How Businesses of All Sizes Can Benefit from AI and Other Advanced Technologies

Businesses don’t need to be large to benefit from artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. With the right approach, solutions, and technology provider, companies of all sizes can improve productivity, the employee experience, and security.

These insights are shared in an SAP Concur-sponsored IDC Analyst Connection: Take Action: Five Top IT Questions at SMBs and How to Address Them Now. In the paper, Katie Evans, IDC’s worldwide research director, small and medium business markets, outlines actions companies can take to help level the technology playing field.

What are the top IT issues SMBs face when adopting AI and advanced technology?

IDC analyst and researcher Katie Evans describes how businesses can adopt AI, boost productivity and employee engagement, ease implementation, and more. The IDC paper highlights common IT challenges and practical ways to address them.

Below is a summary of several challenges the paper identifies, along with Evans’ recommended approaches.

How can smaller businesses access artificial intelligence (AI) with limited IT resources?

If you have few in-house IT resources, implementing AI and machine learning on your own can be difficult. Evans’ guidance is to lean on a provider—and to evaluate that provider carefully.

Ask potential providers direct questions about expected time and money savings, and request references and demos. Also assess whether the technology supports real outcomes (not just marketing promises).

What to ask and evaluate:

• Whether the technology can automate manual tasks
• Whether it offers forecasting
• How it can improve the employee experience
• The provider’s experience with AI and whether it delivers results

Evans cautions against adopting immature tools: “The last thing a small business needs to be is a beta tester of a buggy system that doesn’t save them time,” she says.

How do you get stronger security along with new technology?

Efficiency gains from new technology can introduce new security requirements. Evans’ recommendations emphasize selecting solutions with embedded security and making a clear business case for security investment.

When explaining the need to leadership, connect security priorities to:

• Hybrid and remote work
• Cloud-based technology
• The risk of cyberattacks
• The data AI needs to function properly

If your business doesn’t have the time or expertise to implement and integrate AI—and train employees on it—Evans suggests leaning on technology providers for support. She also notes that bundling services and solutions can be a cost-efficient approach.

How should you prepare employees and leaders for AI and new solutions?

To get full value from AI, preparation for change is essential. Evans stresses that adoption works best when leadership is aligned and employees are trained for the new workflows technology introduces.

Key readiness steps include:

• Securing top management buy-in, so leaders can reinforce the message across the organization
• Making employee training a priority, since new technology and processes can significantly change day-to-day work
• Using your solution provider for training and implementation advice, based on lessons learned from multiple deployments

More questions, more answers

For deeper discussion of these IT topics—and additional questions, answers, and actions—download the IDC Analyst Connection.

FAQs

1) Can small businesses benefit from AI and automation, or is it only for large companies?

It’s not just the biggest businesses that can benefit from AI and automation. With the right approach, solutions, and technology provider, companies of all sizes can improve productivity, the employee experience, and security.

2) What should SMBs ask AI providers before adopting a solution?

The page recommends asking about potential time and money savings, requesting references and demos, and evaluating whether the technology can automate manual tasks, provide forecasting, and improve the employee experience. It also suggests gauging the provider’s AI experience and whether results match promises.

3) Why does AI adoption increase the need for security?

The page links heightened security needs to hybrid and remote work, cloud-based technology, the potential for cyberattacks, and the data AI needs to function properly.

4) How can companies prepare employees for AI-driven change?

The page emphasizes top management buy-in and prioritizing employee training, since new technology and processes can change daily work. It also advises tapping solution providers for training and guidance based on prior implementations.

5) Where can I find the source for these recommendations?

These points are summarized from an SAP Concur-sponsored IDC Analyst Connection: Take Action: Five Top IT Questions at SMBs and How to Address Them Now, featuring guidance from Katie Evans of IDC.