Hitachi Vantara's Commitment to Innovation and Sustainability Fuels Growth in India and Global Markets

In a rapidly changing business landscape, where cost reduction and operational efficiency are paramount, organizations are seeking innovative solutions to harness the power of data and enhance customer service. The exponential growth of data poses significant challenges, but it also presents an opportunity for strategic partnerships. Hitachi Vantara's dedication to providing cutting-edge technology, coupled with extensive education and enablement initiatives, has positioned it as a trusted advisor to partners worldwide. Kevin Purcell, Head of Global Strategic Partnerships, Hitachi Vantara, tells more. Excerpts:

Could you tell me how are you powering the partnerships in helping Hitachi vantara to create the cost effective recession proof, flexible solution and offerings?

Kevin: Over the past year, we have witnessed substantial changes, prompting many customers to prioritize cost reduction and operational efficiencies. The exponential growth in data volume poses significant challenges for our customers who aspire to enhance their existing services and deliver superior experiences to employees and customers alike. To address these challenges, we are actively collaborating with our global strategic partners (GSIs) to develop joint solutions that cater to our customers' needs. It is worth noting that these partnerships are mutually beneficial, as many of our partners in India and worldwide have recognized Hitachi Vantara as a reliable source of technological expertise. We are committed to providing comprehensive education and enablement programs to empower our partners' employees with a better understanding of our technology.

Our extensive customer base, formed through partnerships with Hitachi Vantara and spanning diverse industries such as banking, healthcare, travel, and hospitality, signifies considerable growth potential in this domain. Notably, in India, we have experienced remarkable expansion in our product offerings, with a year-over-year growth rate of approximately 108%. Similarly, our services sector has seen growth of about 6%. Looking ahead to the upcoming fiscal year, we are optimistic about the prospects of substantial growth with our partners, as we strive to achieve utmost satisfaction for our shared clients.

How are you seeing these leaders, these organizations, leaders, they are reshaping the customer and employees experience with their approaches in the sink with the technology?

Kevin: In terms of working together, they're looking to us to provide the technology. We have a partner program that basically allows our partners including the GSIs, to become partners in the Create model, which is basically they create solutions and have those solutions attached to our, our infrastructure as well as software and services to create a offering for their clients. There's also other models such as managed services so we can have our partners actually manage the entire data center for you For our joint customers, we also have a model where they can provide just the services for these customers, and we provide the technology. There's many customers around the world where we bring the partner into the engagement. And there's other times where they bring us

What cloud storage and infrastructure trends are expected for the near future for India, as well as for the global?

Kevin: India's rapid economic growth is indeed remarkable, with an anticipated 8% growth rate this year. Recognizing this growth potential, Hitachi Vantara is making significant investments in India. In fact, one-third of our workforce is located in India, highlighting the importance we place on this market. We are actively engaged in developing numerous patents, not only in storage technology but also in artificial intelligence and machine learning. These advancements in technology will enhance our offerings and provide cutting-edge solutions to our customers.

Additionally, sustainability is ingrained in our company's DNA. We have a long-standing commitment to reducing energy costs, and with each new platform version, we strive to achieve a 35% to 40% reduction in electrical usage. By combining cloud offerings with sustainable solutions, we enable our customers in India and worldwide to leverage our technology, resulting in lower costs and increased operational efficiency. Our joint customers can benefit from our sustainable offerings, aligning with their own goals and contributing to a greener future.

What are the sustainability trends being witnessed in customer demands for data centers and storage solutions?

Kevin: The trend of customers adopting cloud solutions is indeed growing, but we also observe instances where customers are pivoting and bringing some workloads back to on-premises environments. This shift towards hybrid cloud architectures, which combine private and public clouds, offers opportunities for improved operational efficiencies and cost savings.

In line with our commitment to sustainability, we integrate power consumption reduction features into our technology. Furthermore, we collaborate closely with our global strategic partners (GSIs) to deliver comprehensive assessment services. These assessments help identify areas where customers can reduce their carbon footprint. Leveraging our storage platform architecture, we provide solutions to address these environmental concerns. This collaborative approach with GSIs is exemplified by our participation in events such as COP 27, a significant UN-sponsored event held in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. During this event, we engaged with our GSI partners and discussed strategies to reduce electrical usage in data centers and minimize carbon footprints.

At the organizational level, Hitachi Limited, our parent company, has made a pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030 within the entire value chain, including all suppliers, by 2050. This demonstrates our strong commitment to environmental sustainability. As a company, we are dedicated to collaborating with our partners in the marketplace to make a positive impact and contribute to saving the planet.

