In an exclusive interview with The CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Sarah Warsi, Marketing Manager, Sentia shares a grounded, practical view of how small and mid-sized businesses can cut through the noise of modern IT. Drawing on extensive experience across strategy, digital transformation, and data-driven marketing, Sarah breaks down what is actually changing for SMBs and where leaders should focus their attention today.
Interview By Maheen Bari
Sarah is a marketing and communications professional with over 16 years of experience leading strategic, data‑driven initiatives that strengthen brands and deliver measurable results.
With expertise spanning strategic planning, digital and social media marketing, market research and trend analysis, and vendor and customer relationship management, Sarah brings a holistic and insight‑driven approach to every project.
Over the past 18–24 months, more than 90% of Sentia’s new onboardings have been SMBs—what are you hearing most from Canadian small and mid‑sized businesses about their top IT priorities right now, and how has that shifted recently?
We are hearing from clients about a number of IT priorities including
i) Automation & AI
ii) Security (Both network as well as cyber-security)
iii) IT support
iv) Microsoft in the context of how to enhance their return on investment in Microsoft technology including licensing and Azure.
Sentia assesses, designs, implements, and manages everything from infrastructure and cybersecurity to cloud and managed services—how do you support SMBs differently today compared to large enterprises, and what can smaller companies learn from how you run your own IT as a growing business?
I would say within the small to medium business segment we tend to end up supporting all or most aspects of IT for our SMB clientele. From providing IT support day to day all the way to protecting end points, networks and providing backup and data protection solutions. Within the large enterprise segment, we are more often supporting or augmenting existing IT teams in a specific IT area based upon unique customer requirements. What is interesting is the same technologies we are supporting in our LE clients are available these days for SMB’s. SMB’s can afford the same modern IT solutions as large enterprise. What SMB’s often lack is a partner with broad skills across all of these technologies – this is the value Sentia provides to our clients.
With skills shortages, rising cyber threats, and aging on‑prem systems, many SMBs feel overwhelmed—what trends in IT should Canadian SMB owners pay closest attention to in the next few years if they want to stay secure and competitive without overbuilding?
Increases in the frequency and severity of cyber attacks and overall IT security I would suggest is a trend owners should pay close attention to. Security posture assessments including penetration testing and/or vulnerability scanning is affordable and a must-do. Another trend that is rapidly growing is around Automation and AI. There is great interest in how AI can help organizations however it is important to proceed with caution with security and data privacy and governance top of mind.
For an owner who knows their environment is “good enough for now” but hasn’t revisited IT in years, what practical first steps would you recommend they take this year to modernize—without fixating on price—and start treating technology as a strategic asset rather than a necessary cost?
One recommendation would be to have an IT roadmap assessment performed that would assess the existing IT posture, security posture, data protection, and overall productivity posture and offer a roadmap for future IT modernization. For SMB’s invested in the Microsoft 365 universe, having someone audit the current configuration and setup of the existing M365 tenant is an affordable service that can add value and ensure owners are getting the best return on their investment in Microsoft. For owners who have never had a pen test performed, they are affordable and deliver value. A final suggestion would be to have a consultative, exploratory business discussion with a modern IT service provider to learn more about how other SMB’s are leveraging IT in their business.
Disclaimer:The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CanadianSME Small Business Magazine. Our platform is dedicated to fostering dialogue and sharing insights that inspire and empower small and medium-sized businesses across Canada.
