaving the office. I even sometimes find myself thinking about the workday before I fall asleep. With an increasingly virtual and accessible world, it can be difficult to disconnect at 5:00 p.m. Keep in mind, balance in this case doesn’t always mean 50/50, it should mean a healthy and fulfilling balance that works for you. However, as mentioned before, happy people are productive people and a healthy balance between home life and work life is another facet of that. If you can, try silencing or disabling your work email from your phone in the evenings, schedule yourself breaks if you have a hard time taking them organically and be sure to set and communicate boundaries regarding your availability and be strict about keeping them. These are just a few ways to promote a balance in your life and are definitely easier said than done. Do your best to focus on implementing the tactics that work for you and stay consistent with them.  

In conclusion, 

Implementing these strategies will help you to have a positive and productive start to 2026. Reset those goals where necessary, determine personal strategies that you feel are achievable and ensure you make the time for fun and relaxation alongside your work. The end goal is to feel fulfilled and content in both your work and personal life.  

This article was originally posted in January, 2025.