What are some of the trends that will drive customer experience?

Kevin: Customer experience is at the heart of our business philosophy and is shaped by three key elements: sincerity, harmony, and proprietary offerings. We believe in providing genuine and authentic interactions with our clients, fostering trust and building long-lasting relationships. Through our focus on sincerity, we aim to create an atmosphere of transparency and integrity.

Harmony is another essential aspect of our customer experience approach. We strive to ensure that all interactions, collaborations, and engagements with our clients are conducted in a harmonious manner. By fostering open communication, understanding, and alignment, we create an environment where both parties can work together seamlessly towards shared goals.

Our commitment to proprietary offerings sets us apart in the market. We focus on delivering unique value to our clients, enabling them to fully comprehend and leverage our technology and solutions. We go beyond conventional approaches, offering tailored experiences and insights that differentiate us from other companies.

We actively engage in customer advocacies and conduct briefings for our clients and partners. This proactive approach allows us to provide an unparalleled experience that sets us apart. Our strong emphasis on partnerships is evident as we increasingly drive business through our channel partners. By surpassing customer expectations, we aim to overachieve in delivering exceptional results.

We are fortunate to collaborate with partners who share our customer-centric approach, leading to fruitful and successful relationships. The collective commitment to customer satisfaction and value creation creates a strong synergy between us and our partners, ultimately benefiting all parties involved.

Overall, our focus on sincerity, harmony, proprietary offerings, and partnerships underpins our dedication to providing an exceptional customer experience that stands out in the industry.

Highlight some of the interesting projects and the updates in the field of AI by Hitachi? vantara in terms of R&D?

Kevin: Indeed, AI is a topic that garners significant attention every day, and it is of utmost importance to both our customers and partners. At Hitachi, we are actively engaged in the AI and machine learning domain, with ongoing efforts to develop new capabilities. Currently, we have approximately 700 patents dedicated to AI and machine learning.

One specific area of focus is AI ops, or artificial intelligence operations. Through this technology, we aim to optimize the placement of workloads and storage, ensuring that data is effectively managed and utilized at the right time and in the right locations. Over the next year, you can expect to see significant advancements from Hitachi as we integrate AI capabilities into our products. We are excited to collaborate with our partners who share our enthusiasm and vision for this technology. Additionally, we leverage the expertise of our global strategic partners (GSIs) in this area.

The banking industry has shown great interest in leveraging AI, and we are actively working with them to deliver innovative solutions. Moreover, many of our joint customers in the hospitality sector are also keen on exploring the potential of AI. However, it is worth noting that AI's impact extends beyond these industries, and we anticipate its growth in other sectors as well.

Internally, we collaborate with our research and development organization to expedite the introduction of AI technology to the market. We are dedicated to bringing these advancements to our customers as soon as possible, driving value and delivering cutting-edge solutions in the field of AI.

What are some of the most important tips or suggestion you would you would like to give to enterprises who are focusing on generative AI strategy like ChatGPT etc?

I completely agree with your perspective. When it comes to leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, it is crucial to partner with committed and experienced organizations. At Hitachi, we possess substantial expertise in this field, with a dedicated team of over 1,000 data scientists. Moreover, our collaboration with other entities within Hitachi Limited further enhances our capabilities and resources.

Working hand in hand with our clients, we prioritize understanding their unique business challenges. By closely identifying their needs, we can explore how artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies can effectively address these problems. It is essential to approach these advanced technologies with a clear focus on solving real business issues and driving tangible results.

Navigating the crowded marketplace can be overwhelming, but it is vital to choose a trusted advisor. We aim to be that trusted partner for our clients, providing reliable guidance and support throughout their journey. By collaborating closely with our global system integrator partners and jointly serving our customers, we ensure that our insights and expertise are shared effectively.

Ultimately, building trust and fostering a strong partnership is key. We strive to be there for our clients from the beginning, actively working together to achieve their goals. By combining expertise, technology insights, and a commitment to long-term collaboration, we aim to deliver the best possible outcomes for our clients.

Is there something else you'd like to add?

Kevin: The only thing I would say is Hitachi is an $80 billion, we at Hitachi Vantara, very much believe in working with partners, and we want to leverage their expertise, they want to leverage our expertise. And we also want to leverage other parts of Hitachi to bring the best customer experience to our joint clients. So, again, we're excited about working within India, as well as across the globe. With our global strategic partners to solve business problems. We're joined clients.