(This column originally appeared in Forbes)
Here are five things in small business technology that happened this week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
This Week in Small Business Technology News
Small Business Technology News #1 — Elon Musk goes all-in on SMBs with new Grok Enterprise and Business offerings.
Elon Musk’s AI company xAI has introduced two new paid tiers of its Grok AI assistant aimed at small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and larger enterprises. Grok Business — a subscription tier priced at $30 per user/month designed for team use — and Grok Enterprise with customized pricing for businesses, is xAI’s latest move to compete with ChatGPT Business/Enterprise and Google’s Gemini. The Enterprise tier includes custom single-sign on (SSO) and extra security controls. Grok Business can be managed from a central console and third-party platforms like Google Drive are integrated to support file management. The consumer Grok chatbot remains available for free with limitations, and a higher-tier SuperGroksubscription exists for individuals. (Source: TechRadar)
Why this is important for your small business:
I’ve been a ChatGPT user for the past couple of years. Grok was never on my radar. Than last year I noticed that by using the Grok button in X I could get a pretty fair fact-check and contextual background on posts. Then I downloaded the Grok app and found that not only was its responses accurate but the performance was significantly better than ChatGPT. Slowly but surely I’m being drawn to Grok. To the extent that when clients consider these new business offerings I would not only encourage but consider moving to this AI assistant for my own business.
Small Business Technology News #2 — Lenovo’s new ultralight laptop blew us away — just 975 grams with a gorgeous Yoga aesthetic.
Cale Hunt of Windows Central raved about Lenovo’s new ultralight laptop — ideal for on-the-go professionals and creators who want top-tier display quality, and modern AI-aware performance. The Yoga Slim 7i Ultra Aura Edition weighs a mere 2.15 pounds and is 0.55 inches-thick, using a magnesium-alloy chassis to keep weight down. Highlighted features include an Intel Core Ultra X9 (Series 3) processor, up to 32 GB LPDDR5x-9600 MT/s RAM, and a 14-inch 2.8K (2880×1800) OLED touchscreen. The Yogi Slim is expected to hit the market in Q2 of 2026 at $1,499.99. (Source: Windows Central)
Why this is important for your small business:
This laptop is literally one-third lighter than the laptop I just purchased from Dell for a similar price. I’m kicking myself. Why? Because I travel a lot and having a light, powerful device is extremely important. I may still break down and get it when it’s available, I’ll wait for the reviews first.
Small Business Technology News #3–5 best QuickBooks alternatives of 2026.
Forbes Advisor evaluated dozens of accounting tools and highlighted several alternatives that may be cheaper, easier to use, or better suited to specific business needs than QuickBooks. Top alternatives include Zoho Books — an all-around choice that’s affordable, integrates well with the Zoho system, and offers a free plan with generous features like invoicing and expense tracking. FreshBooks — an optimal choice for freelancers — is easy to use with unlimited invoices and time tracking included. The one drawback — a free version is not offered, and the lower tiers limit the number of clients. Xero — an accounting system designed for established small businesses — offers robust accounting with multi-currency support, receipt capture, and bank reconciliation. Forbes suggests picking based on your business size, budget, and the features you actually need (basic invoicing vs full accounting), noting QuickBooks may be overkill for many small businesses and that cheaper/simpler tools often fit better. (Source: Forbes)
Why this is important for your small business:
QuickBooks is still the leader in small business accounting software but Intuit is getting a run for its money by these other competitors. Zoho Books is a dark horse — we sell it (full disclosure) — and as a CPA I was initially wary of the product. But it’s good. Very good. All of these options are great alternatives to QuickBooks. To help differentiate though check out all the add-ins and third-party products available on each vendors’ marketplace so that you can prepare yourself to not only scale but lead into industry specific applications.
Small Business Technology News #4 — Syspro and SugarCRM team up.
Syspro and SugarCRM have launched Sugar for Syspro, a new integrated solution that connects Syspro’s ERP with SugarCRM’s sales platform to give manufacturers and distributors a unified sales-to-shop-floor system. By integrating product, customer, order, and service data, the solution empowers sales teams with real-time insights to win business, strengthen customer loyalty, and support growth. The standardized integration accelerates deployment and creates a single connected record across operations and revenue functions. The partnership aims to simplify business processes, reduce integration complexity, and increase value for customers, laying groundwork for future ecosystem expansion and a 2026 marketplace launch. (Source: SugarCRM)
Why this is important for your small business:
My company sells multiple CRM products but not SugarCRM and yet I recommend SugarCRM frequently. Why don’t we sell it? Purely because I have only ten people and limited bandwidth. SugarCRM is an excellent platform and I was happy to see that the company is leaning into well-known ERP platforms like Syspro as a way to offer better CRM capabilities to Syspro users than what they’ve historically received. If you’re a Syspro user (or considering the platform for your business) I strongly recommend reviewing SugarCRM along with it.
Small Business Technology News #5 — Instagram CEO thinks real content should be labeled.
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri says the future of social media will require a major shift in how platforms distinguish authentic content from AI‑generated media. His core argument: it will soon be more practical to label real content rather than fake content. AI‑generated images and videos are becoming so realistic that platforms may struggle to reliably detect and label them. Because of this, Mosseri says that planforms like Instagram will be “under mounting pressure” to discern what is authentic, or non-generated AI content. “We need to label AI-generated content clearly, and work with manufacturers to verify authenticity at capture — fingerprinting real media, not just chasing fake,” Mosseri said. (Source: Mashable)
Why this is important for your small business:
Instagram, X and other social platforms receive a significant share of advertising revenues from businesses — big and small — that advertise there. But these platforms are having a major problem: deepfakes and AI videos that are seriously calling into questions the veracity of the content they provide. Unless their executives take action — as Mosseri warns — they risk losing audience and along with that will be the loss of advertisers. Keep this in mind as you’re business spends on social in 2026.
Each week I round up five small business technology news stories and explain why they’re important for your business. If you have any interesting stories, please post to my X account @genemarks
