Pharma IT success in 2026 will be measured by trust, integration, and resilience
Digital transformation in the pharmaceutical industry has always carried a different weight. Unlike many sectors where speed alone can define competitive advantage, pharma operates within a framework where compliance, patient safety, auditability, and operational continuity are non-negotiable. Technology leaders are therefore tasked with navigating a delicate balance, modernising rapidly while ensuring that governance never becomes an afterthought.
In an exclusive interaction with Express Computer, Krishna Sai, Chief Information Officer at Matrix Pharma, offers a grounded perspective on what the coming year demands from the IT function. His view is notably pragmatic: the next phase of transformation is not about chasing the newest tools, but about connecting what already exists and ensuring that digital capabilities genuinely support how the business runs end to end.
For Sai, the industry has already crossed the threshold of digitisation. The real challenge now is coherence.
Moving from fragmented digital to connected enterprise
If one steps back and observes the pharma landscape today, Sai believes most organisations have already embarked on their digital journey. Yet progress is often uneven. Manufacturing may still be catching up; quality functions might be relatively mature; and the supply chain could be evolving along a separate trajectory while other business units operate on entirely different systems.
Against this backdrop, Sai sees 2026 less as a year of aggressive technology acquisition and more as a period of consolidation.
“The priority is to connect what already exists in different forms and simplify those systems so that digital truly supports business operations,” he explains.
This emphasis on integration marks an important shift in mindset. For years, transformation programmes focused on deploying specialised solutions across functions. Today, the value lies in stitching those capabilities together to create a seamless operating environment, one where information flows freely and decisions are not constrained by technological silos.
Why digital manufacturing remains the core focus
When asked which area will attract the strongest technology push, Sai acknowledges that it is difficult to isolate a single priority. Digital manufacturing, cybersecurity, data foundations, and AI enablement are all critical.
Yet if forced to identify a centre of gravity, he points to digital manufacturing.
Historically, manufacturing digitisation in pharma has progressed more slowly than in some other industries, largely because of regulatory constraints. Every system deployed on the shop floor must withstand scrutiny around validation, audit trails, and data integrity. This naturally elongates timelines but also ensures robustness.
Cybersecurity, meanwhile, remains what Sai calls an “evergreen” priority which is constant that evolves alongside threat landscapes.
Compliance as a design principle, not a checkpoint
With regulatory expectations intensifying and frameworks such as the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act gaining prominence, organisations are re-evaluating how they embed compliance into technology initiatives.
Sai’s stance is clear: the fastest organisations are not those that bypass compliance, but those that design for it from the outset.
“When systems are built with auditability, data integrity, and validation in mind from the beginning, you spend far less time fixing issues later,” he notes.
Contrary to popular belief, incorporating compliance early can actually accelerate projects. Delays often arise when governance is treated as an afterthought, forcing teams into costly remediation cycles.
For pharma companies, the custodians of highly sensitive patient data, the DPDP journey is only beginning. Understanding its applicability and aligning systems accordingly will be an industry-wide effort in the months ahead.
Balancing transformation speed with regulatory readiness
Technology leaders frequently frame compliance as a trade-off against speed. Sai challenges that assumption.
Drawing on concepts such as quality by design, he argues that systems should be architected so that without validation and compliance checks, they are simply not ready for use. When governance is embedded at the design stage, the perception that validation slows down projects begins to dissolve.
“The general perception is that compliance takes longer,” he says. “But if it is built early, speed follows naturally.”
The real challenge shifts from change management to data
A decade ago, change management often represented the biggest barrier to digital adoption. Convincing users to transition from manual processes to digital platforms required sustained effort.
Today, Sai observes a reversal. Technology awareness has matured significantly, and employees increasingly ask why certain digital capabilities, including AI which are not yet implemented.
Instead, the rapid pace of technological evolution has become the primary challenge. By the time organisations fully adopt one platform, another innovation is already reshaping expectations.
Amid this acceleration, Sai identifies data as the most critical priority.
Trust, not dashboards, defines data maturity
Many organisations invest heavily in dashboards, expecting visualisation alone to improve decision-making. Sai believes the real issue is more fundamental: trust.
“When two teams walk into a meeting with different numbers, the discussion goes nowhere,” he says.
At Matrix Pharma, the focus is therefore on mastering the basics by establishing clear definitions, assigning ownership, ensuring consistency across plants and functions, and strengthening master data practices.
This work may not appear glamorous, but its impact is profound. Once stakeholders trust the data, conversations shift from debating accuracy to determining the next course of action. Decisions become faster and more confident.
