Home topics news Credit: pixabay News News The trust gap costing Australian SMBs real AI returns in 2026 Yajush Gupta December 11, 2025 Despite heavy investment in security tools, Australian SMBs face false resilience in 2026. Kaseya APAC VP Daniel Garcia shares critical data showing the gap between protection and preparedness. What’s happening: Australian small businesses are investing heavily in AI and cybersecurity tools ahead of 2026, but new research from Kaseya reveals dangerous gaps between spending and actual readiness. Why this matters: With 68% of organisations operating with fewer than 25 IT employees and human error predicted as the top threat vector, untested plans and hesitant AI adoption could leave Australian SMBs vulnerable and unproductive. For Australian small business owners, the narrative for 2026 often centres on AI and cyber tools as the ultimate solution. However, Daniel Garcia, Vice President and General Manager APAC at Kaseya, warns these assumptions are creating dangerous blind spots that could cost SMBs dearly next year. Garcia has shared predictions for 2026 backed by Kaseya’s 2025 Global IT Trends Report, highlighting two critical risks: the trust gap stalling AI returns and the rise of false resilience in cybersecurity. The trust bottleneck Whilst AI has generated significant noise about job displacement, Garcia argues the reality for SMBs in 2026 will be quite different. AI will serve as a force multiplier for leaner teams. “While there is plenty of noise about AI taking jobs, the reality for SMBs in 2026 is that AI will be the