The cloud landscape is shifting faster than ever. What used to be a conversation about migration and optimisation has now become a conversation about autonomy. Agentic AI—AI systems that can plan, act, and execute multi-step tasks—is emerging as the next major wave of transformation.
Gartner lists it as a top strategic technology trend for 2025 and warns that over 40% of agentic AI projects may fail by 2027 due to poor governance and unprepared infrastructure.
For SMBs, this creates a new priority: 2026 must be the year your cloud, data, and workflows evolve to support AI that doesn’t just respond… but actually operates.
Agentic AI is the evolution beyond generative AI. Instead of only generating content, it:
Agentic AI behaves less like a chatbot and more like a virtual employee demanding cloud infrastructure that supports autonomous decision-making.
A) Business Impact: Speed Becomes the Differentiator
Agentic AI removes manual delays and accelerates workflows, enabling SMBs to operate faster and scale efficiently.
B) Market Pressure: Autonomous Decisioning Will Become the Norm
Gartner predicts that by 2028, at least 15% of daily work decisions will be made autonomously. Early adopters will gain a structural advantage.
C) Legacy Systems Become the Biggest Barrier
Legacy systems lack real-time data, APIs, telemetry, and orchestration—capabilities essential for agentic AI to function. This is why many projects risk failure.
To operate agentic AI, your tech stack needs:
SMBs that modernize early will build long-term competitive advantage, while those who delay will struggle to retrofit these foundations later.
Agentic AI introduces powerful capabilities and new risks. Proper governance ensures safe, scalable adoption:
Governance is not a barrier—it’s what makes autonomous AI safe and enterprise-ready.
2026 marks the shift from cloud adoption to agentic readiness. SMBs that modernize their cloud and data foundations, strengthen observability, build governance, and prepare for AI-driven workflows will lead their industries.
Agentic AI is not the future it is the new operating model. Those who act now will define the next decade of digital performance.
Lead - Strategy
