The digitalisation illusion: While 44% of companies consider their level of digitalisation to be very high, real data shows that only 9% make advanced use of available technology.
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66%
of companies already use a cloud service
but only 30% use it for critical processes
36%
already use some form of Artificial Intelligence
but only 15% use paid versions
21%
reported having suffered a cyberattack
with high costs and lack of knowledge being the main security barriers
50%
of SMEs
find it difficult to progress in their digitalisation due to a lack of qualified personnel
El diagnóstico que atraviesa las tres áreas del estudio: los gestores se ven mejor preparados de lo que un análisis de sus pilares tecnológicos confirma.
Andalusian SMEs demonstrate an excellent disposition towards innovation: they stand 5 percentage points above the national average in AI adoption (41%) and lead technology investment forecasts for the coming months, with 43% willing to increase their budget for advanced solutions. Furthermore, they are the best at perceiving the return on their digital efforts, with 70% stating that using the cloud brings them clear cost efficiencies.
However, they present a critical vulnerability: 14% of Andalusian SMEs suffered a cyberattack in the last year, which is almost double the national average and creates an urgent need to transition from basic security to managed protection strategies.
Andalusia Barometer:
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The Catalan business framework reflects solid operational maturity, but carries a cultural resistance to abandoning local infrastructure: 57% of its SMEs remain tied to physical on-premise servers. This persistence is driven by apprehension surrounding cloud storage: 31% highlight concerns over data security and privacy as their primary barrier to migration.
Additionally, the Catalan corporate ecosystem faces an imminent regulatory challenge: 47% of companies are at risk of non-compliance regarding the new mandatory requirements of the Anti-Fraud Law and the Verifactu system.
Catalonia Barometer:
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Basque SMEs stand out for a deeply operational approach to digitalisation, leading the migration of core business operations to cloud environments: 40% effectively host a critical process (such as billing, CRM, or ERP) in the cloud (7 percentage points above the national average). They also demonstrate strong local ties, with 29% prioritising the hiring of local or national suppliers over large foreign corporations.
However, they display markedly reactive behaviour regarding digital security: barely 15% possess advanced cybersecurity tools (compared to 36% nationwide), entrusting their security to conventional antivirus software.
Basque Country Barometer:
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The Valencian Community stands out for a smart and focused integration of technology into the business sphere: 50% of SMEs using AI apply it directly in Marketing and Sales, an excellent figure that exceeds the Spanish average by 12 percentage points.
This commercial digitalisation is supported by a solid foundation of technical trust, recording the highest level of trust in cloud providers in the study, with 95% of SMEs feeling secure regarding the data protection provided by their main partner.
Valencian Community Barometer:
DownloadFour very distinct profiles. The comparison uses the cost efficiency that each region perceives when using the cloud against the national average (63%), as it is the only metric available across all four autonomous communities and nationally.
| Key indicator (2026) | National average | Andalusia | Catalonia | Basque Country | Valencian Community |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sample size | 1.300 | 234 | 274 | 110 | 198 |
| Artificial Intelligence adoption | 36% | 41% | 39% | 20% | 34% |
| Reliance on physical servers | 52% | 52% | 57% | 58% | 57% |
| SMEs affected by cyberattacks | 8% | 14% | 8% | 2% | 9% |
| Cost efficiency in the cloud | 63% | 70% | 61% | 65% | 69% |
EN | USD
