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Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
How Blue Star's CIO is shaping an AI-ready data estate
In an industrial world driven by precision, performance, and unpredictability, data has emerged as the new compass. Yet, most enterprises are still wrestling with fragmented, siloed data that refuses to speak the same language. Udit Pahwa, the CIO of Blue Star, has been on a quiet mission to change his three-year journey, Udit has been building an 'intelligent data estate' not as a buzzword but as a practical, measurable foundation to deliver AI-led business outcomes. In an exclusive DeepTalks session, he took us behind the curtain, into the decisions, mistakes, frameworks, and breakthroughs that have shaped Blue Star's transformation. The data deluge that reaches the boardroom 'Traditionally, data was structured and lived comfortably within ERPs and CRMs,' Pahwa begins. 'But today, the universe of unstructured and real-time data, from social media, call centers, factory sensors, is exploding in volume and richness.' The challenge, Pahwa explains, is no longer about having data, but connecting it. Structured data is predictable. Unstructured data is ambiguous but full of context. Real-time data never waits. The power lies in unifying them, if only organizations can figure out how. 'This isn't just a CIO's headache anymore,' Pahwa adds. 'It's a boardroom discussion. Boards want agility, frugality, and data-driven decisions. They expect new revenue streams from data-as-a-service models. That's why this matters.' Building the intelligent data estate So, what makes a data estate 'intelligent'? Pahwa breaks it down into a triangle: Architecture, governance, and outcomes. Architecture is the plumbing, the cloud-native infrastructure, the streaming platforms, the integration logic, and the decisions around centralized or decentralized models. Governance is the invisible shield, defining data quality, security, privacy, and ownership. 'If you don't get governance right,' Pahwa says, 'you'll end up with garbage in, garbage out.' And then come the outcomes. 'Ultimately, why are we doing all this? We must tie every data initiative to a measurable business benefit, higher NPS, faster launches, more uptime, more revenue.' Blue star's journey Blue Star's journey didn't begin with flashy tools. It began with purpose. 'Three years ago, we started with structured data,' Pahwa shares. 'ERP and CRM were reliable sources. We focused on sales and service. Once that base was strong, we began ingesting unstructured data, social media, voice-to-text from our call centers, for sentiment analysis.' Today, they're working on real-time ingestion from the shop floor. It's an ongoing evolution, not a sprint. 'We're now capturing sensor data like temperature, vibration, and humidity. Combined with digital maintenance logs, this helps us predict failures before they happen. That's real ROI,' he says. Lakehouse or mesh? Centralized lakehouses are powerful, Udit says, they simplify storage, analytics, and governance. But they can also become bottlenecks. Decentralized data meshes allow domain-specific insights but require stronger cultural shifts and governance. 'So what's the answer? Hybrid,' Pahwa says. 'You take the best of both worlds. Maintain a centralized lakehouse where needed, but give autonomy to business domains with proper guardrails.' At Blue Star, they've chosen centralization, for now, but they're future-ready to adapt as needs evolve. The vector question Pahwa cautions against jumping on the vector database bandwagon just because it's hot. 'Ask: Do you need semantic search? Personalization? Anomaly detection? If yes, then run a pilot.' He explains vector databases in simple terms: 'It's like attaching numbers to your data and storing similar meanings together. You get faster, smarter searches. But only if your use case demands it.' One powerful example Pahwa cites is using GenAI for shop floor technicians. 'Imagine uploading all user manuals, and the technician just asks a chatbot: 'I'm stuck with this belt issue, what do I do?' That's AI with purpose.' Real-time or batch? Let business value decide 'Real-time data is expensive,' Pahwa admits. 'It demands more memory, network, compute, and monitoring.' So how does Blue Star decide? 'We go real-time only where it matters, machine safety, customer experience, dynamic pricing. For strategic planning and long-term insights, batch works just fine.' The hidden culture shift Perhaps the most underappreciated part of Blue Star's transformation is the cultural shift. 'Cloud-native architecture changed our operations,' Pahwa says. 'But fostering a data-driven mindset across the company? That's been our biggest pivot.' Democratizing data ownership and literacy, making sure the business, not just IT, owns data decisions, has created long-term change. Governance without bureaucracy Governance is often seen as a hurdle. Pahwa's fix? Governance-as-code. 