“Businesses have spent years treating data like treasure that should be locked away in a vault. But the real value of data emerges when we treat it as a shared resource – one that connects, empowers, and transforms. Collaborative data ecosystems are more than a trend; they’re the building block of a smarter, more connected future.”

– Rajashree Das 

 For decades, businesses have been told that their data is their most valuable asset – one that must be protected from everyone at all costs. Data has always been thought of as something to collect, guard, and keep proprietary. The thought process here is simple; own the data, own the competitive advantage. But could this mindset be preventing organizations from growth? 

Today, forward-thinking businesses are beginning to recognize that the real power of data doesn’t lie in isolation, but in collaboration. When organizations share data responsibly and ensure the right controls, agreements, and technologies are in place, they open the door to transformative value creation.  

This growing shift towards collaborative data ecosystems is something we refer to as “Data Sharing is Caring,” and it’s one of the most critical trends from our TechnoVision 2025 playbook.  

Inside collaborative data ecosystems 

Collaborative data ecosystems are environments where multiple organizations, sometimes even competitors, share data responsibly and securely under applicable regulations. The goal of these ecosystems is to co-create new services and generate mutual benefit. Depending on the industry and use case, collaborative ecosystems may be built differently, however all rely on a common foundation of trust, transparency, and shared purpose. 

Privacy, ethics, and compliance are non-negotiable elements of every collaborative data ecosystem. Data must be handled with care and governed by clear agreements and certified technologies that protect organizations from data misuse. Ownership and governance are equally important, especially as businesses increasingly adopt federative – or data mesh – approaches to data management where data is treated as a first-class product that’s ready for consumption. This shift enables both internal and external partners to collaborate and access data more effectively.  

Interoperability and accessibility are equally as critical to collaborative data ecosystems. Open data protocols and interoperable systems ensure that data can flow securely and efficiently across organizational boundaries. The rise of data marketplaces and self-service platforms are also making it easier than ever to discover, exchange, and monetize data products. 

How data sharing is powering innovation across industries  

From medical research to media and advertising, new models of responsible data sharing are proving that secure access to shared data across institutional and geographic boundaries can unlock previously out of reach insights. 

In Europe, a collaborative research initiative across multiple European institutions is using AI to better understand chronic immune-mediated diseases. The project securely combines sensitive health data from multiple diverse sources to train predictive models with improved accuracy – underscoring how responsible data sharing can accelerate medical research while maintaining individual privacy.  

Additionally, a North American media organization recently collaborated with multiple data partners to create data clean rooms that enable advertisers to share data and build audiences in a secure and privacy-compliant way. This initiative exemplifies how organizations are advancing responsible data sharing to support privacy while enhancing advertising capabilities. 

From data to impact: What the future holds 

As is evident in our real-world examples, the impact of collaborative data ecosystems is already being felt. Our past research has indicated the benefits of data ecosystems for the private sector, with organizations participating in collaborative data ecosystems experiencing up to a 15% improvement in customer satisfaction, 14% gains in productivity, and 11% cost reductions over the course of a two-to-three-year period. But the benefits go far beyond these metrics. Collaborative data sharing is helping to address some of society’s most pressing challenges. It’s also permitting the formation of unexpected partnerships, unlocking new revenue streams, and pioneering breakthrough business models. 

Collaborative data ecosystems are reshaping what’s possible. By moving beyond the mindset of data as a guarded asset and embracing it as a shared resource, businesses are positioning themselves to lead in the years to come. Data sharing isn’t just a trend. For organizations that are ready to embrace it, it’s a differentiator capable of enabling a more intelligent, connected, and impactful future. 

Learn more 

• TechnoVision 2025 – your guide to emerging technology trends 
• Data Sharing is Caring (But Take Care!) – a new trend in Thriving on Data 
• Voices of TechnoVision – a blog series inspired by Capgemini’s TechnoVision 2025 that highlights the latest technology trends, industry use cases, and their business impact. This series further guides today’s decision makers on their journey to access the potential of technology. 

