Growth is exciting—but it’s also dangerous when your infrastructure isn’t built to handle the complexity that comes with it. One new vendor, one remote login, one overlooked patch—and suddenly, the system you trusted can’t keep up.
For small and midsized businesses (SMBs) like yours that run Sage business applications, expansion brings more than new revenue opportunities. It brings more users, systems, endpoints—and more risk. Each new connection can lead to operational slowdowns or cyberattacks, especially if your IT strategy is still built around aging infrastructure or patchwork security.
Here, we’ll break down why traditional IT strategies can’t keep up with modern growth, and show how scalable, cloud-managed infrastructure can help you protect your Sage environment, reduce risk, and move forward without adding unnecessary complexity or cost.
Every new connection is a new opportunity—and a new risk
Fast-growing businesses often run into trouble when growth outpaces security. As systems, users, and connections multiply, it’s easy for vulnerabilities to slip through—and cybercriminals are watching for precisely that.
Business growth often brings with it a wider attack surface. You create another potential entry point for attackers whenever you add a user, location, application, or remote connection. In fact, access brokers—criminals who sell backdoor access to company networks—specifically seek out SMBs expanding without solid infrastructure in place (and VPNs are a favored entry point).
The 2025 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report found that ransomware is now present in 44% of all breaches, and third-party involvement in breaches has doubled to 30%. That means growing your business—even through something as seemingly simple as onboarding a new vendor or software tool—can expand your risk surface exponentially.
In addition, a new Mastercard survey of more than 5,000 small and medium-sized business owners across four continents found that 46% have experienced a cyberattack on their current business, and nearly one in five that suffered an attack then filed for bankruptcy or closed their business.
Metrics like these underscore why scaling smart means thinking security-first. If your infrastructure can’t adapt quickly or protect consistently, growth becomes a liability instead of a launchpad. That’s why smart growth isn’t just about expanding systems—it’s about transforming how you manage them.
Scale smarter through managed, secure infrastructure
Historically, scaling infrastructure meant buying more servers, software licenses, and IT hires. However, that model now carries more risk than reward. It’s expensive and difficult to manage, and it doesn’t account for today’s fluid, cloud-connected environments. When you scale systems in the traditional way, you scale vulnerabilities. Legacy approaches create blind spots, leave systems under-monitored, and strain internal teams to the breaking point.
Today’s most effective scaling strategies offload infrastructure and security responsibilities to trusted partners. A cloud-first approach allows you to expand seamlessly while keeping your environment controlled, monitored, and protected.
Cloud at Work combines secure virtual private cloud hosting with managed cybersecurity services designed specifically for businesses running Sage business solutions. The same systems that help you scale—your ERP, HRMS, cloud tools, and business-critical apps—are also the systems attackers are watching. That’s why Cloud at Work builds security into every layer, from infrastructure to identity.
In addition, Cloud at Work’s Managed Cybersecurity solution uses Extended Detection and Response (XDR) to monitor your full environment, including endpoints, networks, cloud services, and more. With 24/7 monitoring from a dedicated Security Operations Center (SOC), you gain centralized visibility and response—even when your team is off the clock.
What cyber risk looks like on the ground
When companies grow quickly, their infrastructure doesn’t always keep up—and that’s when the cracks start to show. The risks aren’t theoretical. They show up in payroll delays, production shutdowns, lawsuits, and lasting reputational damage. Here are two real-world examples that illustrate just how high the stakes can be.
A manufacturing firm in Ohio was recently forced offline for weeks after a ransomware attack. Payroll was delayed, and production was halted, no doubt causing significant disruption to the company’s employees, customers, and bottom line. The root cause of the attack was traced back to an employee who had “failed to adhere to our data security policies by allowing unauthorized access to their device.” Needless to say, the single point of failure came at a steep cost.
Unfortunately, that story isn’t unique. For example, a Texas-based manufacturing firm that suffered a cyberattack in late 2024 has now been hit with a class-action lawsuit brought by employees and customers whose data was exposed. They allege that the company’s “negligence and insufficient data security” were to blame. The perpetrator of the attack was Cactus, a well-known “ransomware-as-a-service” group.
Your defenses need to scale with your footprint
When you’re managing multiple systems in-house, every growth initiative becomes an IT project. Need to open a new location? Hire more staff? Launch a new offering? You’re likely budgeting time and resources just to ensure your ERP doesn’t crash under the pressure. Business momentum shouldn’t be slowed down by IT red tape—but it often is.
This is the kind of friction Cloud at Work removes. Our Sage-optimized hosting and managed services, with built-in performance, reliability, and support, provide the backbone for fast, frictionless expansion.
Whether you’re expanding gradually or doubling headcount overnight, the right infrastructure partner changes the equation. With Cloud at Work, you gain a fully managed IT environment that scales with you—securely, seamlessly, and without the growing pains of traditional models.
We combine Sage expertise, virtual private cloud hosting, and enterprise-grade security to help you grow your business, not your risk exposure. You get the freedom to grow—without the technical overhead, security gaps, or infrastructure bottlenecks that used to hold you back.
Scaling securely doesn’t have to break your budget
Security and scalability often get framed as trade-offs. But with cloud-managed services, they’re built to work together—and cost less over time. You eliminate unpredictable CapEx, replace aging infrastructure with flexible, pay-as-you-grow models, and avoid the financial fallout of a cyberattack.
Add to that the ability to deploy updates automatically, detect threats in real time, and reduce incident response from weeks to hours, and it becomes clear: secure scaling is also smart budgeting.
Ready to scale without the risk?
Growth should feel exciting—not risky. With the right infrastructure, it can be. Cloud at Work helps SMBs using Sage solutions scale with confidence. Let’s talk.