The push towards a single source of truth reflects this philosophy. Without it, leadership risks spending more time reconciling numbers than shaping strategy.
AI as a decision-support partner, not a replacement
Few technologies have generated as much anticipation and anxiety as artificial intelligence. In pharma, where risk tolerance is inherently low, expectations are particularly high: AI must deliver measurable value without compromising control.
Sai approaches AI with deliberate pragmatism. He sees its greatest contribution in removing friction from everyday work.
Whether it involves identifying quality trends early, predicting equipment failures, or helping teams navigate vast repositories of standard operating procedures, AI can enhance productivity while preserving human judgement.
“In pharma, AI works best as a decision-support layer,” he explains. “It helps people think better and act faster, but human oversight must remain firmly in place.”
Given the industry’s responsibility towards patient data, full automation remains some distance away. Establishing clear boundaries around where AI can and cannot operate will be essential, and the sector is collectively working towards such guidelines.
Governing AI in a regulated environment
Ensuring that AI remains explainable and compliant is central to its responsible adoption. Sai believes governance begins by defining the role AI plays within decision-making hierarchies.
If AI supports rather than replaces human judgement, organisations can maintain oversight while benefiting from speed and analytical depth. Different forms of AI from deterministic models to emerging agentic frameworks will require tailored governance approaches, particularly in regulated contexts.
Cybersecurity becomes synonymous with business continuity
Cybersecurity has evolved from a technical safeguard into a core operational concern. A serious cyber incident can halt manufacturing lines, delay critical shipments, and ripple across supply chains.
In pharma, the risk is amplified by the convergence of IT and operational technology environments. Systems directly connected to manufacturing along with third-party access points, present attractive targets.
“Cybersecurity is not just about protecting data,” Sai emphasises. “It is about ensuring operations continue and the organisation can recover quickly when something goes wrong.”
He frames cyber resilience as a shared responsibility extending beyond IT to operations leadership, boards, and ecosystem partners.
When considering threat vectors, Sai sees risk emerging from multiple directions, partner exposures, access to GxP-relevant systems, and even internal vulnerabilities. The message is clear: resilience demands vigilance across the entire enterprise.
Supply chain visibility moves from advantage to necessity
Pharma supply chains are inherently complex, global, and quality-sensitive. Here, digital technologies are proving transformative, not merely by improving visibility, but by buying organisations something far more valuable: time.
When potential disruptions become visible earlier, leaders can model scenarios and plan proactively rather than reacting at the last minute. This shift fundamentally changes decision-making dynamics.
“The conversation should be about ensuring the right product reaches the right place at the right time,” Sai says, underscoring the importance of predictive planning and exception management.
End-to-end visibility is therefore no longer aspirational; it is operationally essential.
Defining IT success: when technology becomes invisible
Perhaps Sai’s most compelling insight lies in how he defines success for the IT function.
It is not about delivering another dashboard or launching a new system. Instead, success manifests as a subtle organisational shift, when business discussions move from questioning data accuracy to deciding the next strategic step.
It is evident when audits become routine rather than anxiety-inducing and when teams rely on systems rather than seeking workarounds.
“IT succeeds when it quietly helps the business move faster and stay compliant without creating noise,” he reflects. “When IT becomes invisible and outcomes become visible, that is success.”
Integration as the defining capability for 2026
Looking ahead, Sai believes the most important capability pharma IT teams must build is integration. Many organisations already possess the necessary components; the task now is to bring them together onto cohesive platforms that support enterprise-wide operations.
Focusing solely on isolated applications risks perpetuating fragmentation. Integration, by contrast, enables agility, transparency, and coordinated decision-making.
Beyond AI: a cautious watch on quantum
While AI dominates current discourse, Sai acknowledges that quantum computing holds long-term promise, particularly in research and development, where immense computational power is required to analyse molecular structures or simulate complex biological interactions.
However, he views the technology as nascent, likely requiring several more years before widespread enterprise adoption becomes viable.
A message to peers: Enable quietly, deliver consistently
In conclusion, Sai summarises his leadership philosophy with a simple yet profound thought.
IT may have traditionally been perceived as a cost centre, but its true role is to enable the business to run smoothly and in compliance. It does this best when it does not call attention to itself.
In a new era of digital maturity for pharma companies, this quiet enablement may be the greatest competitive differentiator. Because in an industry where stakes are measured not just in revenue but in patient outcomes, the most successful technology is often the one that works flawlessly in the background; trusted, resilient, and almost invisible.
