AI and the human edge: Day 2 at ASIRT Synergy 2025 deepens the partner playbook

AI isn’t just a buzzword anymore. That line, firm, clear and timely, echoed through Day 2 of the ASIRT Synergy Biz Conclave 2025, as speakers, partners and technology leaders took centre stage in Nasik. The focus shifted sharply from theory to actionable insight. If Day 1 lit the spark around AI-led business transformation, Day 2 fanned it with tangible examples, strong partner voices and a clear call to act.

Let’s unpack what really happened.

Beyond hype: What AI actually means for India’s IT partners

The morning keynote set the tone. Leaders talked less about futuristic ideas and more about execution. AI, they said, is already deeply embedded in how businesses are automating tasks, extracting customer insights, and securing digital environments. No jargon. No fluff.

What stood out?

• Speed, precision and scale were the keywords, how AI can help partners deliver these to clients across verticals.
• A strong call for agility and fearlessness, words meant not for the crowd, but for each individual sitting in the room.
• The emphasis was on leading from the front not waiting for market shifts but driving them through intelligent integrations.

Kaustubh Kulkarni, Chairman, ASIRT, captured it best:
"This is no longer about survival. It’s about shaping the future before someone else shapes it for you."

CRM and the magic of referrals: Making revenue personal

Then came the partner-led breakouts. And this is where things got real.

Limesh Parekh, MD & CEO, Enjay IT Solutions Ltd., laid out a deceptively simple but powerful revenue model, one that relies on understanding customer concerns, offering solutions as an authorised partner, and letting the backend take care of itself.

Here’s what he proposed:

• Listen more, sell less. Understand the customer's concern before you pitch.
• Offer referral-based partnerships. Don't chase every deal, channel it, close it, and earn from it.
• Keep CRM simple. It’s not about tech training, it’s about discipline and routine follow-ups.

The core message: There's gold in old leads. But only if partners stop thinking like salespeople and start behaving like trusted advisors.

The spotlight then shifted to Sophos, which used its stage time smartly.

Rather than flogging product slides, they told a story, one many in the room related to. Buying a smartphone worth over Rs 1 lakh? Add a screen guard, case and insurance, and that price goes up by 20%. You still do it, because the risk of not doing it is too high.

Same logic applies to cybersecurity.

• Selling just a firewall isn’t enough anymore.
• Partners are leaving money on the table by ignoring email security, endpoint detection, ZTNA and MDR.
• It’s cheaper and faster to cross-sell within existing customers than chase new ones.

Sophos also introduced Active Threat Protection, an automated system that acts without human intervention during a cyber breach, isolating infected machines instantly. Their “firewall beyond the box” philosophy makes a clear pitch: partners can manage everything from one dashboard, firewalls, endpoints, Wi-Fi, switches, and even cloud integrations.

Final notes from the closing bell

As the event wrapped up, the ASIRT board struck a reflective note. With a touch of poetry and pride, they celebrated the energy of the two-day event:

“The future calls with code and grace. AI is potential, time and space.”

It wasn’t just about thanking the sponsors and media (though they did). The closing remarks acknowledged that ASIRT has become more than an association—it’s a trusted ecosystem. Where partners build each other up. Where knowledge circulates as freely as business cards.

The session also honoured members for their contributions. Member-sponsors were applauded for stepping up, presenting real-world solutions, not just logos.

The winning combination.

If Day 1 was about why, Day 2 answered the how. For ASIRT members, this wasn’t just another conclave. It was a recalibration. A chance to look inwards, shake up assumptions, and walk out with fresh strategies - armed with AI, empathy, and community.