2025 was a big year for IT events across Australia with cyber threats and data breaches to regulatory updates and increasing AI scams.
There are clear lessons we can carry forward in 2026, helping businesses and healthcare practices operate smoothly, more securely, and with less disruption.
Take a look at some important takeaways from the last 12 months:
Cyber Threats
The ASD Annual Cyber Threat Report 2024–25 highlighted a rise in ransomware and targeted attacks, particularly against healthcare and service-driven organisations.
Understanding your IT infrastructure, ensuring regular backups, and having a rapid-response plan can reduce downtime and protect patient and business data.
Ransomware is a business continuity issue. Even minor interruptions can ripple across appointments, billing, and communications.
We find practices that invested in tested IT systems see far fewer disruptions than those relying on ad hoc solutions.
We recommend: Reviewing your continuity plan and ensuring your backups and recovery processes are up to date, and your team knows what they are, and they exist. It can save hours, or even days, and reputation if something goes wrong.
BTW, we summarised the ASD Annual Cyber Threat Report 2024–25 here.
Data Breaches: Lessons in Transparency
The Genea data breach caught many in the healthcare sector off guard.
Beyond the immediate technical impact, it served as a reminder that transparency and communication are critical.
Clients, patients, and staff need timely updates when IT incidents occur. Businesses that handle breaches with clarity, rather than confusion and panic, protect both trust and reputation.
Speaking of reputation, take a look at this article by news.com.au that explains Optus’ reputation after its outages.
We recommend: Having an IT partner who knows your systems and can act quickly, without explaining the basics every time something goes wrong. In other words, a familiar name and face to deal with.
The Growing Concern of AI and Scams
2025 also saw AI-driven scams becoming more sophisticated.
These scams blur the lines between legitimate communications and fraud, targeting both individuals and businesses.
What an AI-driven scam is: Fraudulent messages, emails, or calls created using artificial intelligence. They can mimic real people or businesses, including official emails, invoices, or even social media messages, making them harder to spot than traditional scams.
Staff awareness is as important as technical safeguards. Regular training, clear internal policies, and simple verification processes can help teams recognise threats before they escalate.
Healthcare practices, with sensitive patient data and frequent digital communication, are especially at risk, but the principle applies across all industries.
We recommend: Logging into our cyber awareness platform and bringing yourself up to speed. Don’t have logins? Get in touch with us.
Celebrating Progress: Quo Group Milestones
Amid these challenges, Quo Group achieved ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certifications, reinforcing our approach to secure, reliable IT systems.
Our experience shows that structured, certified processes aren’t just paperwork, they form a backbone of consistent service and minimal disruption.
We recommend: Talking to us. Whether it’s a simple chat about your current setup versus your goals, or a deeper discussion about system improvements, a conversation with experts can make things much clearer.
Privacy and Awareness
Privacy Awareness Week highlighted how rapidly regulations and expectations are evolving.
For businesses, understanding privacy obligations is part of maintaining trust with clients and staff. The same goes for our approach with our own clients.
Clinics and other service providers benefit when IT systems support easy, secure management of sensitive data without constant firefighting.
We recommend: Reviewing how your systems store, manage, and share data. Even small improvements can reduce risk and build confidence within a business.
Takeaways for 2026
Business continuity first: Look into and talk about IT systems that minimise disruption.
Trust your IT partner: Familiarity, fast support, and experience with your software are more important than flashy features.
Staff awareness matters: Teams need to understand cyber risks and reporting processes.
Learn from the past: Breaches, scams, and ransomware attacks provide lessons that can guide planning for the year ahead.
Heading into 2026, taking these lessons seriously helps businesses position themselves to serve clients, safeguard data, and maintain smooth operations.
How long since you’ve thought about your IT systems? Are your goals, needs and infrastructure on the same page?
If the answer is no, or “I don’t know”, reach out. We’re here to help.