From cracking codes to crafting strategy, cybersecurity is a field where curiosity meets critical thinking. We caught up with Priya Kanduri, Head of Cybersecurity at CIS India, to hear about her journey into this dynamic space. With over two decades of experience, Priya shares how her passion for problem-solving led her to cybersecurity, the opportunities that have shaped her career at Capgemini, and her perspective on inclusive leadership, resilience, and what it takes to thrive in a constantly evolving threat landscape.

Q: What first sparked your interest in cybersecurity, and how did you find your way into the field?

It all started with my passion for mathematics. During my computer science engineering studies, I was introduced to cryptography, and it instantly fascinated me.  The idea that you could use logic and numbers to secure information was powerful. That’s what drew me into cybersecurity.

From there, every step—whether solving technical challenges, addressing complex business problems, or working with clients—reinforced that this was where I was meant to be. In over 20 years, I’ve never once felt the urge to switch fields. Cybersecurity keeps me motivated because it’s a place where curiosity meets purpose, every single day.

Q: What opportunities for learning, leadership, or career advancement have you found at Capgemini that helped you thrive in cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity is a well-defined and deeply- valued profession at Capgemini, and that makes all the difference. Capgemini offers learning opportunities, leadership development programs, and clear career advancement paths. Through Capgemini University and KnowledgeHub our teams can access thousands of on-demand courses, covering everything from technical certifications to leadership skills.  Whether you’re an analyst or principle or on the path to becoming a CISO, there’s guidance, mentorship, and opportunity here. Cybersecurity is a strategic focus for Capgemini, and that creates an incredibly exciting environment to grow in.

Inclusion equips cyber leaders with a broader spectrum of insights, driving stronger security strategies, more creative problem-solving, and higher team engagement. Diverse talent amplifies threat visibility, fuels innovation, elevates decision quality, and enhances stakeholder trust. Diversity in cyber leadership teams signals a commitment to ethical, comprehensive risk management.

Cybersecurity is a high-stakes, high-speed domain where the only constant is change. I believe in continuous learning to stay resilient in this ever-changing world. Personal growth is also a lifelong journey. Cybersecurity is a team sport, and having strong networks to share knowledge is invaluable. Finally, having a purpose-driven mindset and remembering that cybersecurity isn’t just about firewalls and patches – it’s about protecting people, businesses, and even national security – is a powerful motivator.

Q: What advice would you give to someone joining Capgemini Cybersecurity?

My key message to someone joining Capgemini Cybersecurity is, “If you are passionate about cybersecurity and looking for a place to grow and develop your skills, Capgemini is the perfect place for you.” Capgemini offers exciting opportunities in a very demanding cybersecurity field. There is a lot of cutting-edge work happening. Those joining the cyber field can explore a variety of cyber domains and collaborate with organizations worldwide.

We provided a well-defined career paths, supported by our Cybersecurity Campus and Capgemini University, which offer training, certifications, and cross-skilling opportunities. Add to that our global network of experts, cutting-edge projects, and a strong culture of collaboration, and you’ll have everything you need to thrive in one of the world’s most demanding, rewarding fields.

Q: When you’re not thinking about cyber threats, what’s your favorite way to unwind or spark creativity?

My perfect unwinding therapy is hanging out with my plants – they always look green and happy, and moreover they don’t send meeting invites 😊. What started as a small lockdown hobby a couple of years ago has now blossomed into a thriving  indoor-and-outdoor garden that keeps me busy. I’ve also been a yoga and fitness enthusiast for more than two decades, and I try to catch-up my asanas whenever possible. And after all this, if I am left with any time, you’ll find me reading – especially world history. Outside of work, I find inspiration in the pursuit of inner peace and mindfulness, which helps me stay grounded and balanced. I love exploring new places and cultures, as every new experience broadens my perspective. Being there for my family and loved ones is deeply important to me, and I make it a priority to create meaningful memories with them.

