WatchGuard finds 91% of SMBs fear AI

WatchGuard said on May 20 that small and midsize businesses are moving away from do-it-yourself cybersecurity as AI-driven threats become harder for internal teams to track and contain. The company said its latest research found 91% of organizations are concerned about AI-driven cyberattacks and 75% experienced at least one cyber incident in the past year. (watchguard.com) WatchGuard described the result as a shift toward externally delivered, always-on protection models led by managed service providers, or MSPs. That matters because the survey points to a gap between staffing confidence and operating reality. WatchGuard said many businesses believe they are adequately staffed, but the speed, scale and complexity of modern attacks have outpaced what internal teams can realistically manage. (watchguard.com) The company said 54% of respondents lack the ability to deliver continuous 24/7 monitoring and response, while 67% said they need additional support managing cybersecurity tools and vendors. ### Why are SMBs getting pushed toward outside security help? WatchGuard said the pressure is coming from attack complexity as much as from headcount. The company’s release says businesses are not simply short on staff; they are struggling to keep up with threats that move faster and use automation and AI to scale. (watchguard.com) That is why the company framed the change as a move from in-house control toward outsourced outcomes. Nearly 1,000 IT and cybersecurity leaders across 20 countries took part in the study, according to WatchGuard. The company said the findings show buyers increasingly want continuous monitoring, response and operational support rather than more standalone tools. (channelvisionmag.com) ### What does “AI-driven attacks” look like in practice for smaller companies? Palo Alto Networks told eSecurity Planet that many threats hitting SMBs now originate in the browser, where employees spend much of their workday. Shivam Srivastava, vice president of product management for Prisma Browser for Business at Palo Alto Networks, said browser-based risks now include AI phishing and malicious extensions, widening the attack surface for smaller firms. (watchguard.com) Palo Alto Networks also launched an SMB-focused secure browser in April, saying the product was designed to protect against browser-based threats and risks tied to AI application usage. That launch adds context to WatchGuard’s survey: vendors are already building products around the idea that smaller businesses need simpler, managed protection against newer attack paths. (watchguard.com) ### Why does this matter for MSPs and security vendors? WatchGuard said the survey points to rising demand for MSP-led security models. The company sells cybersecurity products through the channel and has long focused on MSPs, so the findings also align with its go-to-market model. Still, the numbers suggest a broader buying pattern: SMB customers are asking for always-on monitoring and response that many cannot deliver internally. (esecurityplanet.com) Channel coverage of the release highlighted the same pressure points. ChannelVision, citing the WatchGuard study, said 54% of respondents cannot provide continuous 24/7 monitoring and response and 67% need more help managing tools and vendors. Those are the kinds of operational gaps MSPs are positioned to fill. (crn.com) ### What should readers watch next? WatchGuard said the research was global and based on responses collected from nearly 1,000 IT and cybersecurity leaders, giving the company a dataset it is likely to use in future channel and product messaging. Palo Alto Networks, meanwhile, is already tying SMB security products to browser and AI-use risks, suggesting more vendors will pitch managed or simplified protection for smaller firms. (watchguard.com) In the near term, the next concrete signal will come from how vendors package those services and how MSPs position monitoring, response and browser security for smaller customers. WatchGuard’s May 20 release and Palo Alto Networks’ recent SMB browser push put that market shift into public view. (channelvisionmag.com) (watchguard.com)