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Intelligent SME. tech is an Intelligent Global Media publication for professionals with an interest in global SME news and events.

Hello and a warm welcome to the 73rd edition of Intelligent SME. tech. Within these pages, you will find news, features and whitepapers from around our regions with a core focus on innovative technology for SMEs.

On this month’ s front cover, we feature Peter Brady, AVP – Exhibitions at inD Group, which organises Expand North Star, a start-up event which runs annually in Dubai. This year, Expand North Star is reunited with GITEX GLOBAL and will run side by side at Expo City Dubai in December. For the past three years it had been held at a separate venue to GITEX GLOBAL but this year start-ups will be within walking distance of enterprise buyers and government decision-makers. Brady discusses why this year’ s edition of the start-up gathering is the one he has been waiting for and what SMEs may gain from attending and taking part. Go to page 14 to read more. than £ 450 million a year. But while the government can cut external red tape, how much time are small businesses losing to bureaucracy of their own? Eriona Bajrakurtaj, CEO, Majors Accounts, discusses why the government’ s reforms should be a catalyst for SMBs to take the same digital-first approach to their own operations. Turn to page 35.

We also have an Intelligent Technology section dedicated to all the latest technology developments affecting SMEs and a page called Project Round-Up which features news from across our regions.

I hope you enjoy the magazine and if you’ d like to contribute to any future issues, please contact me by emailing rebecca. miles @ intelligentglobalmedia. com

Rebecca Miles Managing Editor

AI is only as effective as the information that informs it, yet many companies are building AI within environments full of poorly managed, unclassified and outdated files and data. Greg Jones, Senior Vice President of MSP Success( EMEA & North America) at Kaseya, argues that data evaluation, classification and categorisation must come before AI adoption. He outlines why it is critical to audit every piece of data, ring-fence confidential data in zones that AI can’ t touch and embrace key data hygiene practices, such as ongoing data reduction, in order to tap into AI’ s benefits while avoiding unnecessary security and compliance risks. Turn to page 24 to read more.

The UK government has pledged to strip back outdated bureaucracy and put digital-first processes at the heart of business reporting, with reforms expected to save firms more

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