As sustainability continues to evolve from a strategic ambition to a business imperative, the 2025 edition of A world in balance offers a profound reflection on where organizations stand today. It’s a moment of reckoning, where bold commitments must now be backed by credible and measurable action.

What stands out most in this year’s report is that the organizations see it as a driver of business value and a core future proofing strategy. The commitment remains strong,  but the pressure to demonstrate real progress is intensifying. Stakeholders, whether regulators, investors, or consumers, are no longer satisfied with distant net zero goals or glossy ESG reports. They want to see tangible steps, clear roadmaps, and evidence that sustainability is embedded in everyday operations.

This shift from ambition to accountability is reshaping how sustainability is perceived. It’s no longer just about compliance or corporate responsibility; it’s about resilience, innovation, and competitive advantage. What’s driving this transformation is not only the recognition sustainability’s business value, but also the growing urgency of climate impacts and the need to future-proof enterprises.

Organizations that treat sustainability as a business value driver  are already seeing returns, not just in cost savings or operational efficiency, but in brand loyalty, market differentiation, and long-term viability.

Yet, the report also reveals a troubling disconnect. Many organizations believe they are well prepared for climate risks, but their actions suggest otherwise. Planning is abundant; execution is scarce. Infrastructure upgrades, supply chain shifts, and product redesigns remain limited. This gap between perceived readiness and actual resilience is dangerous, especially as climate impacts become more frequent and severe.

Technology, particularly AI, is playing a growing role in enabling progress.  AI supports faster ESG reporting, smarter resource management, and predictive modeling for climate scenarios. Yet, its environmental footprint demands greater awareness. The enthusiasm for generative AI is tempered by concerns about energy consumption, water use, and e-waste. Responsible deployment of AI, balancing innovation with environmental stewardship, is now a critical part of the sustainability conversation and shouldn’t come at the planet’s expense.

Internal barriers also persist. Budget constraints, siloed operations, and fragmented data systems continue to slow progress. Externally, geopolitical tensions and economic volatility are diverting attention from long-term sustainability goals. These pressures are real, but they must not become excuses. The stakes are too high.

Perhaps most concerning is the decline in sustainability maturity. Fewer organizations are leading the charge, and progress on key areas like biodiversity and water stewardship is slipping. This regression is concerning. Sustainability is not a trend, it’s a transformation. It requires consistent effort, cross-functional collaboration, and a willingness to rethink business models from the ground up.

The report outlines clear business value drivers and actionable recommendations: focus on near-term deliverables, build consumer trust through transparent messaging, strengthen data infrastructure, and deploy AI responsibly. These are not just best practices, they are survival strategies in a world where environmental, social, and economic systems are increasingly intertwined.

As a sustainability leader, I believe we are at a pivotal moment. The path forward is not easy, but the direction is clear. We must move beyond promises and start proving our progress. We must embed sustainability into every decision, every process, and every product. And we must do so with urgency, integrity, and courage.

Let’s stop treating sustainability as a future goal and start treating it as today’s priority. Whether you’re a business leader, a policymaker, or a consumer – ask the responsible questions, demand transparency, and push for action.

The time to act is now. Let’s build a world in balance, not just in vision, but in reality.

Artificial intelligence is transforming industries, but it’s also reshaping the cyber battlefield. While adversaries are experimenting with AI to accelerate attacks, forward-looking enterprises are turning AI into their most powerful defense.

This is the essence of continuous protection – layered defenses across IT, OT, and cloud that are always adaptive, always learning, and always on.

The challenge: Faster, smarter threats

Traditional defenses struggle to keep pace with:

• AI-enabled phishing campaigns that mimic trusted voices
• Automated vulnerability scanning that identifies weaknesses at scale
• Adaptive malware that changes behavior to evade detection.

These attacks move at machine speed, leaving manual defenses outpaced.