'Treat policies like software. Automate schema enforcement and validation. Use data ops pipelines. It shouldn't feel like red tape, it should just work,' he says. DPDP and consent management With India's DPDP Act, privacy isn't optional anymore. Blue Star is preparing with a centralized consent management platform. 'You need revocable consent, transparency, and embedded privacy by design. This isn't just compliance, it's trust,' he says. Vendor selection Pahwa emphasizes long-term partnerships over transactional deals. His layered approach: Hyperscalers for infraData platform specialistsML and vector database vendors Evaluation goes beyond price: support models, IPRs, privacy, exit clauses, all count. 'The best vendor is one who aligns with our business outcome,' he says. FinOps and the cloud cost dilemma 'Cloud costs can spiral fast,' Pahwa warns. His three-pillar mantra: Visibility: FinOps tools to track every GB, every Right-size resources. Use serverless where Make cost consciousness a cultural trait. The future of data estates In the next 3 - 5 years, Pahwa sees: Self-optimizing pipelines: Data lakes that fix + GenAI: Real-time intelligence at the literacy everywhere: Prompt engineering will be as common as enablement: Domains will own pipelines, but guardrails will remain centralized. His message to fellow CIOs and CISOs? 'Start with enablement, not control. Build self-service platforms. Invest in automation. And above all, focus on business value,' he says. As the conversation ends, Pahwa reflects on how far organizations have come. 'Data is no longer a back-office topic,' he concludes. 'It influences everything, from strategy to execution. And it's not just a corporate issue anymore. In our personal lives too, we're learning to trust data for decisions.'
India.com
3 days ago
- Business
- India.com
After laying off 12000, Noel Tata's TCS gives good news to employees, to roll-out salary hikes for 80% of…, effective…
India's largest IT company, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has been in the news in recent days. The company recently announced the layoff of 12,000 employees, which made it part of discussions. However, a recent decision by the company can boost employee morale. TCS revealed that it will be increasing the salaries of 80% of its workforce. TCS Salary Hike India's largest IT services company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) informed employees that it will roll-out wage hikes for about 80 per cent of workforce, covering mid to junior levels. The wage hikes will be effective September 1, TCS CHRO Milind Lakkad and CHRO Designate K Sudeep said in an email to employees on Wednesday. 'We are pleased to announce a compensation revision for all eligible associates in grades upto C3A and equivalent, covering 80 per cent of our workforce. This will be effective 1st September 2025,' says the email seen by PTI. The email goes on to say: 'We would like to thank each one of you for your dedication and hard work, as we build the future of TCS together.' The extent of wage hikes could not be immediately ascertained. When reached for comment, the company in a statement said: 'We can confirm that we will be issuing wage hikes to around 80 per cent of our employees effective 1st September 2025.' TCS To Layoff 12000 Employees The move to reward and retain talent comes at a time when TCS has decided to lay off over 12,000 employees as part of what it describes as a broader strategy to become a 'future-ready organisation'. This entails focus on investments in technology, AI deployment, market expansion, and workforce realignment, according to the company. 'TCS is on a journey to become a future-ready organisation. This includes strategic initiatives on multiple fronts, including investing in new-tech areas, entering new markets, deploying AI at scale for our clients and ourselves, deepening our partnerships, creating next-gen infrastructure, and realigning our workforce model,' the company had said last month as the news of layoffs shook the IT industry. 'Towards this, a number of reskilling and redeployment initiatives have been underway. As part of this journey, we will also be releasing associates from the organisation whose deployment may not be feasible. This will impact about 2 per cent of our global workforce, primarily in the middle and the senior grades, over the course of the year,' TCS had then said. The layoffs at TCS have, in fact, ignited larger conversations on whether or not the IT industry itself may be headed for a major reset, amid turbulence from global macro uncertainties, impact of US' crushing tariffs on overall outsourcing sentiments, and the AI-led disruptions. As it is, India's top IT services companies have delivered single-digit revenue growth in Q1 FY26, capping off a somewhat-sobering June quarter as macroeconomic instability and geopolitical tensions have weighed on global tech demand and delayed client decision-making. (With Inputs From PTI)
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Tata stocks lose over Rs 8 lakh crore in 11 months. Is it time to revisit your portfolio allocations?
