14 • Technology, Software & Marketing


Te Finance & Business Guide - brought to you by APL Media • Wednesday 22 October 2025 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE


Beyond efficiency: the AI strategy for tomorrow’s business


It’s totally understandable. The big question around AI for leaders has to be: “How can this technology make us better, faster and more efficient?”


So it’s this focus that gets the lion’s share of attention and investment. It’s logical, measurable, it delivers tangible short-term ROI — maybe — and no-one’s going to get fired. But it’s not the only big question. Consider some of the things this


singular focus doesn’t give you, like new revenue streams, growth bets or a radical re-imagining of “business as usual”. All the things that tomorrow’s competitors and category leaders are busy working on right now. The other thing that’s happening,


because of AI of course, is the horizon-shrinking reality that


A new generation of AI research, design and prototyping tools will make innovation faster, stronger and more cost-efficient than ever


everything may change so profoundly in the next three to five years that “business as usual” becomes obsolete: those things you just optimised to perfection don’t matter any more. The good news: what AI takes


away with one digital hand, it gives back with another. AI is transforming the practice of strategic innovation. A new generation of AI research, design and prototyping tools will make innovation faster, stronger and more cost-efficient than ever. These tools exist today: platforms like Askable, Maze, Figma Make, Cursor and many more overcome what was broken in “big innovation”. In the time it used to take to make


a strategy deck, you can research with real humans (plus synthetic users) at scale, generate hundreds more ideas and manifest concepts into multiple variants of validated high-fidelity concepts, each armed with an investment case and brand ready to pilot, go to market or deprioritise. Let’s put some numbers on it: 10 times more market-ready innovation, in 60% less time and cost. In the hands of an experienced


strategic design team like Made by Many, these tools give innovation back its teeth. This makes it possible to invest


meaningfully in both incremental optimisation and exponential transformation. The big incremental bets fund themselves while radical smaller bets provide insurance against future displacement, meaning you can bring today’s business up to the speed of AI, whilst exploring what happens next at start-up speed.


For further information


E: contact@madebymany.com Visit: madebymany.com/ai


Secure your Microsoft Copilot


Microsoft Copilot is transforming the way businesses operate. While many organisations are starting to use this AI-powered collaboration tool, only a small number have added extra security controls for Copilot. This illustrates there is a real need for better governance frameworks.


The security challenge


Because Microsoft Copilot can access and analyse substantial amounts of company


data, it brings new security challenges. AI can uncover sensitive information across various platforms, making traditional data protection methods insufficient. Many leaders incorrectly believe that securing their data is a one-time event, ignoring the fact that it is an ongoing battle at their peril.


Without the proper governance, organisations risk sharing too much data, exposing confidential information, breaking compliance rules, or facing


reputational damage that could harm their business. These risks are amplified in environments with complex workflows, where Copilot interacts across multiple applications and data sources.


Governance framework essentials


To govern Copilot effectively, organisations need several layers of protection, including data classification, access controls, audit trails, and regular compliance checks. Clear policies should outline what Copilot can access, use, and share, while still complying with industry regulations.


While Microsoft provides foundational security and data governance protection for the Copilot service itself, there are a wide range of additional controls available to each organisation, which they must ensure they understand and implement to align with best practice.


Compliance and risk management


Following regulations becomes more challenging as AI is introduced.


Ready to secure your Copilot?


As a leading Microsoft Copilot partner, we can help you secure up to £20,000 worth of Microsoft funding to jumpstart your Copilot programme. Get in touch today.


symity.com 020 3880 2900 james.slade@symity.com


Organisations need to ensure that Copilot meets industry standards and that they can audit AI decisions and data usage. This involves establishing mechanisms to track who is responsible for AI content and maintaining detailed records of system activity.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28