VARINDIA reaffirmed its role as a premier platform for knowledge sharing, innovation, and networking in Western India’s IT ecosystem by hosting the 15th edition of the Western India Information Technology Fair (WIITF). The summit fostered collaboration and industry growth, bringing together key stakeholders to explore emerging technologies. The event began with a warm welcome, emphasizing the power of partnerships. With the theme "Trailblazing the Future with Emerging Technologies," WIITF highlighted the latest IT trends while honoring Indian VARs for their vital contributions to the ICT industry, recognizing their role in shaping the future of technology.
The distinguished guests who graced the event included senior industry leaders and technology pioneers like Sandeep Mathur, Managing Director (APAC) – Firebolt; Namit Sinha, Country Head - Devices Partner Solution Sales, Microsoft India; Pankaj Dessai, Country Manager - Channel & SMB at AMD India; Dr. Sourabh Khemani, Founder Chairman- CyberCorp Ltd.; Dr. Chander Purswami, MD - Connectstar and Nadeem Ahmed, Senior Technology Evangelist, ManageEngine.
The welcome address delivered by Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, Editor-in-Chief, VARINDIA, gave a glimpse on how India’s digital transformation is accelerating with strategic investments and advanced technologies. He further supported his views with important data points and shared how Microsoft’s $3B AI and cloud investment is expanding digital infrastructure, strengthening India’s global tech presence. AI is reshaping the $254B IT sector, with EY India projecting a 43-45% productivity boost over five years. Generative AI is revolutionizing software, BPO, and consulting, enhancing efficiency.
The lighting of the ceremonial lamp preceded the corporate presentations, symbolizing the auspicious beginning of the summit.
Sandeep Mathur, Managing Director (APAC) at Firebolt, set the stage with his thought-provoking insights on AI adoption in today’s business landscape. He emphasized the critical steps organizations must take to embrace AI effectively and navigate its transformative potential. As he concluded, he left the audience with a compelling question: “The AI revolution is here—will you lead it or watch from the sidelines?”
Building on this perspective, Namit Sinha, Country Head (Devices) - Devices Partner Solution Sales, Microsoft India, delved deeper into the future of technology and innovation. He highlighted the growing impact of AI and the opportunities for collaboration to drive value for both businesses and customers. His insights seamlessly extended the conversation from AI adoption to its practical applications in business growth and market evolution.
Adding to the discussion, Nadeem Ahmed, Senior Technology Evangelist at ManageEngine (a division of Zoho Corp.), shared his expertise on IT operations and emerging trends, shedding light on the evolving landscape of enterprise technology.
Finally, Shilpesh Shah, Sr. Solution Architect at AMD India, brought in a broader industry perspective by discussing high-performance computing and enterprise solutions. He highlighted AMD’s 55-year legacy and its global workforce of 28,000 employees, demonstrating how AMD-powered solutions drive industry giants like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Microsoft Teams, and even 5G networks.
Together, these industry leaders provided a comprehensive outlook on AI, innovation, and the evolving technology landscape, leaving the audience with valuable insights to drive their digital transformation journeys.
The Fire-side chat session was moderated by Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, Editor-in-chief-VARINDIA and he was joined by Dr. Sourabh Khemani, Founder Chairman- CyberCorp Ltd. The discussion delved into the burning topic of how businesses are defending against the rising cyber threats and if in case of an attack, how are cybersecurity firms tackling rising cybercrime losses.
The event featured an insightful Panel Discussion Session moderated by Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, Editor-in-Chief-VARINDIA and the panelists who joined the session were Advocate Dr. Prashant Mali - Practicing Lawyer Bombay High Court; Dr. Pawan Chawla, CISO & DPPO-TATA AIA LIFE Insurance; Samir Shah, Partner -Consulting- Ernst & Young LLP; Bhaskar Rao, CISO- Bharat Co-operative Bank; Ritesh Bhatia, Founder- V4 WEB Cybersecurity. The topic for discussion was Navigating the Frontiers of Emerging Technologies, and the five subject matter experts representing the Banking, Insurance, Tech Consulting, Legal, and Cybersecurity industries were asked to analyze five individual real-world case studies.
The summit concluded with a vote of thanks to express gratitude to all the participants, sponsors, and attendees for their valuable contributions.
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