New developments in artificial intelligence can lead to real benefits for businesses—especially small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that have fewer resources and smaller staffs than their enterprise counterparts. However, SMBs must approach AI in a thoughtful, measured way that works for their unique businesses if they want to reap its full potential.
In a recent fireside chat, IDC’s Katie Evans, Senior Research Director of Worldwide Small and Medium Business Research, and Lenovo’s Richard Kreuser, SSG Director, Services AI Center of Excellence, walk SMBs through clear steps they can take, questions they should ask, and AI offerings they may not have considered to help ensure a successful AI journey.
Evans, who not only analyzes trends but also speaks directly to SMBs in her role at IDC, believes that
many SMBs have been historically leery of forward-looking technology because of relatively small IT staffs. In fact, IDC data shows 40% of global SMBs (and 50% of SMBs in the U.S.) do not have a single full-time IT employee in-house. Of those that do have full-time IT employees, 91% have less than five.
From her perspective, these resource-strapped SMBs have a better chance of implementing AI when partnering with a trusted vendor. “Lean on your tech suppliers or MSPs,” she says, “that already work with and understand your business for guidance on where to start. SMBs can get overwhelmed with all the capabilities out there, so ask for use cases you think would best suit your business. Start small where there are the biggest inefficiencies or manual, time-consuming work at your business, then build from there.”
Kreuser agrees – and believes Lenovo is especially well-positioned to help thanks to the company’s AI ecosystem. “So many customers are stuck in proof-of-concepts and starting with the technology,” he says, “but there’s more to it than that. We help businesses see the bigger picture, accelerate their journey, and improve their outcomes. We help get customers unstuck.”
Lenovo does this by focusing on security, people, technology, and process.
Learn how SMBs can benefit from AI – and how Lenovo can help – with this webinar.
Lenovo helps organizations future proof their business with personalized automation, innovation, and efficiency powered by AI. Lenovo AI PCs, such as the ThinkPad Z16 with AMD Ryzen™ PRO 7040 Series featuring Ryzen™ AI, are deployed with Lenovo Care of One hyperpersonalization and AI-powered services for SMBs to help automate and suggest intelligent improvements. Create content faster, collaborate more smoothly, and keep your devices and business working and running at peak performance.
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