Censuswide survey of 401 U.S. mid-market enterprise IT leaders finds 82% already using AI in production, but only 26% say AI is scaled and governed enterprise-wide

MCKINNEY, Texas, June 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Netrio, a global managed service provider (MSP) helping mid-market enterprises modernize and secure their IT environments, today announced the release of “The Mid-Market and AI: Where Businesses Really Stand and Where They Plan to Go,” a new survey report on the state of AI adoption among mid-market enterprises. Based on research conducted by Censuswide among 401 U.S. IT leaders at organizations with 200 to 5,000 employees, the report shows that AI has already moved well beyond experimentation in the mid-market. In total, 82% of respondents said AI is already in production somewhere in their organization or in widespread use, yet only 26% said AI is scaled and governed enterprise-wide, highlighting a gap between AI adoption and operational maturity.

The findings show a market shifting from AI experimentation to operationalization. While respondents expressed strong confidence in AI’s future value and measurable ROI, they also identified persistent execution barriers, especially around data readiness, integration, governance, security and employee enablement. The report suggests that the next phase of AI success in the mid-market will be defined less by access to tools and more by the ability to implement, govern and support AI effectively across the business.

Key findings from the report include:

The top barriers to scaling AI were security, privacy and compliance (19%), data readiness (17%), integration complexity (16%), and lack of internal expertise (10%).
71% said AI is expected to have the most positive impact in IT operations and service desk, followed by software development and engineering productivity (50%) and cybersecurity operations (32%).
96% said they are confident their organization will realize measurable ROI from AI within the next 24 months.
88% expect to invest at least $100,000 in AI over the next 12 to 24 months.
56% expect to invest at least $250,000 in AI over the next 12 to 24 months.

The AI Governance Gap

The findings also point to uneven governance across the market. 42% of respondents said they have a formal AI policy with actively enforced controls, 53% said they have full visibility into AI tool usage, and 63% said they have formally assessed whether sensitive company or customer data is being entered into AI tools and have controls in place. However, 42% reported a confirmed AI-related security incident or exposure in the past 12 months, and another 31% reported a near-miss.

“AI has moved from experimentation to execution in the mid-market, but execution is where the real challenges begin,” said Al Calabrese, Vice President of AI Services at Netrio. “This research shows that companies are investing in AI but are struggling with how to get real returns from it. And it reveals that security threats are significant, with roughly 73% of those surveyed either having confirmed an AI-related security incident or nearly missing one.”

Leadership Expectations of AI: More Efficiency, Time and Cost Savings

The report also found that leadership expectations around AI are increasingly tied to practical business performance. Nearly half of respondents, 49%, said internal efficiency and cost or time savings are the primary reason they are investing in AI. As part of their AI investment, 42% said they have already launched proactive reskilling and upskilling programs, indicating a need to improve the AI skills of their employees.

For enterprises, service providers, and other mid-market organizations, the report offers a snapshot of where the market stands today and where it is headed next. It shows that companies are prioritizing practical AI outcomes such as workforce productivity, customer experience, forecasting, and operational efficiency – and backing those priorities with meaningful budget commitments in areas like employee training, data platform and integration work, AI tool licenses, cloud infrastructure, and security controls.

Download the full survey report here, and to learn more about Netrio and its AI advisory, transformation and managed services capabilities, visit www.netrio.com.

About Netrio
Netrio is a full-service IT managed service provider (MSP) changing the way small- to mid-market enterprises think about technology’s role in driving innovation, efficiency, and growth. We provide our customers with the skills, experience, tools, infrastructure and best practices to cost-effectively modernize their operations, capitalize on opportunity and thrive in today’s digital marketplace, while reducing costs and improving operational efficiencies from their technology investments.

Our end-to-end portfolio of services includes managed IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, cloud, connectivity and voice, and custom application development. With offices in Minnesota, New York, Texas, Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Pune, India, Netrio supports more than 1,000 customers and maintains 450 employees across the globe. For more information, visit www.netrio.com.

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