Eclipse Networks urges Georgia SMBs to assess AI readiness before spending more

Atlanta-based Eclipse Networks is warning that many small and mid-sized businesses are buying AI tools before they have the training, security, and workflow support to use them well. The push comes as Georgia’s data center buildout accelerates and research finds most enterprise AI pilots fail to produce measurable financial impact.

Why it matters: - Georgia’s AI infrastructure boom is pulling more businesses toward new tools and bigger budgets. - Eclipse Networks says many small and mid-sized businesses risk wasting money if they adopt AI before their teams, data, and security are ready. - The company is steering owners toward an AI readiness assessment before expanding licenses or pilot programs.

What happened: - Eclipse Networks, an Atlanta-based managed IT and cybersecurity firm, urged businesses to assess AI readiness before committing more spending. - The company framed the warning around rising AI adoption across Georgia and the broader U.S. market. - Eclipse also said Atlanta-area businesses can schedule an AI readiness assessment or consultation at eclipse-networks.com.

The details: - Atlanta led the nation in data center capacity under construction in 2025, with more than 2,000 megawatts in development across the metro, according to CBRE. - The metro area was the top U.S. market for data center net absorption in 2024, the first time any market surpassed Northern Virginia, per CBRE data center research. - In December 2025, the Georgia Public Service Commission approved roughly 10,000 megawatts of new generation, including five new natural gas plants, largely to meet demand driven by data centers. - Gartner expects worldwide generative AI spending to reach $644 billion in 2025, up 76% from 2024. - Gartner also projects total AI spending will hit $1.5 trillion in 2025 and more than $2 trillion in 2026. - In September 2026, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for the industry to slow down and strengthen safeguards. - The 2026 International AI Safety Report described the risk of losing control of advanced systems as "unusually ambiguous." - A 2025 MIT NANDA report, The GenAI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025, found that 95% of enterprise generative AI pilots fail to deliver measurable financial impact. - The MIT researchers linked many failures to a learning gap caused by tools being bought without training, integration, or a clear problem to solve. - The report found that solutions purchased and supported by a partner succeeded far more often than systems companies tried to implement alone. - Steve Ryerse, Eclipse Networks co-founder, said many businesses buy AI subscriptions for entire teams, give everyone a login, and expect productivity gains that do not materialize. - Ryerse said employees often try the tools briefly, get frustrated, and return to old workflows while the company keeps paying for the software. - Ryerse said the companies seeing results start with one problem, train employees, and add guardrails around data before rollout. - Eclipse said an hour of planning can show where AI will help, what it will cost, and how to keep information secure. - Eclipse Networks was founded in 1989. - The company serves small and mid-sized businesses across the Southeast and operates its own Private Cloud Data Center. - Eclipse works with companies in healthcare, construction, legal, and professional services.

Between the lines: - The message is not anti-AI; it is pro-planning. - Eclipse is positioning readiness assessments as a lower-risk way to capture productivity gains while avoiding the common trap of buying software first and solving adoption later. - The broader backdrop is that infrastructure investment, corporate AI spending, and safety concerns are all rising at the same time.

What’s next: - Eclipse wants owners to define one measurable use case before buying licenses for the whole team. - Businesses considering AI are being pushed to confirm data and security readiness before rollout. - Georgia companies facing higher AI budgets may increasingly look for outside help to connect tools, training, and governance.

The bottom line: - In a market racing to build AI capacity, Eclipse Networks says the winning move for SMBs is to slow down long enough to assess readiness first.