Enterprise Platforms and the Future of Sustainable Business Growth

Enterprise platforms have emerged as the technological flywheel that drives strategic, long-term organizational growth and enables innovative business models. I have witnessed these enterprise platforms becoming instrumental in achieving sustainable business growth, helping organizations scale efficiently while meeting the dynamic demands of a modern-day enterprise. However, implementing such platforms and tech ecosystems becomes particularly challenging when sustainability is a core consideration in their development.

Sustainability was not a priority for most organizations until recently. However, due to regulatory changes and evolving customer preferences, it has now become a key focus across industries. This positive shift is prompting businesses to adopt thoughtful and innovative approaches to technology development. In many ways, sustainability has become a catalyst for innovation. Wouldn’t you agree?

In this push for sustainability, enterprise platforms and service providers have emerged as strategic growth enablers. Ever since sustainability frameworks took center stage, I have often reflected on how service providers can help organizations achieve sustainable goals and reap maximum benefits. At Tech Mahindra, a leader in the enterprise platform development space, our efforts remain instrumental in ensuring that our customers achieve these goals efficiently.

How Service Providers Enable Sustainable Transformation

Service providers offer a powerful pathway to sustainable development. As specialized partners bringing best practices, tailored solutions, deep expertise, and proven frameworks, they can accelerate the transition to sustainable operations. Rather than building capabilities from scratch, organizations can leverage sustainability framework solutions (established tools, processes, and regulatory knowledge) - areas where service providers have invested heavily. According to a 2024 Avasant report, service providers are doubling down on both technological solutions and human capital to meet the surging enterprise demand for sustainability transformation. Here are a few key areas to consider:

• Upskilling for sustainability: Service providers are heavily focused on hiring, reskilling, and upskilling their workforce in sustainability-focused roles. The Avasant study notes that 28% of their planned investments address skill gaps in the market, especially in areas such as ESG compliance and green technologies. This creates a workforce capable of driving innovation while prioritizing environmental safety.
• Proprietary tools and frameworks: Cutting-edge products and services for supercharging sustainability efforts are in demand. Enterprise platform service providers are investing a hefty 27% of tech investment to develop proprietary tools, frameworks, IP, and solutions.
• Strategic acquisitions and partnerships: Many service providers are also expanding their capabilities and investing 19% of their tech budgets for strategic acquisitions and partnerships, enhancing their capabilities in niche areas of sustainability. These efforts strengthen digital capabilities and deepen industry expertise for both providers and businesses.
• Go-to-Market (GTM) strategies: Providers are dedicating 14% of investments to GTM strategies for businesses to generate maximum value. Providers leverage their expertise to help organizations navigate complex ESG reporting requirements, investing in new sales channel development, marketing initiatives, marketing road maps, and pricing strategies.
• Partnership ecosystems: 12% of investments are aimed at leveraging the partnership ecosystem to enhance innovation capabilities and enable integrations. This helps create interconnected ecosystems, providing access to advanced sustainability tools such as real-time analytics and predictive monitoring.

These investments have a far-reaching impact, enabling enterprises to address their sustainability challenges effectively. Providers offer a strong technological foundation and facilitate a holistic approach to sustainability, aligning business objectives with larger environmental and social goals.

“Innovators” in Tech-enabled Sustainability - The Tech Mahindra Story

In the words of my colleague Sandeep Chandna, Chief Sustainability Officer at Tech Mahindra,

“We have made sustainability the fulcrum of all our activities.”

We firmly believe that prioritizing sustainable development allows us to rethink, reimagine, and redefine how technology can create a positive impact for all. At Tech Mahindra, sustainability is not just a commitment - it is a journey of innovation and impact. Our rapid strides towards achieving milestones like carbon neutrality by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2035 prove that responsible business is possible.

The industry has taken notice, Avasant’s “Tech-enabled Sustainability Services 2023–2024 RadarView Report” positions us as an “Innovator” for leveraging technology to solve complex environmental challenges while helping businesses drive maximum value.

A shining example from the report is our real-time water network monitoring systems deployed across several utility enterprises. We created a unique solution to manage water networks by integrating digital twins and metaverse technologies. This system is so effective that it ensures not a single drop of water is wasted. The system detects leaks in real time, measures water pollution levels, and supports cleanup efforts - a testament to the power of ESG Risk Management solutions.

We aim to create a development pipeline combining innovation and sustainability through advanced technologies. Our strategic partnerships with leading enterprise technology platforms such as SAP, ServiceNow, Salesforce, and other industry leaders to create sustainable solutions empower businesses to grow responsibly. For example, i.Sustain, our ESG data management and reporting solution powered by SAP’s sustainability digital platform, transform ESG data into valuable insights, ready to be reported. Similarly, we also have ESG Risk Management platform i.Riskman that uses enterprise Salesforce data to assess, analyze, and track sustainability risks. It simplifies risk identification and helps businesses build detailed action plans to manage ESG risks.

I take immense pride in how we continue to help industries evolve with transformative technologies while staying aligned with environmental goals. For me, the drive to build a better world is not just professional - it is deeply personal! We are shaping a responsible and prosperous future through sustainable business growth empowered by enterprise platforms and solutions like ESG Risk Management.