Picture this: an email that looks like it’s from one of your regular suppliers asks you to send the next payment to a new bank account. It’s fake, but it has no virus or attachment, so antivirus software lets it straight through. Scams like this now hit more Canadian businesses than any other kind of attack, and they’re changing what good IT support looks like.

Brampton has more than 110,000 businesses, and the City of Brampton says 90% of them are small. For a small business without its own IT team, these IT support trends matter more than they do at a large company with a security department. Here are the five worth planning for in 2027, with the numbers behind each.

1. Scams are now the biggest cyber threat

In 2025, about one in six (16%) Canadian businesses with 10 or more employees were hit by a cyber security incident, the same share as in 2023, according to Statistics Canada. What changed is how. Of the businesses hit, 55% were affected by scams and fraud, up from 50% in 2023 and 44% in 2021. Ransomware was involved for 8%, down from 13% in 2023.

Small firms aren’t spared. Among businesses with 10 to 49 employees, 15% were hit, against 25% of large ones, and Statistics Canada says that gap has been shrinking since 2019.

For IT support, this shifts the work from cleaning up infected PCs to stopping people from being tricked: email filtering, multi-factor sign-in on every account, short staff training, and one firm rule. Any change to payment details gets confirmed by phone, using a number you already have.

2. Windows 10 is running out of road

Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. Businesses can still buy Extended Security Updates for up to three years, at $61 USD per device for the first year. The price doubles each year, you must pay for any years you missed if you join late, and technical support isn’t included.

The cheaper consumer version ends on October 12, 2027, and it doesn’t cover computers managed by an organization. For most offices, 2027 is the year to finish moving to Windows 11. Start with the machines that can’t run it, because those need replacing, not just upgrading. Cloud PCs through Windows 365 are one alternative: Microsoft includes Windows 10 security updates with them at no extra cost.

3. Microsoft 365 costs more, so licences need a review

On July 1, 2026, Microsoft raised list prices on several Microsoft 365 business plans, saying it was adding “security and management capabilities empowered by AI.” The Register reported that Business Basic went from $6 to $7 USD per user per month and Business Standard from $12.50 to $14, while Business Premium stayed at $22. Canadian prices differ.

When a bill rises, an Office 365 licence review is worth doing. Look for accounts belonging to people who have left, shared mailboxes on paid licences, and staff on plans bigger or smaller than they need.

4. AI joins the help desk

AI use among Canadian businesses tripled in two years, to 19.2% in the second quarter of 2026, according to Statistics Canada. In support, that means tools that sort tickets, draft answers and flag unusual sign-ins. Statistics Canada’s 2025 cyber survey found 11% of businesses already used AI-based security tools, and 46% of large ones did.

Two cautions. AI assistants can see whatever the signed-in user can see, so tidy up file sharing first. And AI tools, including customer chatbots, can be fooled by hidden instructions, so a person should approve anything that changes access, money or data.

5. Cyber insurance and backups become standard

A third of Canadian businesses had cyber risk insurance in 2025, up from 22% in 2023 and 16% in 2021. Large businesses led at 63%. But insurance is a backstop, not a plan. Only 6% of insured businesses that were hit even tried to make a claim, so for most incidents the cleanup still fell to the business itself.

Backups deserve more attention. In 2025, 43% of businesses reported having backups of their data as part of managing cyber risk. A good backup, whether it’s your own setup or a backup service like NanoBackup, runs automatically, keeps a copy away from your main systems, and gets a test restore every few months.

Your 2027 IT checklist

1. List every Windows 10 computer. Decide which to upgrade, replace or cover with paid updates.
2. Review Microsoft 365 licences before your next renewal.
3. Turn on multi-factor sign-in everywhere and set a call-back rule for payment changes.
4. Test a backup restore, not just the backup.
5. Clean up file sharing before switching on any AI assistant.
6. Get a cyber insurance quote and see which controls the insurer asks about.

None of this needs a big IT department. Many businesses hand it to a managed IT provider: in 2025, 38% of businesses had a consultant or contractor managing their cyber risks. Whoever does it, 2027 rewards the offices that plan early.