Updated on October 25, 2026
The alert that came from the top: Gartner and WEF change the risk map for 2026
In February 2026, Gartner published its top cybersecurity trends for the year, and the core message is clear: artificial intelligence is redefining the risk profile of companies of all sizes. According to Gartner, the chaotic rise of AI, geopolitical tensions, regulatory volatility and accelerating threats are the forces behind the 2026 cybersecurity trends.
The most striking figure comes from the World Economic Forum: 87% of the leaders surveyed for the World Economic Forum's Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 identified AI-related vulnerabilities as the fastest-growing cyber risk throughout 2025. This is not a distant prediction. It is what is happening right now in the boardrooms of retail, healthcare, logistics, and manufacturing companies around the world.
But here comes the question that deserves reflection: is your company adopting AI tools at the right pace to grow, but at the appropriate pace to protect itself?
What does this scenario mean for those who manage a company
The adoption of AI in business operations is evolving at an impressive speed. Customer service assistants, financial process automation, predictive inventory analysis, email sorting, report generation. These tools are already part of the daily routine of SMEs with 10, 50, or 200 computers. And this is positive: digital transformation with AI is a real competitive advantage.
Among the six trends, Gartner highlights that agentic AI requires cybersecurity oversight and that GenAI breaks traditional awareness tactics. Every AI tool connected to the corporate environment is a new data entry point, a new exposure vector and, in many cases, a new operational dependency. If that tool fails, is compromised or processes data improperly, the impact on the business can be immediate.
For an SMB leader, this translates into concrete questions: Who controls what data the AI can access? What happens to operations if an AI-integrated system goes down? Is the company compliant with data protection regulations when using these tools? Gartner warns that, as regulators increasingly hold boards and executives accountable for compliance failures, inaction can result in substantial penalties, lost business, and irreversible reputational damage.
The geopolitical and regulatory landscape amplifies this risk. Changes in privacy legislation, restrictions on the use of certain technologies, and the increase in state-sponsored attacks are variables that directly impact the technological stability of companies, regardless of the sector.
What is possible to do: practical and accessible protection for SMEs
The good news is that there are mature and tested technical capabilities that operate exactly where these risks materialize. And they do not require the company to hire an internal security team of 20 people.
Automated backup with disaster recovery is the starting point. If an AI tool processes data incorrectly, if an integrated system fails, or if a security incident compromises critical files, the ability to restore the environment quickly and reliably determines whether the company is down for hours or days. Modern backup environments allow for granular recovery, with RTO (recovery time objective) windows much smaller than traditional solutions.
24/7 monitoring with endpoint detection and response (EDR) allows for the identification of anomalous behaviors before they escalate into incidents. This is especially relevant when AI tools are integrated into the environment, as unusual access patterns, for example, may indicate a compromise without any user noticing.
Patch and update management ensures that all tools in the environment, including AI tools, are always on the most secure and patched versions. Vulnerabilities exploited in corporate environments, in most cases, already had available fixes but were not applied. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strict access control complete this layer, ensuring that only authorized individuals interact with critical systems and sensitive data.
Finally, training and awareness of employees is a capability that is often underestimated. AI can be used by attackers to create more convincing phishing and more sophisticated social engineering. Prepared teams recognize these patterns and respond appropriately.
Strategic question for the decision-maker
Does your company have clarity on what data the AI tools access and what happens to operations if these systems fail?
If the answer is "I'm not sure" or "we never stopped to map this," you are in the same position as most SMEs around the world, and this is not a cause for alarm, but rather for action. The first step is precisely this mapping: which AI tools are connected to the environment, which data they touch, and which critical processes depend on them.
Managed IT partners with experience in business continuity and data governance can conduct this diagnosis in a structured manner and, based on it, implement the appropriate layers of protection according to the size and risk profile of the company. Backup with disaster recovery, continuous monitoring, patch management, MFA, and team training form a set of capabilities that, together, transform the adoption of AI from an uncontrolled risk into a secure competitive advantage. The future of AI in companies is promising. With the right structure, your company can embrace this future with confidence.
References
- World Economic Forum: Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026
- Gartner: Gartner Identifies the Top Cybersecurity Trends for 2026
Want to understand how your company is positioned against AI risks in 2026? Talk to a specialist from Zamak and schedule a complimentary Initial Consultation, with no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
What does Gartner's 2026 report reveal about AI-related business risk?
Gartner's cybersecurity trends for 2026 indicate that artificial intelligence is redefining the risk profile of companies of all sizes: agentic AI requires cybersecurity oversight, and GenAI is breaking traditional awareness tactics. According to the World Economic Forum's Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, 87% of the leaders surveyed identified AI-related vulnerabilities as the fastest-growing cyber risk over the course of 2025.
Why is every AI tool connected to the corporate environment considered a risk?
Each AI tool integrated into a company's operations becomes a new data entry point, a new exposure vector, and, in many cases, a new operational dependency. If that tool fails, is compromised, or processes data incorrectly, the impact on the business can be immediate, raising concrete questions about who controls the data it accesses and whether the company complies with data protection regulations.
How can an SME protect itself from AI-related risks without building an internal security team?
There are mature technical capabilities that act exactly where these risks materialize: automated backup with disaster recovery, continuous monitoring with endpoint detection and response (EDR), patch and update management, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and employee awareness training. None of these capabilities require the company to hire a 20-person in-house security team.