Workato, an AI orchestration and governance platform, expects global capability centres (GCCs) in India and Indian IT services companies to work as partners, not rivals, as enterprises push AI into core business processes.
GCCs are taking on larger technology, product development and innovation mandates, which has raised the question of whether multinationals will build in-house at the expense of IT services firms. "I do not think one can really succeed without the other," said Shane Smith, Director and Global Head of Partner Success at Workato.
David Ng, Global VP for Partner, GTM and Alliances, said Workato's relationship with Indian IT firms has shifted. It once worked with them mainly to add implementation capacity. "Historically we partnered for delivery scale, but increasingly today we are partnering for the innovation our partners drive in this space," he said.
Ng described Workato as a horizontal platform, with partners adding vertical expertise. Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra, Infosys and HCLTech contribute implementation resources and industry knowledge, such as know-your-customer and fraud detection in banking, inventory management in retail, and identifying operational gaps in insurance. He said partners bring delivery skills, subject-matter expertise, and distribution and credibility.
The company's argument is that building a solution differs from deploying it across multiple systems, business units and geographies. Enterprises must connect AI models with data held in ERP, CRM, procurement and other systems. Ng said GCCs must decide what to build and what to buy, since building carries maintenance and risk.
Workato also wants to avoid owning every customer implementation so it can keep investing in product. Ng said conversations with customers increasingly point to India as the place where solutions are being developed, which is why the company is hiring in the country.
