The artificial intelligence revolution has created a troubling paradox: while AI promises to level the playing field for businesses, it’s actually widening the gap between enterprise giants and small-to-medium businesses (SMBs). According to recent industry analysis, Fortune 500 companies spend an average of $13.8 million annually on AI initiatives, while 73% of SMBs report having no AI strategy at all.
Karen Rufino is working to change that equation.
Over the past several years, AI has emerged as one of the defining competitive advantages in modern business. However, the regulations surrounding the use of AI are still ill-defined at best, with the market at large struggling to keep pace with the breakneck innovation within this sector. More critically, access to sophisticated AI tools has become increasingly stratified—big cyber security companies leverage capital for cutting-edge, proprietary solutions while smaller businesses rely on whatever consumer-grade tools they can access.
This technological divide has only served to accentuate the already existing economic disparities. Rufino, drawing from her unique journey from Brazil’s SMB sector to Dell Technologies’ corporate strategy team, is working to democratize AI access through targeted consulting and advocacy.
Growing up in Brazil, Rufino has always held a passion for mathematics and systematic problem-solving, which led her to pursue a degree in production engineering from Mackenzie Presbyterian University. During her penultimate year, she landed an internship in strategic marketing and fell in love with the discipline.
“The intersection allowed me,” Rufino explains, “to still solve complex problems, but now I was also developing business growth strategies and witnessing the real-world impact of data-driven decisions.”
After nearly a decade building expertise across Brazil’s diverse SMB landscape, Rufino pursued an MBA at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, earning a 70% merit scholarship and recognition as a Forté Fellow—an honor reserved for women demonstrating exceptional leadership potential.
Currently serving as a corporate strategy expert at Dell Technologies, Rufino focuses on AI security implementation, data infrastructure, and scalable growth initiatives. Her unique background—spanning Brazilian SMEs to Fortune 100 strategy—provides rare insight into creating accessible, scalable AI solutions.
Rufino’s work at Dell has contributed to record Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) revenue and operating income growth, earning internal recognition for analytical leadership in AI strategy and data management transformation.
“Data and AI shouldn’t be luxury goods reserved for corporations with eight-figure budgets,” Rufino states. “They’re fundamental cybersecurity tools that every business—regardless of size—needs to compete in today’s market.”
One of the biggest challenges Rufino faced in her career was adjusting to the U.S. corporate culture. The business practices, communication styles, and even the terminology were all quite different from those in Brazil. To better adapt to these changes and make the most of her new environment, she invested a significant amount of time in improving her language skills, learning the intricacies of business, and adopting a long-term strategic planning approach.
Furthermore, transitioning from an operationally immediate culture to a future-focused corporate strategy role at Dell prompted her to develop both professionally and personally, enhancing her skills in market research, projections, and long-term planning. Latest cyber news suggested that this bicultural perspective proves invaluable when working with diverse business environments and international SMB clients seeking to implement enterprise-level AI strategies.
Rufino believes that democratizing data and AI tools is critical for the future of SMB competitiveness. Her early career in Brazil taught her firsthand how strategic initiatives and data-backed decisions can dramatically reshape a company’s future. Witnessing the tangible business impact she could create fueled her passion for strategy and analytics.
“Every organization I work with, from startup to multinational, benefits from strategic thinking,” she notes. “The difference is access to tools and expertise, not capacity for growth.”
Karen Rufino has also earned recognition for her academic excellence, receiving a merit-based award for the second-best conclusion paper in her engineering program in Brazil. Beyond individual achievements, she has led multiple high-impact strategy and analytics projects that demonstrate her ability to translate vision into measurable results.
Looking ahead, Rufino is developing frameworks to ensure SMBs gain access to the same AI capabilities that drive Fortune 500 success. Her goal is to establish a consultancy that bridges the resource gap between corporate AI budgets and the innovation needs of small businesses.
Through strategic consulting, Rufino isn’t just changing how SMBs approach AI—she’s redefining who gets to participate in the next wave of business innovation.