Q&A with OneAdvanced, AI and Software Development Awards Finalist

OneAdvanced explains how secure, sovereign AI is reshaping core business workflows in regulated sectors.

Why do events like the AI & Software Development Awards matter?

They matter because they create a rare moment of collective calibration. In a field evolving as fast as AI, it’s easy for breakthroughs to become normalised or overlooked. Awards force the industry to pause, evaluate what “excellence” currently looks like, and recognise the teams pushing the boundaries of intelligence, safety, and real world impact.

What is your/your company's proudest achievement over the past year?

This month we are launching IQ our Intelligent System of Work, IQ is a connected, trusted Intelligent System of Work, that brings together people, data and AI on one sovereign platform, so work moves faster, decisions are clearer and innovation happens with confidence.

IQ combines deep domain expertise with secure, governed and contextual AI intelligence across workflows for organisations within highly regulated and essential service sectors.

It is engineered to power the world of work, providing a single sovereign system for organisations to execute their most critical work with confidence encompassing intelligent services, user experience, and workflows delivered on a platform which manages data, security and cyber.

When our customers systems work smarter, their organisations work better.

How has your industry changed over the past year, and what changes do you think it still needs to make?

Over the past year, our industry has shifted from AI experimentation to AI integration at remarkable speed. The focus has moved away from isolated pilots and novelty tools toward embedding intelligence directly into core systems of work. Organisations, particularly in essential services and regulated sectors, are demanding AI that is secure, contextual, governed and aligned with their operational reality. Data sovereignty has also become a defining theme, with customers expecting far greater clarity on where their data resides, how it is used and how AI decisions are controlled. This has raised the bar for every technology provider, pushing the industry to mature its platforms, governance frameworks and security posture far more quickly than in previous innovation cycles.

But there is still work to do. As an industry, we need to move beyond the hype and focus on delivering AI that is genuinely dependable, explainable and safe at scale. That means building governance into the foundations of platforms rather than treating it as an afterthought, ensuring transparency in how models operate, and giving organisations full control over their data and AI usage. It also means recognising that AI is only as valuable as the workflows it improves, so we must continue shifting from standalone tools to deeply embedded, domain‑aware intelligence that enhances real work, not just demonstrations. The next phase of progress will come from making AI trustworthy, sovereign and seamlessly integrated, so organisations can innovate with confidence rather than caution.

What do you see as the main opportunities for your industry in the coming year? How do you plan to capitalise on them?

The biggest opportunity in the year ahead is turning AI from isolated experiments into real operational gains. Organisations are ready for intelligence that’s embedded directly into their core systems, not sitting off to the side. That creates huge potential to transform productivity, decision‑making and service delivery, especially in essential and highly regulated sectors where the impact is felt immediately.

Our focus is on capitalising on this through IQ. We’re doubling down on sovereign AI, deeper workflow intelligence and built‑in governance so customers can adopt AI with confidence, not caution. By expanding IQ’s capabilities across our product suite and continuing to embed AI directly into the flow of work, we’re positioning our customers to unlock meaningful, measurable value from day one.

What are the key demands you have seen from your customers (either internal or external) in the last 12 months?

Over the past 12 months, the clearest demand from our customers has been for AI they can trust. They want intelligence embedded directly into their core systems, not experimental tools sitting on the side, and they want absolute clarity on data sovereignty, governance and security. Customers are asking for AI that is explainable, auditable and aligned with their regulatory obligations, especially across essential services where the stakes are high.

We’ve also seen a strong push for workflow‑level automation, not just insight. Organisations want AI to remove friction from day‑to‑day operations: summarising information, predicting demand, reducing administrative load and helping teams make faster, more confident decisions. And underpinning all of this is a demand for simplification; fewer disconnected systems, more unified platforms and a consistent user experience.

These demands have shaped the evolution of IQ. By building sovereign AI, deep workflow intelligence and governance directly into the platform, we’re meeting customers where they are: ready for AI, but determined to adopt it safely, pragmatically and at scale.

This article is sponsored by OneAdvanced.