The opportunity: AI-enabled protection

AI doesn’t just keep up – it helps organizations stay ahead. Benefits include:

• Real-time anomaly detection across vast telemetry
• Automated incident response to neutralize threats faster
• Augmented SOC teams, freeing human talent for higher-value analysis.

Combined with layered defenses, AI enables enterprises to turn protection into a proactive capability.

Capgemini’s role

We help clients strengthen protection by:

• Deploying AI-driven defenses across IT, OT, and supply chains
• Designing architectures that combine automation and human expertise
• Accelerating detection and response through global Cyber Defense Centers.

Bottom line: Protection is no longer static – it must be continuous, adaptive, and intelligent. With AI as a force multiplier, organizations can defend smarter, not just harder.

Learn how Capgemini helps enterprises build AI-powered protection across IT, OT, and cloud: https://www.capgemini.com/services/cybersecurity/continuous-protection/

There’s no question that generative AI and AI agents have already changed the world significantly in the last six months, captivating our attention with images of futuristic skyscrapers swathed in plants and footage of humanoid robots competing in sporting events and scientific environments.

Innovations in Gen AI tools are also quietly but rapidly revolutionizing how businesses operate, anticipate disruptions, and adhere to security and regulatory requirements.

For the majority of organizations, one of the most powerful and practical benefits of using Gen AI seems mundane at first glance: its ability to dramatically reduce the time people spend on critical – but boring – tasks. Capgemini in partnership with ServiceNow make gaining the benefit easy to accomplish, with an integration platform that unleashes the advantages of Gen AI, while creating time for other value-added activities.

Automate processes, eliminate errors, and strengthen compliance

Gen AI tools and AI agents can dispatch tedious and costly routines in a fraction of time it would take a massive team, effectively eliminating backlogs in the process. They can also eliminate the user and quality errors that often come from performing rote work. AI Agents can also proactively monitor changes in regulations, assess their impact, and recommend updates – ensuring continuous alignment with evolving standards. And there are more meta and detail use cases for improving security and compliance underway.

Imagine the time and labor savings of making analysis spreadsheets redundant, instead integrating datasets in ServiceNow modules, making them accessible to everyone in an organization. Or swiftly summarizing lengthy security and compliance documents and highlighting key points to make it easier to understand regulatory requirements. For example, analyzing the requirements of the EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) which came into force in January 2025, and using AI to get suggestions on how to update your policies and procedures. Getting more granular on this front, Gen AI tools can detect outdated security and compliance documentation globally, and also automate the process of ensuring consistency in compliance-related documentation like terminology, style, formatting, and language. This helps organizations stay ahead of security and compliance requirements and avoid penalties in the design phase.

These are just a few examples of how organizations can create a better lens on enterprise resilience and regulatory compliance through technology. The smart approach to widespread adoption of Gen AI is to take a rational, step-by-step approach, selecting a particular process for security and compliance , mapping out the essential high-level activities, and identifying more specific use cases to test scenarios for Gen AI, AI agents, RPA and, of course, the remaining human factor. Then after the design and build, organizations can continue to iterate and improve.

Leverage large-scale data analysis

But where to start? Ensuring data quality and consistency is a game changer that can create a competitive advantage for companies. And Gen AI’s ability for large-scale data analysis makes it easy to tackle data cleaning and improvement, which used to be an expensive and time-consuming task. This opens up exploration of how companies can embed data-driven intelligence into their end-to-end operations.

That could include crucial compliance tasks such as comparing existing policies and procedures against requirements to identify gaps and areas for improvement. Or analyzing feedback from stakeholders (e.g., legal, auditors) about the interpretation of a new regulation and incorporating relevant changes into compliance documentation, which in turn can be used to create an audit trail of scenarios and detail the choices.

Monitor operations in real-time and predict patterns

When Gen AI tools analyze vast volumes of business data, they can recognize patterns, detect deviations from the norm, and provide actionable insights to improve decision-making processes. This enables organizations to continuously monitor aspects of their operations in real-time while also using machine-learning algorithms to enhance problem-solving.

