Natalia Scheidegger

For many SMBs, the next phase of technology transformation will not be defined by who adopts AI first – but by who builds the operational foundations to use it effectively. Across the market, businesses are moving beyond hype cycles and focusing on practical outcomes: automation that improves efficiency, cloud strategies that modernise operations, cyber security built around resilience, and customer experiences that remain deeply human in an increasingly automated world.

The organisations making the smartest decisions right now are not necessarily the ones moving fastest. They’re the ones asking better questions, investing in readiness, and building environments capable of adapting as technology continues to evolve.

AI beyond the headlines

AI dominates almost every customer conversation today – but the reality underneath the headlines is far more measured.

In the SMB market especially, most organisations are still in the exploration phase. There’s enormous curiosity, but also caution. Many leaders are less focused on becoming AI pioneers and more focused on ensuring they don’t get left behind. What I’m seeing is widespread FOMO rather than widespread innovation.

Very few businesses have mature AI use cases operating at scale. Instead, customers are trying to understand where AI fits, what risks it introduces, and how they prepare themselves for eventual adoption. The smartest organisations are focusing less on shiny tools and more on the groundwork required to become AI-ready.

That means investing in data governance, developing internal AI policies, introducing staff awareness programs, and creating clear operational guardrails. Businesses recognise AI will fundamentally impact how they operate – they just don’t want to move recklessly before they understand the implications.

In many ways, that caution is healthy. The businesses that succeed with AI over the next few years will likely be the ones that prepared properly, not the ones that rushed first.

Automation is delivering the real value

While AI grabs attention, automation is where customers are seeing immediate commercial outcomes. This is where technology conversations become far more practical. Businesses are reviewing workflows, identifying inefficiencies, and asking fundamental operational questions around where human effort is genuinely required. The focus is on building leaner, faster and more scalable operations.

Importantly, automation is no longer viewed purely as an IT initiative. It’s increasingly tied directly to profitability, customer experience and operational efficiency. Organisations want to reduce friction, accelerate response times and eliminate repetitive manual tasks that slow teams down.

One of the biggest opportunities we’re seeing is helping businesses recognise that meaningful gains often come from tools they already own. There’s a tendency in the market to chase large transformation projects when, in reality, there are often immediate wins sitting inside existing platforms.

For example, we’re seeing strong results leveraging Microsoft Power Platform to build low-code workflows that automate repetitive processes without requiring long implementation cycles or expensive software investments. In many cases, the quickest return comes from simplifying what already exists.

Cloud transformation has matured

Cloud transformation remains a major focus, but the conversation has evolved significantly. Five years ago, businesses were asking whether they should move to the cloud. Today, most customers have already completed that journey in some form. The focus now is what the cloud enables – scalability, resilience, operational agility and better digital experiences.

Businesses are trying to bring more of their operations online, integrate systems more effectively and create self-service environments for both staff and customers. The objective is no longer simply hosting workloads somewhere different. It’s about modernising how the organisation operates.

That’s also driving a broader reassessment of technology stacks. Customers are questioning whether existing systems genuinely support future growth or whether they’re creating operational drag. If platforms cannot support automation, analytics or cloud-native operations, they quickly become candidates for replacement.

Increasingly, organisations want connected ecosystems that allow them to operate faster, respond to change more effectively and deliver more seamless customer experiences.

Cyber security is becoming more strategic

There has also been a noticeable shift in how businesses approach cyber security. The overreaction and panic that once followed every major breach headline is beginning to give way to a far more mature and strategic mindset. Customers are asking better questions. They want to understand why specific controls matter, what risks they mitigate and whether those risks are commercially acceptable.

That shift changes the conversation entirely.

Instead of simply saying “make us safe,” businesses are increasingly approaching cyber security through a risk-management lens. They want visibility, context and alignment between security investment and actual business exposure. Blanket solutions are becoming less attractive than targeted strategies aligned to operational priorities.

The result is a more informed and ultimately more resilient approach to cyber. Customers are still investing heavily, but the decision-making process is becoming far more deliberate and commercially grounded.

Mirroring the market, leveraging automation

Interestingly, our own strategic priorities are not too dissimilar from what our customers are focused on – and I see that as a positive thing. Technology is moving too quickly for service providers to stand still. If we’re not evolving internally, we’re not in a position to guide customers through change with credibility.

Our biggest internal focus is automation – specifically, how we automate as much base-level service delivery as possible. The traditional MSP model built around repetitive ticket handling is rapidly losing value. Customers expect more strategic engagement, and rightly so. We want our technical teams focused on solving meaningful business problems rather than resetting passwords or handling low-complexity tasks that can be automated.

The objective is to create leverage through smarter tooling and intelligent workflows so our people can spend more time delivering high-value outcomes.

At the same time, we’re placing enormous emphasis on the customer experience itself. Ironically, in an industry obsessed with technology, human engagement has often been one of the weakest points. We see that as a competitive opportunity. AI and automation can improve efficiency, but they cannot replace trusted relationships or the ability to understand nuance within a customer’s business.

We want deeper conversations, greater visibility into customer challenges and more proactive engagement overall. It’s not enough to simply respond quickly anymore. Businesses want relevance, context and strategic guidance from their technology partners.

Customer experience is becoming a core differentiator – and we’re investing heavily to make it a genuine strength.

Using AI internally with purpose

We’re also embedding AI internally where it creates practical operational value. One example is using AI to automatically triage incoming support tickets and append recommended solutions for our technical teams. The goal is not replacing engineers – it’s reducing friction so they can focus faster on solving problems.

The reason we’ve been able to move relatively quickly here is because we established the right governance foundations early. AI policies, data governance frameworks and operational boundaries were put in place months ago, which now gives us the confidence to experiment safely and move fast where appropriate.

That mindset is important. In a market evolving this quickly, businesses need the confidence to test, iterate and learn continuously.

Cyber resilience remains another major strategic priority internally. We recently achieved ISO 27001 certification, but for us the real value was never the certificate itself. The biggest impact came from the cultural shift it created across the business.

Technical controls are table stakes. The real test of resilience is whether every individual in the organisation – from administration through to executive leadership – understands cyber risk as part of how they operate day to day.

That’s the environment we’re trying to build. Cyber security should not sit in a silo. It should become embedded into company culture.

Adaptability will define the next era

One piece of advice that has stayed with me comes from retired US Army General Erik Shinseki: “If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.”

That mindset feels especially relevant right now.

The reality is that business advice always has a shelf life. What worked five years ago doesn’t necessarily work today, and what works today may not survive the pace of change ahead. The organisations that succeed over the next decade will not simply be the most technically advanced — they’ll be the ones most capable of adapting.

In a market being reshaped by AI, automation and constant disruption, adaptability is quickly becoming the defining characteristic of modern leadership.