In the era of relentless technological evolution, next-generation AI platforms have emerged as the cornerstone for enterprise success. These platforms transcend the capabilities of traditional tools, offering enterprises the means to innovate, streamline operations, and redefine their competitive edge. However, truly harnessing the potential of next-gen AI platforms requires more than just adoption—it demands a shift in mindset, strategy, and execution.
A new “APAC AI Outlook 2025,” commissioned by IBM reveals that Indian enterprises are moving beyond AI experimentation to maximize the impact of their AI investments. Many of those surveyed from India expect AI to deliver longer-term benefits for their business in areas such as innovation (26%), revenue generation (21%), cost saving (12%) and increased employee productivity (12%). The game changer lies in developing cost-effective AI solutions, with the flexibility to use custom-built open-source models and seamless integrations between multiple vendors.
In 2025, the primary focus of AI investments for Indian organizations will center on enhancing customer experience (27%), planning and strategy (16%) and optimization of IT functions (16%). To realize these goals, organizations must address key challenges, including data accessibility issues (46%), limited AI skills (42%) and difficulty in integration and scaling (38%).
Mayur Chaudhary, VP- Experience Design, Publicis Sapient India believes that AI is a shift from UI. “Artificial Intelligence is revolutionising competitive strategy by transforming decision-making, product development, and customer engagement. Companies can now leverage AI to anticipate market trends, create tailored experiences, and optimise complex processes with unprecedented precision. By integrating AI across domains like predictive maintenance, product development, and customer engagement, organisations can develop more responsive solutions that anticipate needs before they emerge. Companies successfully implementing AI-driven strategies will lead their industries by creating transformative value in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”
AI is transforming industries by bringing in efficiency at reduced costs and the data center industry is no exception. Says Shrirang Deshpande, Country Head, Strategic Programs, Vertiv India, “Datacenter monitoring and diagnostics can be automated, thanks to this technology, which in turn allows us to focus on strategic innovation. Vertiv’s Predictive preventative maintenance strategy takes advantage of AI and machine learning algorithms to monitor the installed equipment and its health for optimal performance and longevity.”
Manoj Paul, Managing Director, India, Equinix opines that the future of enterprise IT will revolve around the hybrid multicloud model. AI will be deployed in private environments, public clouds, and everywhere in between. “Therefore, it is crucial for enterprises to partner with a digital infrastructure provider capable of bringing together these different environments on a single interconnected platform. Our solution goes beyond the limitations of traditional data centers and public clouds, providing a uniquely flexible and high-performing environment for AI operations. Additionally, our collaborations with industry giants like Dell, NVIDIA, HPE, and others have solidified our position as a pivotal player in the AI infrastructure ecosystem.”
The pace at which AI is transforming industries is nothing short of remarkable, and at the heart of this revolution lies one indispensable element – data.
“However, we must acknowledge that AI doesn't evolve on its own; it flourishes when fed vast amounts of data, which enables it to learn, adapt, and grow smarter,” says Puneet Gupta, Managing Director & Vice President NetApp India/SAARC. “From my experience, businesses that embrace larger datasets see AI not only improve decision-making but also drive innovation and adaptability across the organisation.
Puneet further adds, “To truly drive innovation and gain a competitive edge, businesses need to build data infrastructure that enables AI to unlock its full potential. Data is the fuel that powers the AI engine, and the more refined your data infrastructure, the further ahead you will be in the race to lead the industry.”
Agrees Sandeep Bhambure, Vice President, and Managing Director at Veeam Software, “AI is already revolutionizing several industries. Next-generation AI platforms have the potential to reshape business models and introduce new dimensions of innovation,” he says. “This allows companies to not only remain competitive but to anticipate and outpace market dynamics, fostering new product and service development, personalization of customer experiences, and streamlined operations. An example of such transformation is Veeam’s partnership with Microsoft. It enables faster and more secure data recovery in cloud environments, aligned with modern SaaS models, and accelerates organizations' transitions to cloud computing.”
In a landscape where data has become the new currency, next-generation AI platforms should no longer be seen as just novel technologies; they are strategic growth engines. “For many enterprises, including ManageEngine, embracing AI is not about chasing the latest trend; it’s about defining a long-term vision that strengthens our competitive advantage, deepens customer trust, and fuels innovation at scale,” contends Ramprakash Ramamoorthy, Director of AI research, ManageEngine, Zoho Corp. “The key to achieving these outcomes is cultivating an organizational mindset that sees AI as an ally, not a threat. One of the most tangible benefits we have seen at Zoho involves using AI to transform complex business processes into opportunities for growth. For example, advanced analytics can illuminate inefficiencies hidden in silos of data, allowing companies to fine-tune supply chains, enhance IT operations, or personalize customer experiences.”
AI is also revolutionizing industries by automating routine tasks and unlocking new levels of productivity. For instance, in IT support, this technological advancement is enhancing efficiency and transforming the way teams operate.
