Datacom’s Managing Director of Managed Operations Stacey Tomasoni sat down with ServiceNow’s SVP and GM of Data & Analytics Products, Gaurav Rewari, to explore the seismic shifts in enterprise technology, the promise and pitfalls of artificial intelligence (AI), and the evolving role of IT in driving business value.
Gaurav Rewari: It’s unlike anything we’ve seen. The cloud and mobile revolutions were transformative, but GenAI is rewriting the rules entirely. ChatGPT is barely two years old, yet the pace of change is dizzying. Every week brings a new breakthrough. The confusion is real—vendors and customers alike are struggling to navigate this fog. That’s why trusted relationships matter more than ever.
Gaurav Rewari: The tech is racing ahead, but enterprise AI maturity actually dropped 20% last year. Companies are running pilots, but few are seeing measurable ROI. The problem is complexity—hundreds of disconnected applications, each with its own chatbot or copilot, none of which talk to each other. It’s noise on top of noise.
Gaurav Rewari: We call them AI pace setters. They share five traits:
These companies aren’t just experimenting—they’re delivering real results.
Gaurav Rewari: Our strength lies in combining data, AI, and workflows into a unified platform. We’re not just generating content—we’re driving action. Our pre-built AI agents can handle tasks across IT, HR, and customer service and beyond. And with our AI Agent Orchestrator, these agents work together seamlessly. Add the AI Control Tower for governance and the AI Agent Fabric for collaboration at scale, and you’ve got a digital workforce ready to transform business.
Gaurav Rewari: We’re open by design. Customers can choose their AI models—OpenAI, Gemini, Llama, Mistral, and more—and run them on any cloud, including sovereign and on-prem. This flexibility is crucial for meeting diverse enterprise needs.
Gaurav Rewari: AI agents can’t thrive without clean, scalable data. Gartner says 60% of AI projects fail due to poor data. That’s why we built RaptorDB, our AI-ready database, and Workflow Data Fabric, which connects and contextualises data across platforms—structured, unstructured, streaming, or static. We even support zero-copy connectors to platforms like Snowflake and Databricks, so data stays where it is but becomes actionable.
Gaurav Rewari: It’s vital. That’s why we acquired data.world, a leader in data cataloguing and governance. By layering semantics over integrated data, we enable AI agents to deliver richer, more trustworthy insights. It’s not just a dictionary—it’s a foundation for serendipitous discovery.
Gaurav Rewari: Don’t wait for perfect data. Start now. Shine a light on what’s usable and build from there. AI is the new BI. With the right infrastructure, agents will surface insights while you sleep. The road to AI heaven goes through data hell—so get cracking.
Gaurav Rewari: Great question. Initially, most AI use cases were about operational efficiency—cutting costs. But now, we’re seeing companies use AI to unlock new revenue streams. For example, one B2C company is using data signals from Snowflake and Databricks to dynamically offer product promotions. They’re blending agentic AI with human workflows to tailor offers based on customer segments. It’s a powerful shift—IT moves from being reactive to becoming a proactive enabler of growth.
Gaurav Rewari: Absolutely. We’ve long said every business is a software business, but that’s been patchy outside of financial services. Now, with agentic AI, CIOs and CTOs can sit at the strategy table, contributing directly to top-line growth. It’s a real opportunity for IT to lead.
Gaurav Rewari: Data quality and governance are now front and centre. At Gartner’s recent event, sessions on data cataloguing and middleware were packed. CIOs are investing heavily in data health because 60% of AI projects fail due to poor data. Unstructured data—still 80–90% of enterprise data—is especially underutilised. The goal isn’t just dashboards; it’s actionable insights. With agentic AI, we can finally move from insight to action in real time.
Gaurav Rewari: Exactly. Data quality isn’t just hygiene—it’s a competitive advantage. If you can proactively identify trends across customers and act on them, that’s transformative.
Gaurav Rewari: Absolutely. We meet customers where they are, integrating with their existing systems. That’s our strength—respecting the customer’s reality while orchestrating intelligent workflows across their data landscape.
Stacey Tomasoni: Thanks so much for sharing your incredible insights with us Gaurav. Two things stood out for me: the concept of navigating the AI fog and the importance of trust. As a trusted technology partner to the organisations we work with, Datacom’s role is to help customers make sense of the choices ahead. Once trust is earned, they expect us to lead. That’s our opportunity—and our responsibility.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way we work and live — it’s not just a new tool; it’s a fundamental shift. We uniquely combine deep local expertise with global AI capability to deliver human-first AI solutions to enterprise organisations and government departments.