Look no further than the recent shifts in global tariffs that have disrupted supply chains, requiring companies to pivot quickly. AI agents can analyze historical data and identify trends that may indicate potential disruptions, to predict delays or shortages and suggest alternative suppliers or routes, mitigating risks before they escalate. Using that same type of historical data, retailers can predict changes in customer demand based on historical sales data, seasonal trends, and market conditions. This helps with optimizing inventory levels, reducing overstock and stockouts, and improving customer satisfaction. The same applies for the meta use cases for security and compliance, as companies can prevent resilience issues rather than fixing them later.

Maintain human-led expertise and oversight

Generative AI tools leverage machine learning algorithms to create outputs that mimic human creativity and problem-solving abilities. But unleashing Gen AI doesn’t mean there aren’t any guardrails. Human collaboration between AI experts and domain specialists is crucial for expertise, oversight such as regular auditing and monitoring of AI output, and to maximize the benefits of these tools. Organizations should also invest in training programs to upskill employees and foster a culture of continuous learning.

While technological advancements in Gen AI initially leapt ahead of regulations, ethical considerations such as data privacy, bias, and transparency have caught up. Although the US loosened regulatory barriers to AI innovation in January, new measures promoting the responsible design, development, and deployment of AI have been introduced by the EU, as well as Canada and China. Individual organizations are also increasingly following a framework of measures referred to as TRiSM – trust, risk, and security management – baked into AI platforms.

Improving operational resilience and regulatory compliance might not be headline-grabbing news, but it’s often these seemingly small shifts that can make the biggest collective impact. Even the most eye-catching skyscraper would topple without its underpinning of concrete and steel. In the same way, Gen AI tools and AI agents can help organizations shore up their foundations, build strength in a holistic approach to maintain business continuity, and minimize the impact of unexpected events.

Salesforce’s plan to acquire Informatica will unleash a powerful trifecta of technologies, making it easier for organizations to benefit from a new, human/digital hybrid workforce

Deploying autonomous AI agents at scale is poised to transform business operations. Enterprises across all industrial sectors are eager to leverage these agents – working alongside humans – to boost productivity, efficiency, and customer experience. However, to unlock the full value of the digital labor opportunity, it’s imperative that companies empower AI agents with broad access to organizational tools and data – and do so without sacrificing security or incurring massive integration costs. The recently announced plan by Salesforce to acquire Informatica is good news for enterprises as they address this significant challenge.

Overcoming deployment barriers

In Rise of agentic AI: How trust is the key to human-AI collaboration, the Capgemini Research Institute projects AI agents could generate up to $450 billion in economic value by 2028, through revenue uplift and cost savings across the surveyed countries.

But from their interviews with 1,500 executives, Capgemini researchers discovered only 14 percent of organizations have moved beyond pilot projects to partial or full-scale deployment of these agents. Trust is a key barrier, as those surveyed cited ethical concerns, lack of transparency, and a limited understanding of agentic AI capabilities. But organizational readiness – including the creation of an effective governance system – is also hampering secure, scalable deployments.

Salesforce is one of the leading technology companies helping enterprises to deploy autonomous agents, and it is taking steps to help organizations overcome these barriers. In the spring of 2025, Salesforce announced a major play to strengthen its capabilities in the form of an $8 billion deal to acquire Informatica. As a longtime Salesforce partner, Capgemini believes this is an important development that will enable Salesforce to deliver AI agents that can operate with intelligence, context, and confidence across the modern enterprise.

Key assets, working together, will enable this.

Agentforce. The Salesforce approach starts with Agentforce – the company’s flagship AI agent platform. Agentforce integrates natively with an organization’s existing applications, data, and business logic so agents can securely take action across the enterprise – handling complex tasks automatically while working in tandem with human teams.

Early deployments of Agentforce have already demonstrated substantial gains. For example, companies using Agentforce have cut customer service case handling time by double-digit percentages and allowed AI agents to autonomously resolve the majority of simple support requests. At scale, these AI agents handle high-volume, repetitive tasks such as answering FAQs, processing form submissions, or triaging support tickets. This frees up human agents to focus on higher-value work.