Tata Group's market capitalization plummeted by over Rs 8.25 lakh crore in 11 months due to global economic uncertainties and sector-specific challenges. Major stocks like TCS, Tata Motors, and Trent experienced significant declines, impacting overall group performance. While some stocks showed resilience, the substantial value erosion prompts investors to reassess their portfolio allocations. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads TCS: Sector storm, execution drag and delayed spends Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tata Motors: Once high-flying, now range-bound Trent: From retail rocket to growth shock Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Titan, Tata Power and Voltas among heavy drags Tata Communications, Tata Elxsi, Tejas see steep corrections Resilience in hotels, chemicals and investments The group-wide view The Tata Group has seen its market capitalization shrink by over Rs 8.25 lakh crore in the 11 months since September 27, 2024, with investor sentiment turning sharply amid global macroeconomic turbulence, faltering demand, and company-specific shocks across multiple verticals. From Rs 34.56 lakh crore at its peak, the group's listed market cap now stands at Rs 26.31 lakh crore as of August 5, 2025, a 23.87% comes despite a strong five-year performance. According to Tata Sons ' FY25 annual report, 'the group nearly doubled revenue and more than tripled net profit and market cap over the past five years, during which it spent Rs 5.5 lakh crore.' It added that revenue from all listed and unlisted entities in FY25 stood at Rs 15.34 lakh crore, with net profit at Rs 1.13 lakh crore and market cap at Rs 37.84 lakh over the past year, nearly every major Tata Group stock has seen a sharp drop. Tata Consultancy Services ( TCS ), Tata Motors , and Trent alone account for nearly two-thirds of the decline, driven by industry-wide pressures in tech, demand shocks in retail, and geopolitical drag in known as a buy-and-hold stock that could double money every five years, TCS shares are now enduring their worst phase since the 2008 financial crisis. The stock is down nearly 29% over the last 11 months, erasing over Rs 4.5 lakh crore in market value, the single largest contributor to the group's troubles are emblematic of broader industry issues, with the entire IT sector grappling with concerns over client spending in the USA, macroeconomic uncertainties, and AI-led transformation Q1 results underscored the slowdown. Revenue fell 3.3% quarter-on-quarter in constant currency. While deal wins were healthy at $9.4 billion, no mega deals were signed. Management said: 'Delays in decision-making and project starts with respect to discretionary investments continued from Q4FY25 and intensified further in Q1FY26.'The company also announced layoffs of 2% of its workforce, about 12,000 employees. Jefferies flagged the move, warning it 'may lead to execution slippages in the near-term and higher attrition in the longer-run.'Elara downgraded the stock, citing 'delays in discretionary spending' and 'impact of geopolitical tensions in Europe.' Nomura cut its EPS forecasts and target Motors saw its market cap fall 34% or over Rs 1.24 lakh crore. Its stock is down 43% from its record high, impacted by weakening demand and policy headwinds.U.S. President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on Indian auto exports to the U.S. weighed heavily on sentiment. Q4 FY25 earnings were weak: net profit fell 51% to Rs 8,470 crore, revenue remained flat, and margins analysts remain cautious. 'It would be premature to call a trend reversal in Tata Motors,' said Kunal Kamble. 'Until it closes above Rs 745, bearish pressure remains intact.' Others, like Anuj Gupta, note that monsoons and festival demand may offer some upside, especially in the EV the retail powerhouse behind Zudio and Westside, saw a sharp 32% drop in value since September, erasing Rs 89,078 crore in market cap. It has fallen 24% in 2025 indicated that the core fashion business would deliver around 20% growth in Q1FY26E, far below the 25%-plus growth aspiration for the coming years, triggering disappointment at its AGM.'The soft demand environment and sourcing issues might have impacted this below-consensus result,' HSBC analysts said, pointing to sourcing disruption from cut the stock to 'Hold' and slashed its target price to Rs 5,884 from Rs 6,627. HSBC trimmed its price target as well, while maintaining a 'Buy' and lifestyle major Titan lost over Rs 35,094 crore in market cap, a 10.36% Power erased Rs 31,889 crore, down 20.57% over the 11-months period, while Voltas fell 29.42%, wiping out over Rs 18,168 crore in value. The weakness in these consumer and utility plays reflects a broader slowdown in discretionary demand and sectoral rotation in domestic Communications lost over Rs 12,275 crore, down 20.25%, while Tata Elxsi, a key engineering services firm, fell 23.35%, shaving Rs 11,306 crore in value