Why do 88 percent of UK SMB leaders see technology as important to business performance while fewer than half feel highly confident about adopting it effectively?

In this episode of Business Tech Perspectives, I speak with Mark Weait, Chief Revenue Officer at Babble, about the company’s inaugural Technology Performance Index. The research draws on responses from 1,000 UK SMB leaders and C-suite executives and examines a growing technology confidence gap between recognizing what digital tools could achieve and knowing how to identify, implement, and expand them successfully.

Mark describes a pattern many businesses will recognize. A security incident prompts an urgent software purchase. A board request to “do something with AI” leads to a batch of licenses. A new cloud application arrives without a clear business problem, owner, or adoption plan. The company gains another tool, but employees may lack the training, processes, or time needed to turn it into a result.

His analogy is simple: a business can buy a Ferrari, but that does not mean its people know how to drive it. Technology adoption depends on clarity about the desired outcome, the skills needed to deliver it, and the connections between systems, people, security, and data. Mark argues that treating every program as an IT responsibility can overlook the management support and operational change required across the wider business.

The Babble research groups SMBs into Tech Vanguards, Emerging Adopters, and Tech Bystanders. According to figures discussed in the interview, 84 percent of Tech Vanguards report strong processes for technology-led change, compared with 3 percent of Tech Bystanders. The research also reports that 57 percent of Tech Vanguards are receiving measurable results from AI and automation, compared with 21 percent of Tech Bystanders.

Those figures suggest that confidence may build through experience. Companies that begin with a defined problem, equip their people, and measure a deployment can use that success to support the next decision. Those buying technology through fear of missing out risk adding cost, security exposure, and another disconnected application to an already complicated environment.

Mark does not believe smaller businesses have missed their opportunity with AI. He says many companies remain near the beginning, which means an SMB can still catch up without attempting to apply AI everywhere. His recommended approach is to assess readiness, train employees, confirm that networks and data controls are suitable, identify a process where AI can produce a worthwhile result, and expand gradually from there. He also distinguishes AI from established automation, noting that some business problems can still be solved without a generative system.

We also discuss the difference between cyber confidence and cyber resilience. Mark compares it with believing you are a good boxer until you are punched in the face. Security covers identity, email, endpoints, cloud services, and AI, so no single purchase finishes the job. He recommends regular assessments and independent validation to find gaps that a familiar provider or internal team may no longer notice. A company can decide to accept a risk, but that decision should be informed rather than accidental.

For SMB leaders working with limited budgets, Mark suggests reviewing the current technology estate before requesting new money. Duplicate products, unused licenses, old contracts, and disconnected systems can absorb funds that could support better adoption elsewhere. The larger question is whether technology confidence has become a boardroom issue because it affects revenue, customer experience, resilience, and reputation as much as IT performance.

Which of Babble’s three groups best describes your organization today, and what would help it move forward with greater confidence? Listen to the episode and share your thoughts.