Madhusudan Krishnapuram, VP – Product, Engineering & MD, GoTo India cites the GoTo’s Global AI 2024 study which highlights that IT leaders believe AI could save them an average of 2.2 hours of work on any given workday by automating manual functions. “By allowing end-users to resolve device issues independently with AI-driven, self-serve solutions, businesses can reduce response times, improve user satisfaction, and free up valuable IT resources for more complex tasks,” he says. “In conclusion, AI is a powerful tool that can drive innovation and provide a significant competitive edge by optimizing operations, enhancing productivity, and improving customer experience.”
Another survey, the EY Tax and Finance Operations (TFO) research shows that tax teams spend 72% of their time on routine tasks. But by leveraging GenAI, tax functions can focus on strategic activities, democratize data access and become agents of transformation, ultimately enhancing their competitive edge.
“GenAI can extract insights from unstructured data and offer insightful recommendations, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of tax services,” recounts Priyanka Chaudhry, Tax Leader, EY Global Delivery Services. “In the tax industry, GenAI has the potential to enhance compliance work, improve productivity, strengthen quality and improve experience for tax professionals.”
"To fully harness AI’s potential, organisations need to see it as an enabler rather than a disruptor. This requires strong leadership to align AI initiatives with clear business goals and build a culture that encourages trust, experimentation, and collaboration,” says Sagar P.V., Chief Technology Officer, Mindsprint. “AI works best when it complements human ingenuity, empowering teams rather than replacing them.
“We are now entering what I call the Agentic Era, where AI shifts from being a passive tool to an active partner, driving meaningful outcomes. Companies that embrace AI as part of their DNA, while blending innovation with human creativity, are the ones that will lead the way. AI is not a one-time initiative; it’s a continuous journey of growth, learning, and adaptation,” Sagar further continues.
Gen AI reshaping industries
Generative AI (in short Gen AI), can be thought of as the next generation of artificial intelligence. A subset of AI, Gen AI is said to be a phenomenon that can create something new. Generative AI models are trained on a set of data and learn the underlying patterns to generate new data that replicates the training set. Generative AI is fast revolutionizing industries and is credited with automating tasks, enhancing content creation, and driving innovations in design.
However, looking ahead to 2025, Charlie Farah, Field Chief Technology Officer for Analytics and AI, Qlik, says that the focus will shift beyond generative AI (GenAI) to scalable, adaptable solutions that will prioritize data quality, data governance, and practical use cases. “Trust and data quality will define the success of AI in 2025. Solutions that enable intuitive data interaction - like querying datasets in natural language - will gain traction as they address the growing demand for usability and trustworthiness. The real value of AI in 2025 will come from its ability to help businesses operationalise their data responsibly, balancing innovation with control, security, and compliance.”
Piyush Agarwal, SE Leader-India, Cloudera also believes that in 2025, businesses will move beyond pilots to full-scale Gen AI deployments. “Hybrid cloud alone will no longer suffice—multi-cloud and hybrid capabilities will be critical to enable seamless data movement and analytics wherever data resides. By aligning data with priorities, organizations can harness Generative AI to streamline workflows, generate insights, and deliver measurable value. Agentic AI will take center stage, driving autonomous decision-making and real-time adaptability. Organizations will shift from public large language models (LLMs) to enterprise-grade or private LLMs, prioritizing accuracy and insights tailored to their specific context.”
He further adds, “At Cloudera, we see these strategies as essential for building resilient and adaptable AI initiatives. By scaling Gen AI securely and leveraging enterprise-grade LLMs, businesses can unlock innovation and achieve sustainable, long-term success.”
Rise of agentic AI
If 2024 marks the year when AI chatbots become significantly more useful, 2025 will be when AI agents start to take charge. AI agents can be seen as enhanced bots capable of performing tasks on your behalf, like extracting data from incoming emails and integrating it into various apps. There has been buzz around AI agents with major companies, from Nvidia and Google to Microsoft and Salesforce, increasingly promoting this concept, calling it "agentic AI." They argue that AI agents will transform how both businesses and consumers perceive AI technology.
The rise in popularity of AI agents in the final months of 2024 mirrors the way ChatGPT and other generative AI systems skyrocketed into and revolutionized the AI market in 2022. Vendors appear to have quickly shifted from developing advanced large language models (LLMs) and AI chatbots to focusing on creating agents and action models.
For example, Salesforce last fall introduced Agentforce, its low-code agent builder, followed by Agentforce 2.0. Microsoft introduced AI Agents Service, a community hub that helps developers build AI agents.
Other vendors followed suit by having introduced AI agents to enterprises to automate various business processes. Analyst firm Forrester Research lists 400 vendors now building agents, which will be ready by 2025.
Fostering the AI culture
Continuous learning and a collaborative approach will what lead to successful AI integration. By positioning AI as a collaborative tool that enhances human potential rather than a threat, companies can create an inclusive environment where technology and human creativity work synergistically to drive unprecedented innovation and productivity.
