The digital transformation of Spanish SMEs has entered a decisive phase: it is no longer enough to have data; Now the challenge for SMEs is to convert them into useful knowledge that allows them to make more accurate business decisions at the right time. In 2026, advanced analytics – driven by artificial intelligence – is emerging as the main driver of competitiveness for SMEs, opening an increasingly evident gap between those that act with agility and those that are left behind.
The data supports this trend. SMEs that adopt artificial intelligence can achieve productivity improvements of up to 7%, according to an analysis by the Bank of Spain, while international consulting firms such as KPMG place the impact on operational efficiency between 20% and 45%. However, in the Spanish business fabric adoption remains limited: only 2.9% of industrial SMEs currently use AI, according to the Barometer of AI adoption in Spanish SMEs 2025, prepared by IndesIA in collaboration with Acciona and Informa.
This combination of high potential impact and low adoption paints a clear scenario for SMEs: a window of opportunity for those who get ahead. «The companies that are advancing most successfully in this area share a common pattern. First, they start with a realistic assessment of their starting point: what data they have, how they use it, and to what extent it is aligned with their business objectives. From there, they define a roadmap that prioritizes specific use cases—in areas such as operations, finance or marketing—capable of generating tangible value in short periods of time. This progressive approach allows SMEs to avoid isolated projects or pilots without continuity and makes it easier for analytics and AI to be integrated naturally into existing processes,” says Javier Tejada, co-president and head of Technology at the Spanish consulting firm h&k.
From stored data to data that drives decisions
The modernization of data platforms is another key factor for SMEs to obtain tangible results. In 2026, the focus for SMEs is to have architectures capable of operating in real time, integrating multiple sources of information and scaling flexibly. These three elements are essential for analytical and artificial intelligence models to generate a real impact on the business.
Advanced analytics allows SMEs to anticipate demand, optimize operations or adjust prices in real time. Sectors such as retail, energy or logistics already use predictive models to improve margins and efficiency, while augmented analytics – with natural language queries and intelligent assistants – is democratizing access to data within SMEs. “The leap is clear: we went from analyzing data in reports to the data acting directly on the business, and that completely changes the rules of the game,” says Tejada.
This advance also requires a deep technological update in SMEs. Traditional architectures are not prepared to respond in real time, which is driving the adoption of modern platforms capable of integrating streaming analytics, edge computing and AI models embedded in processes.
For many SMEs, this step will be decisive: failure to modernize their data platforms can translate into loss of agility, less ability to react, and a clear disadvantage compared to more advanced competitors.
However, the transformation of SMEs is not only technological; It is also organizational. The SMEs that obtain the best results are those that accompany these technical changes with new ways of working: data governance, clear information quality criteria and greater involvement of business areas in the use and interpretation of data.
Demand for new professional profiles
In this new scenario, analytics is no longer exclusive to the IT department and is now integrated into the day-to-day life of key areas within SMEs, such as finance, operations or marketing. This change also requires new professional profiles, capable of acting as a bridge between technology and business, as well as a cultural evolution that encourages data-based decision making at all levels of SMEs.
The transformation of SMEs is not only technological, it is also organizational
From its experience accompanying hundreds of SMEs in their transition to data-driven models based on artificial intelligence, H&K has verified that those SMEs that make decisions based on data improve their operational efficiency and strengthen their competitiveness. «And they are not only more efficient –concludes Tejada–: they are more resilient, agile and competitive. It is no longer so much a question of which SMEs digitize first, but rather which ones are able to extract real value from their data and transfer it to operational decisions.
