MongoDB’s partner-first approach in India is heavily focused towards enabling the ecosystem to lead with application data platforms for AI-driven enterprise transformation. Recognizing that partners are critical to delivering AI success—from model context to real-time inference—MongoDB is empowering system integrators, ISVs, and cloud partner ecosystem with technical readiness, joint go-to-market incentives, and specialized AI training.
The company has recently launched MongoDB’s Strategic Partner Program, designed to deepen engagement with a focused set of partners who can deliver high-value outcomes for customers.
Bidhan Roy, APAC Partner Leader at MongoDB speaks with Zia Askari from ChannelDrive.in about the company’s current strategy and its future plans.
Why does legacy infrastructure continue to be one of the biggest barriers to AI adoption among Indian enterprises?
Legacy infrastructure continues to slow down AI adoption because it was never designed for the kind of data AI relies on today. Most systems were built for structured, transactional workloads, which has resulted in fragmented architectures and data locked into silos.
This makes it difficult to access real-time, well-governed data, especially the unstructured data that is essential for modern AI applications.
The challenge in India is less about AI models and more about data readiness. A recent IDC research report commissioned by MongoDB confirms the urgency of this issue.
The report reveals that 46% of Indian organisations say it is impossible to build new applications without significant modernisation due to rigid, costly legacy architectures. As a result, data readiness and technical debt, not AI models, are the primary challenge, making it difficult to move from proof-of-concept to production.
By moving to more flexible, AI-ready data platforms that can handle structured, unstructured, and vector data together, enterprises can build a foundation that supports AI at scale and accelerates innovation.
What role do strategic partners play in enabling production-grade AI use cases?
Taking AI from experimentation to production is fundamentally a data and execution challenge, not just a technology one. It requires modernizing data foundations, redesigning applications, and ensuring operational readiness. This is where strategic partners play a critical role, bringing both platform expertise and real-world delivery experience to help enterprises operationalize AI.
Across APAC and in India, partners act as transformation drivers who reduce complexity and deliver tangible results. Their deep local expertise, combined with strong, long-standing customer relationships, allows them to better understand business context, navigate complexity, and drive outcomes at scale. They offer expertise in data modernization, governance, application development, and AI integration, accelerating the enterprise’s move from pilots to production.
Most importantly, AI is a team sport. Success depends on close collaboration between enterprises, technology platforms, and partners. Those that invest in this ecosystem approach are better positioned to overcome data challenges and enable organizations to scale AI initiatives more effectively and deliver measurable business value.
How is MongoDB investing in and scaling its partner ecosystem in India?
India is a key market for MongoDB, both as a high-growth opportunity for AI adoption and as a global hub for talent and innovation. We are strengthening a partner-first approach by working closely with system integrators, regional partners, and hyperscalers to help enterprises modernize and build AI-driven applications.
We recently launched MongoDB’s Strategic Partner Program, designed to deepen engagement with a focused set of partners who can deliver high-value outcomes for our joint customers. This includes access to advanced certifications, co-marketing support, and proven modernization playbooks. At the same time, we prioritize partners with strong local and industry expertise to navigate India’s unique business and regulatory landscape. The program also reduces delivery risk and time-to-market by providing access to advisors who unify the necessary technology, skills, and strategy.
Alongside strong partners, in India our customers include leading organisations such as IntellectAI, Zepto, SonyLIV, and Cars24, who are demonstrating how modern data platforms can power real-world, production-grade AI at scale.
In parallel, we are also making sustained investments in developer skills with our MongoDB for Academia programme. Through our partnership with AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education), we are collaborating with engineering institutes across the country to integrate modern databases and AI-focused learning into academic programs. We aim to upskill over 500,000 students and early-career developers, equipping them with practical, industry-relevant capabilities and building a strong, future-ready talent pipeline for India’s AI-driven economy.
Together, this combination of partners, customers, and talent development ensures we are enabling sustainable, long-term AI innovation in India.
Why is local expertise critical for navigating regulatory, industry-specific, and modernization challenges?
AI adoption is shaped by regulatory requirements and industry-specific constraints. In India, sectors such as financial services, healthcare, and the public sector operate under strict compliance and data governance frameworks. Modernizing legacy systems in these environments requires careful architectural planning and regulatory alignment.
Local partners bring deep operational knowledge of these requirements. They understand how to balance innovation with compliance and operational realities. This reduces implementation friction and ensures AI deployments remain secure and compliant with industry standards.
Local expertise, combined with a modern data platform, ensures successful, secure, and compliant AI adoption.
How are joint go-to-market (GTM) and enablement models helping partners drive measurable customer outcomes?
Joint go-to-market efforts are essential for scaling our impact with partners to how we scale impact with our partners. By aligning on account strategy, industry focus, and solution positioning, we ensure effective collaboration and consistent customer success. This is supported through co-developed assets, playbooks, and shared execution models that accelerate time-to-value.
On the enablement side, we are investing in advanced certifications, technical training, and co-creation with partners to strengthen their ability to deliver complex modernization and AI projects.
