"The past few years have presented significant challenges for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), no matter the industry. Supply chain disruptions created production delays and order backlogs, a tight labor market led to staffing shortages and talent acquisition problems, and now inflation lingers at high levels and mounting costs continue to plague business growth plans. On top of this, interest rate increases cause further uncertainty: 91% of small business owners believe that SMBs are particularly vulnerable to complications caused by rising interest rates. While these macroeconomic challenges paint a somewhat bleak outlook, the bright side for SMBs is that they are better equipped than ever before to manage them. As SMB leaders evaluate costs across their organizations, they're finding cloud technology offers profound advantages. Smart investments in the cloud, particularly for SMBs, are vital right now, as they can help businesses shrink and optimize annual IT expenditures.