Salesforce recently enhanced this solution with the Agentforce Command Center, which enables business leaders to monitor and control their AI agents’ activities in real time. This level of visibility and governance addresses critical hurdles to scaling AI agents across the enterprise.

Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol. To enable its AI agents to access diverse systems, tools, and data across the client’s organization, Salesforce has embraced Model Context Protocol (MCP) – an open integration standard from Anthropic. This addresses a major pain point in the AI deployment process – namely, that custom integrations, each using custom code and requiring unique maintenance processes, do not scale.

MCP eliminates the need for developers to build a custom integration every time agents need to connect to external systems, APIs, databases, and services. The result is faster development, lower integration costs, and the freedom to mix-and-match AI models with a wide variety of tools and data sources. MCP’s model-agnostic open standard – often referred to as “the USB-C of AI” – means businesses avoid vendor lock-in and encourages a broad ecosystem of integration. Salesforce’s decision to adopt MCP enables Agentforce agents to seamlessly interface with a vast and growing universe of enterprise systems and cloud services – without requiring custom code, and without compromising on security.

MCP-native agents. When Salesforce released Agentforce version 3 in mid-2025, it introduced built-in MCP interoperability. What’s more, more than 30 launch partners provide MCP integrations – spanning cloud platforms (AWS, Google Cloud), content and collaboration tools (Box, Notion), payments (PayPal, Stripe), data and AI services (IBM, Writer), and more. This means Agentforce can accomplish a vast variety of tasks.

The Salesforce vision is clear: to enable an open ecosystem in which Agentforce-powered AI agents can plug-and-play into business applications and services, regardless of source and with minimal setup. This represents a major leap forward in what these agents can do autonomously.

The Informatica toolset. The effectiveness of AI agents – no matter how intelligent or well integrated – is only as good as the data on which they operate. With its plan to purchase Informatica, Salesforce will acquire important enterprise-grade tools for data integration, data quality and cleansing, master data management, granular data governance and privacy controls, and real-time data observability across complex hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

From a business perspective, this acquisition will inject a powerful dose of data integrity, context, and governance into Salesforce’s AI ecosystem, ensuring Agentforce agents have access to clear, trusted, and actionable data. Enterprises will be able to track where data comes from, how it’s transformed, and how it’s used. Organizations will avoid mistakes due to using outdated or inconsistent data. And companies will deploy AI agents, confident that they will not run afoul of regulatory requirements or privacy laws.

A powerful trifecta

Agentforce, MCP, and Informatica form the three pillars of an AI-driven enterprise: an agent platform to act, a protocol to connect, and a data ecosystem that informs. Organizations that leverage all three will be well positioned to achieve unprecedented levels of automation and insight – transforming their enterprise into a smarter, more agile business in which humans and agents can collaborate seamlessly to enrich customer experiences and drive growth.

For many enterprises, this will make the vision of autonomous agents a practical reality. AI agents, working fluidly across systems, will handle routine processes in customer service, sales, marketing, IT, and finance. This digital workforce will answer questions, generate reports, update records, and flag issues – autonomously, and in real time. This will free up humans to focus on strategic, creative, and relationship-oriented work – activities at which humans excel – while supervising AI as needed.

Capgemini is excited by this trifecta and looks forward to working with its Salesforce clients to enable the ongoing value opportunity agentic AI represents. As a Salesforce partner for 17 years and one of the company’s global top five strategic partners, Capgemini offers its clients expert knowledge of the Salesforce platform, the experience of more than 3,000 AI specialists and 50,000 AI-enabled engineers, strong integration capabilities, and sector-specific expertise in multiple industries. Assets include the Capgemini Agentforce Factory – a hub for clients to explore real-world applications through interactive demos, hands-on training, and expertise guidance.

For more information, please contact: andy.forbes@capgemini.com