since September Networks was among the worst performers in terms of percentage decline. The stock plunged over 50.93%, dragging its market cap down by Rs 10,598 crore, amid concerns around telecom capex and weak near-term all Tata stocks India gained 14.28% in market cap, adding over Rs 911 crore, while Indian Hotels rose nearly 6%, increasing its value by Rs 5,943 crore between September 2024 and August Investment Corporation also moved higher by 4.25% during the period. Meanwhile, Benares Hotels, though small in size, posted a 16% rise. Tata Steel , despite global commodity volatility, lost just 4.14%, or Rs 8,614 crore, showing some relative short-term volatility, Tata Sons emphasised long-term value creation in its FY25 annual report, pointing to growth in fundamentals. 'The group nearly doubled revenue and more than tripled net profit and market cap over the past five years,' it markets, for now, are focused on current earnings risk and sectoral trends. With over Rs 8.25 lakh crore in value lost across 11 months, investors may indeed be asking: is it time to revisit your portfolio allocations?: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
After a global recovery, north Asian markets typically outperform with India catching up following year: Rahul Chadha
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads , Founder & CIO,, highlights investor concerns about India's economic slowdown. The expectation is for urban recovery by the third or fourth quarter. Rural recovery is underway, aided by earlier rate cuts. Unsecured lending's impact on household savings is a concern. Regional markets offer value due to corporate governance improvements and reforms. Market performance should improve with these says historically, it was seen in 2016 or 2019 that when a global recovery happens, the north Asian markets typically outperform India and India catches up in the subsequent have seen a sharp rally in the market in the last two months and some pullback was natural. August and September historically are not great months for markets and also now that the tariff negotiations are nearly done, the market is waiting for some clarity. What does it mean for the pressure on US consumers and the consumer earnings ? What does it mean for business investment?Obviously, the payroll number spooked markets, but when you sit back and reflect, the last three months were most uncertain and typically in uncertain times, people freeze hiring. Also the AI-led productivity gains are coming through. Both these are working on the minds of business owners, managers, etc and so it was natural that payroll would be a bit are also closely watching business investment. The new Trump bill, the infrastructure bill which the Trump administration has passed, reduces the tax outgo by close to 8% by front ending a lot of these exemptions. That should be positive for rekindling investment back in the US.A couple of things are weighing on the minds of investors. First and foremost, the domestic slowdown. Does this slowdown get over by Diwali third quarter or fourth quarter? Our hope is we should see signs of urban recovery coming through. Rural recovery is coming. This is where some of the rate cuts which happened in the first half of the year would be a play through the economy. There is also a question on household balance sheets. There has been unsecured lending over the last two-and-a-half, three years. How much hole would that cause in savings and the household balance sheets has to be our base case still is a third or a fourth quarter urban recovery. Rural recovery is slowly happening and once that comes in the numbers, we should see the market perform. At the same time, the regional markets were a lot cheaper and there was a lot happening in those markets from value up corporate governance improvement, etc, have seen historically whether it was 2016, or 2019 when a global recovery happens, the north Asian markets typically outperform India and India catches up in the subsequent year.A couple of things impacted the earnings. One was the India-Pakistan skirmish. Second is the consumer is still in the process of rebuilding his balance sheet, repairing his house balance sheets, etc. So, we continue to like largecap banks. The pressure on NIMs was expected. It is there in the price and now as the economy recovers, these banks should benefit from recovering credit growth and recovering NII growth. So, that is one space one has one may evaluate some capital market plays but that would be for financials. Outside that, if we look at infrastructure, in cement we have had a good set of numbers that should build up as housing demand picks up. We have continued to like real estate from a three-five years perspective. The sector is a buy on decline. Outside that, discretionary consumption is something one would look to add exposure to, the quick commerce stocks as well as the travel and tourism companies would be interesting here.
