As cloud computing continues to revolutionize the IT landscape, India stands at a pivotal moment of transformation. In this evolving market, Soma Banerjee, Cofounder and CEO of Business Brio, offers a deep dive into the future of cloud computing in India. With over a decade of expertise in data science and analytics, Soma shares invaluable insights on how the cloud market is expected to unfold over the next five years. From balancing investments between cloud and on-premises infrastructure to leveraging emerging technologies like AI and IoT, Soma highlights Business Brio’s strategic initiatives and innovations. This exploration not only sheds light on the broader trends shaping the industry but also shares insights into how Business Brio is poised to play a significant role in driving this transformation.
TAM: How do you see the cloud computing market evolving in India over the next five years, and what role do you foresee your company playing in this landscape?
Soma Banerjee: In terms of cloud computing, the first movers were primarily from the enterprise segments. I believe this trend will continue. However, there might be some balancing, as many large enterprises are now considering cost perspectives. They’re comparing cloud solutions with traditional on-prem servers that they used before the cloud movement gained momentum.
In the MSME segment, I strongly feel that the benefits of cloud computing—such as not needing to maintain physical infrastructure or a dedicated infrastructure team—will drive significant growth. Therefore, I expect a substantial increase in the overall adoption of cloud computing and cloud-based applications in India and beyond.
TAM: What sets your offerings apart in the Indian market?
Soma Banerjee: It’s been about a decade since our inception as Business Brio, and our focus has always been on data science, analytics, and AI. Initially, we deployed these solutions on-premises for enterprise clients. However, in the last four – five years, we’ve seen an increasing trend of enterprises deploying these solutions on the cloud.
What sets us apart is our consistent focus on machine learning and data science from the very beginning. We understand how data can add business value across different functions. With our extensive experience, we have organically developed reusable product frameworks for various high-traction use cases. Additionally, we emphasize creating intellectual property in the data science and AI space.
Notably, we contributed to the development of ISO 24668, the first international standard on big data analytics led by India. Our founder, Gautam Banerjee, was the project leader and editor for this ISO standard, which is adopted as an Indian standard as well. We also hold several patents in the data science and AI space, MIT open licenses, Springer publications and have received numerous awards and recognitions. Our product frameworks, particularly in retail and sales, as well as in generative AI, are built on these intellectual property frameworks, showcasing our commitment to innovation and excellence.
TAM: How are you integrating emerging technologies such as AI, ML, and IoT into your services to provide additional value to clients?
Soma Banerjee: We provide AI and ML services and solutions. For example, we offer demand forecasting solutions for manufacturing, CPG, and retail companies. These solutions help clients forecast their orders for the next quarter, month, or year based on historical data.
We are also working in commercial functions for some clients, analyzing contract information, particularly raw material contracts, which are crucial for their production process. We are building generative AI applications for the procurement side and developing master data management solutions, which are critical for large enterprises with extensive customer and supplier bases.
We also work on distributor and customer churn models, recommendation engines etc. These are traditional AI and ML solutions, and we are integrating them with generative AI to add conversational interfaces for end users, such as factory supervisors, commercial function owners, customer service personnel, and top management, enabling them to interact with data and charts more effectively.
On the IoT side, we handle the vast volumes of data generated in real time. We build data pipelines from various sensors, for example, in steel plants. We process this data for machine learning applications, focusing on preventive maintenance by identifying anomalies and ensuring timely maintenance based on IoT data.
TAM: How do you customize your cloud solutions to meet the diverse needs of Indian enterprises across different sectors?
Soma Banerjee: We collaborate closely with business stakeholders and leaders to understand the value they want to derive and their processes, whether it’s core manufacturing, distribution, commercial functions, procurement, or supply chain.
Based on the level of data maturity, we develop and deliver customized solutions. Given the current hype and awareness around data science and AI, there are high expectations. However, data readiness plays a crucial role. We work closely with businesses to ensure that the use cases they consider will deliver business value based on their data readiness and maturity.
TAM: What are the biggest challenges you face and how are you addressing them to ensure sustainable growth?
Soma Banerjee: In the early days, we had to educate businesses about the potential of data. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a surge in awareness. Numerous conferences are taking place, and major hyperscalers like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google are heavily invested in educating their clients.
There is now considerable awareness among business leaders about AI. I don’t think there’s anyone today who doesn’t know about AI. However, managing expectations and identifying the right use cases to deliver business value compared to the investments being made is crucial.
As an Azure AI and AWS partner, we utilize their products and services to deliver solutions to enterprise clients. This partnership helps us reach end customers effectively. Some clients prefer cloud solutions, while others opt for on-premise setups.
The market has become more aware, and leaders now understand the potential of data science and AI. AI holds immense promise, but businesses—whether large corporations or MSMEs—need to see tangible business value and ROI from their investments.
TAM: Can you elaborate on your partnership with Crayon and how they enhance your service offerings?
Soma Banerjee: We entered the Azure and AWS partnership ecosystem with the support of Crayon, who guided us through the process. Over the past year, this journey has been both exciting and educational. Crayon introduced us to the partner ecosystems and helped us understand the benefits available to solution providers like us.
We’ve also listed our products on the Azure Marketplace, with Crayon’s assistance. Our reusable product frameworks, such as RetailBrio, SalesBrio, BrioBot and our demand forecasting solution, are now available there. Participating in the marketplace has provided us with greater visibility and access to a wider target audience. We are thrilled about the opportunities for growth and collaboration within this ecosystem, thanks to Crayon’s support.
TAM: What are your future plans, and your vision to cater to specific industries such as healthcare, finance, or manufacturing in India?
Soma Banerjee: We have rich experience of working across both manufacturing and services sectors. In manufacturing, our focus has included industries such as steel and allied sectors, glass, battery etc. We’ve also engaged with CPG (consumer packaged goods) and retail sectors. On the services side, we’ve collaborated with digital-first companies and have been delivering solution to customers in insurance and healthcare.
AI is definitely the buzzword in today’s industry. Having been in this space for nearly a decade, we are excited about our future prospects, especially with the support of Crayon and the broader partner ecosystem. Our commitment to innovation is strong, and we take pride in contributing to the development of industry standards, best practices and intellectual properties. Our goal is to advance our community by providing tangible value to all stakeholders in the ecosystem and we are very bullish about the future.
