The 22nd edition of the VARINDIA INFOTECH FORUM 2024, a day-long, premier end-customer hybrid event recently concluded in New Delhi on 5th July. Now in its 22nd year, the forum has established itself as an ideal platform for enterprise-level decision-makers to discover and assess new technologies and strategic approaches aimed at fostering innovation in their businesses, facilitated by extensive day-long conversations and deliberations.

Centered around the theme "EMERGING TECHNOLOGY SHAPING INDIA’S FUTURE’, this meticulously curated event featured dynamic sessions including technical presentations, panel discussions, and insightful discourse on pivotal technology issues and crucial business networking opportunities.

The special day was graced by many eminent guests and industry veterans that included Mrutyunjay Mahapatra, Member Board Of Directors and Chairman Audit Committee, Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH); Dr. Pronab Mohanty, IPS- DGP (Cyber & IST) - Government of Karnataka; Dr. Rabindra Narayan Behera, Member of Parliament, Govt. of India; Rishi Mehta, President & CEO - WAISL Limited; Prof. Triveni Singh, Chief Mentor- Future Crime Research Foundation; Dr. Pavan Duggal, Chairman- International Commission On Cyber Security Law; Dr. Gulshan Rai, Former National Cyber Security Coordinator & Former DG, CERT-In; Anil Nama, CIO- Cloud 4C & CtrlS Datacenters; Navin Mehra, Regional Leader- Cyber Security - Cisco India & SAARC; Santanu Ghosh, Director Sales, APJC - AMD Pensando; Vijay Sethi, Chairman – Mentorkart; Air Commodore (Retd.) Niranjan Kumar Parhi, Chief Data Privacy Officer- Data Safeguard Inc.; Sourav Das, Group Chief of Digital & IT- Rupa & Company; Ritesh Bhatia, Founder – V4web Cybersecurity; Khushbu Jain, Advocate – Supreme Court of India; Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, Editor-in-chief-VARINDIA and S Mohini Ratna, Editor – VARINDIA.

The opening address for the day was presented by Rishi Mehta, President & CEO - WAISL Limited, who enlightened the guests by speaking on AI Ethics and sensitizing them on how to take a safe, secure, humane, and environmentally friendly approach to AI.

Prof. Triveni Singh, Chief Mentor- Future Crime Research Foundation presented his views on Threats emerging from new technologies and how these advancements in technology make it binding on citizens to stay ahead of the potential risks.

Dr. Pavan Duggal, Chairman- International Commission On Cyber Security Law spoke about Data Privacy in India while making aware the audience on how an individual can navigate in this evolving data landscape.

Dr. Gulshan Rai, Former National Cyber Security Coordinator & Former DG, CERT-In addressed the gathering by deliberating on the growing reliance on hyperscalers and how they present both opportunities and challenges for enterprises.

In the Corporate presentations, Anil Nama, CIO- Cloud 4C & CtrlS Datacenters spoke about the potential of AI and how it will contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2025.

Navin Mehra, Regional Leader- Cyber Security - Cisco India & SAARC spoke about how AI, particularly deepfakes, is posing a big challenge.

The first panel discussion for the day was on the topic The evolving role of CIO: From Tech Steward to Business Strategist and it was moderated by Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, Editor-in-Chief, VARINDIA. The panellists who joined the discussion were Prince Joseph, Group CIO-SFO Technologies; Dr J P Dwivedi, CIO-Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital; Dr S.K. Meher, Head Health IT- AIIMS; Bharat B Anand, Global CIO- Contact Global; Mahi Gupta, Director (Privacy Strategy) - Data Safeguard Inc. and Pradeep Pandey, CDO- LIC of India.

The afternoon session started with Amit Jain, MD & CEO- Integrated Tech 9 Labs making his presentation on the product line and solutions of both Nutanix and Integrated Tech 9 Labs.

The second panel discussion on the topic – Role of CTO on Growing Hyperscaler Fatigue was moderated by S Mohini Ratna, Editor – VARINDIA. The panellists joining the discussion were Vijay Sethi, Chairman – Mentorkart; Sourav Das, Group Chief of Digital & IT- Rupa & Company; Vinod Kumar Gupta, Director, Global Head - Cyber Security Operations & GRC Practices - TMF Group; Dr. Akansha Kumar, Chief Data Scientist - Jio Platforms Ltd; Sandeep Sengupta, Director – Indian School of Anti Hacking and Pankaj Mittal, Founder & CEO – Digizen Consulting.