“Organizational culture will flourish when, through clear communication, education, and collaboration, AI is promoted as an enabler,” opines Piyush Somani- CMD & CEO ESDS Software Solution. “Starting with a vision that integrates AI into organizational goals, focusing on augmenting human productivity rather than replacing humans in key decision-making processes, can help dissolve myths and fears surrounding AI. This can be further achieved by training the workforce to see AI as a tool that enhances their roles and provides opportunities for growth. Leadership plays a pivotal role by setting an example—embracing AI, addressing concerns empathetically, and championing its responsible use.”
Expressing a similar opinion, Ramesh Jampula, Vice President, IT, India and APJC Regional CIO, Dell Technologies says that fostering a culture that views AI as an enabler starts with education and collaboration. “Organizations must embrace AI as a tool for empowering teams, improving processes, and driving intelligent automation. Dell’s legacy of democratizing technology positions us to support customers through this journey, offering open and modular architectures that adapt to diverse and evolving AI use cases. Through solutions like Dell AI Factory and partnerships with companies like NVIDIA and AMD, we aim to help enterprises harness AI to drive innovation, improve efficiencies, and contribute to India's economic development.”
In the views of GoTo India’s Madhusudan, AI can accelerate learning for new agents, enabling them to perform at a higher level quickly. “In fact, by integrating AI as an assistant, IT professionals can spend more time solving nuanced issues that require human creativity and expertise.”
Karthik Rajaram, Area Vice President and General Manager, Elastic India is of the opinion that organisations need to work with trusted partners who can enable safe and secure use of AI. “With this knowledge and access to the latest technologies, an organisation can empower its employees to harness AI effectively to solve problems. At Elastic, we collaborate with partners to offer customers a curated, comprehensive set of AI technologies and tools integrated with the Elasticsearch vector database, designed to speed time-to-market, ROI delivery, and innovation
He also suggests that for AI to continue growing, the technology must be easily accessible to developers and IT teams. At the same time, it is also crucial to establish appropriate guardrails to address security and privacy concerns while ensuring that the outputs are trusted, accurate, and reliable. “In the future, large language models need to support multiple languages, countries, and use cases, helping to overcome barriers related to language and culture.”
Security implications of AI
It has been nearly two years since the AI trend became a mainstream phenomenon, leading to a significant acceleration in enterprise AI growth. AI continues to grow at a remarkable rate, with India emerging as the global leader in AI adoption. Enterprises are heavily investing in their AI strategies to seize the opportunities.
“However, as AI adoption speeds up, many businesses are facing challenges related to data residency, privacy, and regulatory compliance,” points out Manoj Paul, Managing Director, India, Equinix. “The use of public AI poses risks for enterprises due to the potential for data leakage. This means that proprietary data is no longer under the business's control, increasing the risk of data leaks or unauthorized access. On the other hand, building private AI models ensures that no one outside the business has access to the models or the data fed into them.”
As businesses strive to embed data privacy into their AI strategies, it is important to distinguish between classical AI models, which have existed for decades, and generative AI models, which are relatively new. While generative AI receives much attention, classical AI use cases such as predictive analytics remain crucial.
“As adversaries increasingly target AI services and large language models (LLMs) deployed in these environments, protecting the integrity and performance of AI systems is more critical than ever,” opines Elia Zaitsev, CTO, CrowdStrike. “The data driving these models - and the applications they power - must be safeguarded against sophisticated threats. To secure AI innovation in the cloud, security teams will need specialized technology and services that monitor AI services and LLMs, detect misconfigurations, and identify and address vulnerabilities, unified with protection across the entire cloud estate: from infrastructure and applications to data.”
Long-term sustainability of AI
To ensure the long-term sustainability of AI initiatives, organizations must adopt a strategic approach. According to Vinay Chhabra, Co-Founder & Managing Director, AceCloud, a brand of Real Time Data Services, this includes prioritizing data integrity through robust governance frameworks, investing in scalable cloud infrastructure to support AI workloads, and fostering partnerships with technology providers to stay ahead of innovation curves. “Additionally, aligning AI initiatives with organizational goals and maintaining ethical considerations are critical to building trust and delivering long-term value. AI represents an incredible opportunity for businesses to innovate and thrive. By integrating AI into their operations thoughtfully and sustainably, organizations can unlock its full potential, transforming challenges into opportunities for growth and resilience.”
Priyanka of EY GDS suggests that there are at least three essential elements for an AI strategy to be sustainable. First, a robust data framework; second, investing in skills development and learning and finally, not limiting AI assets to specific point solutions.
Shrirang of Vertiv adds that ethical AI practices are a must to ensure fairness and transparency, supported by clear policies and governance frameworks. “Scalability is another critical factor; AI solutions should be designed to seamlessly integrate with existing systems while being modular and adaptable to accommodate the future growth or shifts in business needs.”
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