Concerns about data security, privacy and regulatory compliance continue to top the list of barriers for SMBs implementing AI-based technologies, show new figures from GTIA, signaling clear opportunities within these areas for IT service providers and advisors. But when SMB decision makers were asked specifically how IT service providers and partners could help them with AI tech, employee training on how to use AI effectively was number one on the list. Vendor vetting also was high on the list of priorities, followed by the familair trio of security, integration and governance. New findings from JumpCloud suggest organizations are giving AI agents access to systems faster than they can secure them. More than half of organizations surveyed now use AI agents that can change systems, permissions or files. However, among organizations using these agents, 59 percent do not follow the same governance rules that human users must follow. Likewise, 72 percent of organizations report a considerable gap between what AI is allowed to access and what they can prove it actually accessed. And while nearly every respondent (99 percent) said they were confident in their organization’s ability to audit AI activity, only 37 percent admit to being fully prepared with the records, logs and evidence an audit would require. “That disconnect is becoming more consequential as AI moves from assisting users to acting on their behalf,” said JumpCloud researchers. In terms of actual incidents, 92 percent of organizations report experiencing at least one AI-related incident or exposure in the past 12 months, and more than one-third (36 percent) investigated an AI-related concern but were unable to determine what the AI had accessed. “AI agents are quickly becoming another class of identity in the enterprise. They can access sensitive systems, change records, trigger workflows, and act on behalf of people, but many organizations still aren’t governing them with the same rigor they apply to human users,” said Joel Rennich, senior vice president of advanced technologies & innovation, JumpCloud. “Every agent needs clear ownership, appropriate access, and controls that follow it throughout its lifecycle.” AI Accelerating Transition from Transactional AI Access Is Outpacing Governance AI & AUTOMATION SMBs Cite Top AI Opportunities for ITSPs 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% Training our employees on how to use AI effectively 38% Help identifying the right AI tools for our business needs 38% Assistance integrating AI tools into our existing systems 31% Assessing our cybersecurity and compliance risks related to AI 29% Developing AI governance policies and guidelines 28% Help building an ROI or business case for AI investment 27% Providing a readiness assessment to identify where AI can add the most value 26% Ongoing management or monitoring of AI tools and their performance 24% Source: GTIA AI Governance and Security Controls in Place 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Non-human identity governance 26% Formal AI usage policy 29% Role-based access controls for AI 37% Approval workflows for high-risk action 38% Shadow AI monitoring 40% Monitoring or logging AI activity 42% Centralized revoke/rollback ability 43% Restrictions of data shared with AI 43% Source: JumpCloud; survey of IT decision makers 10 CHANNELVISION | FALL 2026
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