Ritesh Bhatia, Founder – V4web Cybersecurity, a well-known Cybercrime Investigator and Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Consultant, highlighted through his presentation on how AI based cyber crimes are becoming the order of the day and how cyber criminals are increasingly using this technology to impersonate individuals, leading to fraud and identity theft.

The next corporate presentation was by Rohit Sobti, Head Emerging & White Space Business-North & East India, Nepal & Bhutan- Fortinet, who spoke at length on how Fortinet provides comprehensive security solutions, particularly its Security Fabric architecture, which offers robust, integrated cybersecurity capabilities.

The third and the final panel discussion session was on the topic - India's Digital Landscape: A deep dive into Data Protection Act and it was moderated by Gyana Swain, Consulting Editor-VARINDIA. The panellists - Air Commodore (Retd.) Niranjan Kumar Parhi, Chief Data Privacy Officer- Data Safeguard Inc.; Khushbu Jain, Advocate – Supreme Court of India; Shashank Jain, President (CIO/ CISO) - Shree Financials; Siva Subramanian Loganathan, Head Of Technology- Moss Adams; Arvind Kumar, AVP-IT- PathKind Labs and Col. Inderjeet Singh, CEO – Cyber Sleuths presented their individual views on the recently enacted Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) and how it establishes a legal framework for organizations to handle the personal data of Indian citizens.

In the Fireseide chat session, Santanu Ghosh, Director Sales, APJC - AMD Pensando joined Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, Editor-in-chief-VARINDIA on the dais to discuss on how hyperscale fatigue is prompting a shift to on-premise data centers.

Gaurav Bhatnagar, Head Enterprise Business – Kaspersky in his presentation showcased how Kaspersky has revolutionized the Indian market with their advanced cybersecurity solutions that have been instrumental in protecting individuals and organizations from a wide range of digital threats.

The evening session started with the grand unveiling of the 13th edition of the Brand Book in the presence of the esteemed guests. Standing true to its principle of empowering technology through OEMs, IT corporates, technology evangelists, solution partners & VARs, the coffee table book provides a platform for these industry folks to share their knowledge and expertise with the wider IT community.

Thereafter, several respected dignitaries addressed the audience with their enthralling discourses and speeches.

Dr. Rabindra Narayan Behera, Member of Parliament, Govt. of India, recognized as a cyber security expert, spoke about the various initiatives that he spearheaded for the state of Odisha.

Mrutyunjay Mahapatra, Member Board Of Directors and Chairman Audit Committee, Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH), a distinguished industry veteran, shared his experiences on the Digital Disruptions and how it is going to shape up the landscape of today and tomorrow.

Dr. Pronab Mohanty, IPS- DGP (Cyber & IST) - Government of Karnataka connected with the guests virtually to share his insights on the digital landscape and how instrumental it is becoming to safeguard it while ensuring the secure adoption of technology by the citizens.

The final corporate presentation for the day was presented by Yati Mago, Sr. Solution Consultant- Hitachi Vantara, who spoke at length about how the company is contributing to the technology landscape in the country.

Another major highlight of the day-long event had been the prestigious award ceremony that saw the felicitation of the Promising VARs, the eminent CIOs, the Most Trusted Companies and the Most Admired Brands.

In the Most Promising Partners of the year 2024 awards, close to 31 VARS were felicitated for playing a critical role in the technology landscape of the country and for driving better customer experience.  

The real heroes of the Indian ICT industry, the Eminent CIOs of India for 2024-25 were recognised and celebrated. Close to 100 CIOs/CTOs/CDOs/CISOs from across the industry were honoured during the event for their outstanding contributions to the industry.  

Based on a comprehensive report brought out by VARINDIA and an extensive survey done that analyzed the performance of the top IT brands, VARINDIA recognised the 25 Most Trusted Companies and the 50 Most Admired Brands for the year 2024.