Democratising AI for non-technical users is a major focus area for us: Varun Babbar, MD-India and SAARC, Qlik
In this exclusive interview, Varun Babbar, MD-India and SAARC, Qlik shares his company’s vision for driving Active Intelligence to enable real-time, data-driven decision-making for enterprises. He talks about how Qlik is using AI, generative AI, and tools like AutoML to democratise analytics and make unstructured data processing easy. Babbar speaks about Qlik’s focus on cloud adoption, empowering sectors such as BFSI, healthcare, and manufacturing, and tailoring solutions to the unique needs of the Indian market. He also shares insights on Qlik’s strategic partnerships and its commitment to innovation, ensuring businesses can move beyond dashboards to actionable, automated insights.
How is Qlik’s vision of driving Active Intelligence shaping the way organisations use data for real-time insights? And how is this vision being tailored to meet the unique demands of the Indian market?
What’s happening across various industries is that people want to make more real-time decisions and have better access to data. This allows them to understand what’s happening in real time, with decision-making becoming increasingly automated. When we talk about Active Intelligence, it’s about moving away from passive intelligence. Passive intelligence involves running data pipelines, where the data typically reaches the decision-maker the next day, giving them insights about what happened the previous day. While this is useful, it doesn’t address the need for immediate action.
Active Intelligence, on the other hand, ensures that as data is generated – whether from interactions like this or operational processes – it is immediately analysed. The system automatically reads the logs, pushes the data to the analytics platform, and provides actionable insights. With AI-powered systems, we can automate these processes, identify key drivers influencing behavioural patterns, and even suggest or take actions. This minimises reliance on manual interventions, enabling faster and more efficient decision-making.
Could you share how this vision is being tailored to meet the unique demands of the Indian market?
Every customer believes their demands are unique, and while the industry use cases may vary, the core objectives remain the same: reducing costs, increasing revenue, or improving efficiency.
In India, we work closely with our customers to understand their ultimate objectives. We then reverse-engineer the solution by aligning their business goals with a technical journey, leveraging Qlik’s technologies. This approach ensures that the solutions are not just technically robust but also strategically aligned with the customer’s business aspirations.
With AI and generative AI revolutionising industries, how is Qlik leveraging these technologies to enhance data analytics and decision-making capabilities for its global and Indian clients?
Qlik is heavily focused on AI innovation. One major area is democratising AI for non-technical users. While data scientists are essential, they are scarce resources in most organisations. Through our AutoML (automated machine learning) capabilities, we enable users without expertise in statistics, machine learning, or coding to access and utilise AI. AutoML analyses datasets, selects the most suitable model, and automates the process of delivering actionable insights.
Another area is the analysis of unstructured data. Historically, analytics has focused on structured datasets stored in warehouses. However, many businesses now want to analyse unstructured data—like product catalogues or service complaints stored in emails or PDFs. To address this, we’ve developed Qlik Answers, which allows users to interact with unstructured data using natural language queries, similar to how you’d interact with ChatGPT.
How is Qlik empowering enterprises in India and globally to bridge the gap between data availability and actionable insights, especially in sectors like BFSI, healthcare, and manufacturing?
In sectors like BFSI, healthcare, and manufacturing, data exists in various forms – whether from CRM or ERP systems, machines, or streaming platforms. The process starts with unlocking and integrating this data across systems. For instance, in manufacturing, this could involve analysing machine data or vehicle telemetry. In healthcare, it could mean processing inputs from CT scanners or other diagnostic devices. BFSI, on the other hand, deals heavily with customer data, spanning satisfaction metrics, complaints, and upselling opportunities.
Once data is integrated, the next steps include transforming it to align with the use case, building trust in the data, and applying analytics. These analytics can range from simple reports to complex AI models. The ultimate goal is to move beyond dashboards and automate actions. For example, if an insight identifies an issue, an automated alert can be sent via WhatsApp or MS Teams to the relevant person. This approach ensures timely action and maximises value across industries.
What role do partnerships and the broader ecosystem play in Qlik’s success? Can you share examples of impactful collaborations, particularly in India, that have driven innovative solutions?
Partnerships are critical to our success, especially in a country as vast as India. We categorise our partners into four groups:
-Solution providers: Smaller analytics firms focused on data as their core offering. We have around 40-50 such partners in India who help us reach across the country.
-System integrators: Large firms like TCS, Accenture, and Capgemini, who play a pivotal role in scaling and implementing solutions.
-Technology alliances: Collaborations with companies like Databricks and Snowflake enable us to co-innovate and expand the market.
-OEM partnerships: India’s thriving startup ecosystem is developing numerous SaaS products. We embed our analytics technology into these solutions, driving innovation and creating value.
Looking ahead, what are Qlik’s key priorities in terms of product innovation and market expansion? How do you both envision Qlik’s contribution to accelerating data-driven decision-making for enterprises worldwide and in emerging markets like India?
Our immediate focus is on cloud adoption. With over 800 customers in India, migrating them to the cloud will enhance their experience through reduced latency, advanced AI capabilities, and data residency compliance.
We are also investing heavily in generative AI and unstructured data analytics to stay ahead of market demands. Innovation will continue to drive our efforts in simplifying analytics for users and ensuring enterprises can make decisions faster, with greater accuracy. Finally, I believe data governance is an area where we will see significant innovation. Without a strong focus on data governance, everything else within an organization risks falling apart. It’s like trying to build a house without laying a solid foundation – it simply won’t work. That’s why I see data governance as a critical focus area where our company will continue to invest and drive meaningful progress. By empowering businesses globally and in emerging markets like India, we aim to bridge the gap between data and impactful actions.