By Alice Chambers |
Large enterprises are now stepping out of their pilot phases of AI deployment and pinpointing exactly how they can achieve a return on their investments.
“Whether it’s accelerating time to value, improving seller productivity, or enabling more personalised customer experiences, the feedback is clear: AI is helping customers move faster and with greater confidence,” says Pamela Maynard, chief AI transformation officer for Microsoft customer and partner solutions, in the Autumn 2025 issue of Technology Record.
Our cover story showcases how organisations such as Mexican food company Grupo Bimbo, Brazilian bank Bradesco and software firm Visma are using Microsoft technology to scale AI across their businesses, from enhancing customer engagement to optimising internal processes and driving measurable business outcomes.
Microsoft’s Pamela Maynard says AI is helping customers move faster and with greater confidence
This focus on real-world impact and speed of execution is reflected across the entire issue.
In our news section of the magazine, we cover how Ralph Lauren is embracing AI to strengthen its iconic brand identity while streamlining operations, enabling the fashion and lifestyle brand to deliver consistent customer experiences.
Meanwhile the financial services sector has seen AI-driven solutions help firms including Mastercard, PayPal and Visa to improve fraud detection and protect millions of global transactions, all while delivering seamless digital experiences to customers. Microsoft’s Tyler Pichach, global head of AI strategy and go-to-market for payments and banking, and Dalia Ophir, director of business strategy for worldwide financial services, talk about this in our financial services feature. Plus, a Formpipe case study highlights Metro Bank’s adoption of Microsoft-powered technology to simplify compliance processes and improve operational efficiency, giving employees more time to focus on customer service.
Metro Bank is using Microsoft-powered AI to improve customer service
John Chien, director of industry and product marketing at Microsoft, tells us in our manufacturing feature how Rolls Royce has unified engineering and operational data on Microsoft Azure, which has reduced downtime across its aerospace fleet and delivered significant cost savings.
And in the public sector, ahead of Smart City Expo World Congress 2026, we highlight how the City of Burlington in Canada, the Stavanger Kommune municipality in Norway, and Abu Dhabi in the UAE use Microsoft solutions to build smarter, more connected government services, empowering citizens and businesses with greater access and efficiency. Doug Priest, public transportation and urban infrastructure lead for worldwide government at Microsoft, tells us more in our public sector feature.
Cities like Abu Dhabi in the UAE are using AI to improve citizen services
We also look ahead to Microsoft Ignite 2025, which will focus on how enterprises can harness AI, cloud and security innovations to accelerate transformation. The event will feature a wide range of Microsoft partners, whose solutions and services have already delivered tangible success for customers across industries.
The Autumn 2025 issue of Technology Record also offers exclusive insights from Microsoft’s Jimmy Parker-Barratt and Dina Zhou on the impact of AI in the media and retail industries respectively, as well as a selection of news, interviews, case studies and viewpoints. We hope you enjoy the read.