Time of India
01-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Layoff jitters in Bengaluru: As techies flock to office, traffic spirals on Outer Ring Road
Bengaluru: The tech capital's infamous traffic has found a new villain: fear of layoffs. As job insecurity grips the tech sector, especially in the wake of AI-led downsizing, a curious trend has emerged: travel time on all working days of the week has increased on the Outer Ring Road (ORR), with Wednesday turning out to be the worst day to be on the road! Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP), who analyse the vehicle-parking data from 26 tech parks on ORR, said there was a 20-45% rise in vehicular flow at tech parks in June 2024 compared to June 2024. The surge in traffic on ORR (from Silk Board Junction to KR Pura), Sarjapur Road, and the roads leading to Electronics City has been more glaring in the past three weeks as layoffs have become near-daily headlines. The talk in HR circles is that more employees are choosing to be seen in office rather than risk being labelled dispensable while working remotely. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru "I can't afford to be invisible," said Rahul Shetty (name changed), a senior developer who now makes it a point to show up at his office in a tech park near Doddanekundi, on ORR, at least four times a week. "These days, optics matter. Being seen at your desk might ensure job security," he added. This line of thinking, despite lacking definitive data to substantiate it, is resulting in a bumper-to-bumper nightmare on ORR. So much so that the new traffic police chief, joint commissioner (traffic) Karthik Reddy, proposed a work-from-home arrangement for tech employees every Wednesday, during a recent high-level coordination meeting involving officials from BBMP, BMTC, and representatives of the Greater Bengaluru IT and Companies Association. "Peak traffic is observed between 9am and 10am on all weekdays, but Wednesday stands out because of an increase in office attendance by IT employees. We've recommended that tech firms either allow work-from-home every Wednesday or shift office timings to start by 7.30am and end earlier in the day," Reddy told TOI. The vehicle-parking data collected by BTP paints a stark picture. In June 2024, an average of 82,168 vehicles were recorded on Wednesdays. This June, the number jumped to a staggering 1.2 lakh — a 45% increase. The spike, officials believe, isn't just about the corporate mandate to return to office but also speaks to employee anxiety. Motorists seek better infra, not just WFH Traffic police's suggestion to corporate head honchos to put in place a work-from-home arrangement for tech employees every Wednesday has turned the spotlight on Bengaluru's broken civic infrastructure, which techies and other commuters insist must be fixed on priority. Suma Santosh, a data analyst working with a multinational company in Bellandur, said: "Work-from-home for a single day is only a temporary band-aid. The deeper problem lies in poor pedestrian infrastructure. I live barely 2.5km from my office, but I'm forced to take my two-wheeler because walking is unsafe and inconvenient. If proper footpaths and crossings existed, at least 25% of two-wheeler traffic could be cut down. " Others pointed to the uncoordinated construction activities choking the tech corridor. "From Metro construction to BWSSB's pipeline works to road widening, everything is happening at the same time," said Vikram Naik, project lead in a company located in Marathahalli. "There's no synchronisation between agencies. This chaos is what's fuelling peak-hour gridlocks." A BBMP official, who attended the recent coordination meeting, admitted that simultaneous infrastructure works have exacerbated congestion. "We're working with BMRCL and BWSSB to ensure better coordination in project planning. We're also exploring the feasibility of creating parallel service roads or alternative routes to divert traffic." While tech firms have shown preliminary support for staggered timings and hybrid policies, sources say the implementation needs logistical planning. Sridhar M, an HR executive with a tech major, said: "Work-from-home arrangement on Wednesdays is doable but optional. Some roles demand physical presence. We're open to encouraging early shift starts, and promoting carpooling and BMTC usage among our employees. " With tech zones such as Bellandur, Marathahalli, Kadubeesanahalli, and Devarabisanahalli continuing to bear the brunt of urban congestion, the coming weeks will test how well coordination, policy tweaks, and corporate cooperation can collectively decongest the city's IT backbone.
