Building flexibility: Why future-ready transformation starts with open choices

As transformation strategies mature, enterprises are realising that agility depends as much on architecture as on ambition. In this conversation with Dataquest, Bhanu Jamwal, Head of India Business at TiDB, shares how organisations are moving from “big bang” digital initiatives to continuous evolution—anchored in open systems, measurable outcomes, and business-led technology choices.

How have enterprise transformation strategies evolved in today’s rapidly changing environment?

Digital transformation has fundamentally shifted from “big bang” initiatives to an agile approach focused on continuous, adaptive evolution. We’re seeing enterprises move beyond digitising existing processes to completely rethinking how data flows through their organisations. The focus has evolved from technology adoption to building adaptive systems that can pivot quickly.

This has made data infrastructure decisions particularly critical. The ability to scale elastically, support both transactional and analytical workloads, and maintain consistency without operational overhead has become table stakes. CIOs can’t afford transformation initiatives that create new silos—they need architectures that are inherently adaptive.

What remains the hardest challenge for CIOs—aligning budgets, managing talent, or proving ROI?

While all three are interconnected, proving ROI remains the most persistent challenge. The difficulty isn’t just measuring returns, but defining what “value” means in a transformation context. The question is whether it’s cost reduction, revenue growth, or organisational agility.

The most successful CIOs I work with have shifted from pure financial ROI metrics to measuring “optionality”—how much flexibility and speed their technology investments create for the future. Budget and talent challenges often stem from this core ROI question. It’s easier to secure resources and attract talent when you can articulate transformation value beyond traditional IT metrics.

The focus now is on choosing technologies that reduce operational toil and provide better developer experiences. The key KPI is demonstrating tangible business outcomes—faster time-to-market, improved customer experience, and reduced risks.

The best CIOs I’ve seen treat their tech stack like a portfolio—constantly evaluating what’s delivering value, what’s become a liability, and what new capabilities can be introduced

What’s one principle every CIO should follow to stay adaptive and value-focused?

Every technology decision should preserve future choices rather than lock you in. This means:

•            Avoiding vendor lock-in through open standards and architectures.

•            Choosing solutions that can start small and scale elastically.

•            Investing in platforms that reduce coupling between systems.

•            Prioritising operational simplicity over feature checklists.

The best CIOs I’ve seen treat their tech stack like a portfolio—constantly evaluating what’s delivering value, what’s become a liability, and what new capabilities can be introduced. This requires infrastructure that’s genuinely flexible, not just marketed as “flexible.”

How can technology partners better support CIOs in achieving tangible, outcome-driven transformation?

The partner relationship must evolve from vendor to trusted advisor. Technology partners can help most by:

Starting with the business problem, not the product. For data infrastructure, this means understanding whether the challenge is scaling, operational complexity, multi-region requirements, or real-time analytics—and tailoring solutions accordingly.

Helping CIOs model total cost of ownership realistically, quantifying not just licensing but operational overhead, talent requirements, and hidden complexity costs.

Investing in customer self-sufficiency by sharing best practices, providing robust documentation, and designing for simplicity.

We encourage CIOs to start with a specific use case—modernising a transactional system, enabling real-time analytics, or solving a scaling challenge. We measure success by faster delivery, reduced incidents, improved customer experience, and tangible business metrics.

The conversation has shifted from “buy our technology” to “let’s solve this business problem together”—anchored in transparency, shared success, and long-term trust.

shrikanthg@cybermedia.co.in