Prashant Ketkar, CTO at Parallels (part of Alludo).
Businesses are faced with mounting costs, from hardware upgrades to integrating AI into their operations. These expenses can feel overwhelming—and unavoidable.
AI integration, for instance, offers transformative opportunities for businesses, and leaders are quickly realizing that opting out could put their very survival in jeopardy. The reality is that embracing AI isn’t optional anymore; it’s essential to stay competitive.
The real question now for businesses isn’t if they should adopt AI but how they can do it affordably.
Building An AI Runway
Investing in AI is a big deal, and it requires careful planning.
A global survey of 400 CFOs and finance leaders found that while optimism around AI is high, nearly half of respondents said they’d struggle to justify further investment if initial results weren’t evident within a year. Budget constraints were the top concern among these executives.
Despite the cost challenges, there are practical ways to integrate AI without overextending your resources—starting with how you approach talent acquisition.
When hiring, you don’t necessarily need AI specialists with narrow, highly specific skills. Instead, look for people with a solid understanding of AI who can apply it to practical business challenges. At Parallels, for instance, we encourage our developers to embrace AI tools and technologies to stay competitive, especially as AI continues to play a growing role in the workplace.
How Virtual Desktops Can Help
Integrating AI goes beyond hiring the right people; it also requires the right infrastructure. That’s where solutions like virtual desktops can offer a practical way to harness AI without overspending.
Virtual desktops allow users to access a complete desktop environment remotely, hosted on a central server or in the cloud. Instead of running software and storing data locally on individual machines, everything is managed and processed in a virtualized environment. Users can access their desktop from any device, which can offer businesses flexibility and scalability.
Here’s why they’re worth considering to deploy AI:
1. Cost Savings: Virtual desktops cut down on hardware expenses and maintenance costs. Since companies can scale resources up or down based on their needs, they can experiment with AI without overcommitting financially.
2. Sustainability: Using virtual desktops reduces the need for physical hardware, cutting down on e-waste and energy consumption—which can help mitigate the energy-intensive nature of AI data centers.
3. Flexibility For Remote Work: Virtual desktops make it easy for remote and hybrid teams to access AI applications from anywhere, fostering seamless collaboration on AI-driven projects.
4. Multi-Cloud Capabilities: Managing AI datasets often requires extensive cloud storage and may require flexibility across cloud and on-premises environments. Virtual desktops can support multi-cloud infrastructures, letting businesses move data seamlessly between on-premises and hybrid setups.
5. Budget Control: Subscription or usage-based licensing options allow businesses to manage costs dynamically instead of committing to expensive or long-term contracts.
While virtual desktops offer many benefits, businesses should also understand some of the challenges, including:
• Latency And Performance Issues: Running AI applications on virtual desktops requires significant processing power. If the virtual desktop infrastructure isn’t optimized, and if internet connections are slow, users may experience latency or lower performance, especially with resource-intensive AI tasks.
• Initial Setup Complexity: Setting up and maintaining virtual desktop infrastructure can be complex, requiring expertise in both virtualization technology and cloud management, which may be a hurdle for smaller IT teams.
Despite these challenges, virtual desktops provide a flexible, scalable and cost-effective option for leveraging AI technology without needing to make significant upfront investments in hardware or infrastructure.
Practical Steps For SMBs
For SMBs with limited resources, adopting AI can feel like a big leap. But, starting small with a phased approach can make the transition more manageable. This not only helps businesses save on initial integration costs but also equips them with tools and skills to cut expenses and boost efficiency over time.
So, what does this look like in practice? AI-powered inventory management can help a small retailer optimize stock levels and reduce waste, while a local marketing agency might use AI analytics to gain deeper insights into customer behavior and improve campaigns.
Wondering where to start? Here’s a simple checklist to help SMBs determine the best approach to AI integration—without overspending:
• Set realistic expectations for AI projects.
• Identify low-cost AI tools or free trials to experiment with.
• Leverage open-source AI platforms.
• Train current employees to use AI tools (instead of hiring new talent right away).
By taking a gradual, planned approach and pairing targeted AI tools with scalable infrastructure, SMBs can confidently experiment, achieve meaningful results and lay the groundwork for sustainable growth. And remember, conserving resources doesn’t mean sacrificing innovation.
Maximizing Efficiency And Innovation With AI
Gradual AI adoption helps SMBs explore advanced AI capabilities while keeping costs in check—all without compromising on innovation. Virtual desktops, for example, let businesses run AI tools flexibly and affordably without the need for expensive infrastructure overhauls. Plus, tapping into external expertise for specific needs—like generative AI or data science—can complement in-house teams, adding expertise without long-term overhead.
Solutions like end-user computing tools, which seamlessly integrate AI into existing workflows, also play a crucial role in this process. These technologies help businesses optimize resources while driving innovation, making sure they get the most out of what’s already available.
AI is a powerful force driving business performance, and its importance will only grow. For businesses with tight budgets, the key is starting small, thinking strategically, and finding solutions that balance cost and innovation. Whether through smarter talent acquisition, leveraging flexible infrastructure like virtual desktops or accessing specialized expertise, companies can integrate AI at their own pace.
With this approach, they can thrive in an increasingly AI-driven world.
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