UK companies are pouring cash into AI whereas failing to construct the community infrastructure wanted to assist it, in response to new analysis from IDC commissioned by managed Community-as-a-Service supplier Expereo.
The IDC InfoBrief, “Enterprise Horizons 2026: The place Innovation Meets Actuality,” discovered that simply 15 p.c of UK organisations say their AI implementations have exceeded expectations, with solely 3 p.c reporting they’ve considerably performed so.
Nearly 1 / 4 of companies particularly cited insufficient community or connectivity efficiency as a purpose their AI deployments have fallen quick within the final 12 months.
The findings level to a widening hole between AI ambition and AI outcomes – one that’s being pushed partially by reactive funding choices. Two thirds (66 p.c) of UK organisations are investing in AI based mostly on its potential somewhat than confirmed returns, whereas practically one in six (15 p.c) admit they’re spending aggressively with little analysis, pushed by concern of being left behind.
Demand Is About to Speed up
The stress on community infrastructure is about to accentuate. Some 55 p.c of UK organisations named AI or machine studying as their high expertise precedence over the subsequent 12 months – that means community demand isn’t just rising however approaching a step-change.
But the networks underpinning these deployments are usually not maintaining tempo. Some 54 p.c of UK organisations say they want extra versatile and scalable networks to thrive in an AI-driven setting, whereas 57 p.c say they want higher resilience and reliability to maximise uptime as AI workloads scale.
Probably the most generally cited causes for AI underperformance embody insufficient or poor-quality coaching knowledge (48 p.c), higher-than-expected prices or unachieved ROI (45 p.c), and AI not performing in addition to anticipated (42 p.c). However community readiness is more and more a part of that image.
A Direct Name to the Channel
Ben Elms, CEO of Expereo, mentioned the findings ought to immediate a shift in how community choices are framed at boardroom stage.
“Each UK organisation we communicate to is investing in AI, but the information reveals a transparent hole opening up between AI ambition and AI outcomes. Most of the time, that hole comes all the way down to the community beneath. AI solely delivers on its promise when the infrastructure carrying it’s constructed to assist it.
“With out resilient, scalable, cloud-optimised networks, even probably the most well-funded AI programmes will wrestle to ship ROI. Getting the community proper is now not an IT determination; it is among the most vital conversations taking place within the boardroom right now to assist fulfil AI ambition.”
For channel companions, the analysis presents a concrete alternative. Companies unable to grasp returns on AI funding will more and more look to companions who can diagnose and repair the underlying connectivity story – and the information now offers these companions the proof to steer that dialog.
Safety and Price Management Emerge as Rising Considerations
Past infrastructure, the analysis flags two additional stress factors.
Some 56 p.c of UK tech leaders cite the creation of recent safety dangers as a big potential future menace from AI adoption. In the meantime, 33 p.c are involved about dropping monitor of AI-related prices and ROI as soon as the expertise turns into embedded throughout the enterprise.
Each findings counsel that governance is struggling to maintain up with the tempo of deployment – an space the place channel companions with managed providers capabilities are well-positioned so as to add worth.
Actuality Examine
Taken collectively, the findings paint an image of a UK enterprise neighborhood that’s committing to AI at tempo however has but to construct the foundations to maintain it. Community readiness, governance, safety and price visibility are usually not afterthoughts – they’re the situations below which AI both delivers or stalls.
With 55 p.c of organisations doubling down on AI funding over the subsequent 12 months, the window for companions to get forward of that dialog is narrowing quick.