January 28th is Data Privacy Day, a day dedicated to recognizing the importance of data privacy in an increasingly digital world. From the strategic collaboration between IT and security teams to ethical data collection and prioritizing human talent, a holistic approach to data privacy is essential for success in the data-centric era.
Here is what experts have to say on Data Privacy Day which aims to raise awareness and promote privacy and data protection best practices.
Rizwan Patel, Global Head of Cloud, InfoSec, and Emerging Technologies at Altimetrik
“Enterprise data privacy has become a board-level priority as digital platforms, cloud adoption, and AI-driven operating models reshape how value is created. Data sits at the core of revenue growth, ecosystem partnerships, and business resilience, making privacy by design a strategic requirement rather than a technical afterthought. Trust now functions as a business currency, determined by how responsibly organisations govern data across its lifecycle.
India’s data-centric digital economy further elevates the stakes. Platforms built on India Stack and rapid enterprise AI adoption expand the attack surface and intensify exposure to misuse, leakage, and systemic risk. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act reinforces fiduciary accountability, consent discipline, and breach readiness, setting a higher bar for enterprises operating at scale.
Compliance alone does not deliver confidence or differentiation. Market leaders are embedding privacy engineering into product development (PDLC) and software delivery (SDLC) lifecycles, supported by identity controls spanning human, machine, and emerging agentic identities. At Altimetrik, we integrate automation-driven governance, threat detection, identity and access management, observability, and responsible AI practices into core architectures. This enables organizations to protect data rights, sustain innovation velocity, and strengthen trust in an environment where technology amplifies both opportunity and risk.” – Rizwan Patel, Global Head of Cloud, InfoSec, and Emerging Technologies at Altimetrik.
Peter White, Chief Product Officer, Automation Anywhere
“As agentic systems operate with increasing autonomy and process unprecedented volumes of sensitive data, privacy is no longer optional. It is core infrastructure for responsible AI and automation. Embedding security and privacy by design at the architectural level is a critical element that will define systems which can scale from pilots to real-world operational usage. When privacy and security are built-in, organizations can move fast without breaking trust and introducing unnecessary risks-” Peter White, Chief Product Officer, Automation Anywhere.
Maurizio Garavello, SVP for Asia Pacific & Japan, Qlik
“As AI becomes more autonomous, data privacy stops being a compliance checkbox and becomes a design principle. You can’t build trusted AI on opaque data or unclear ownership. Organisations need to know where data lives, who can act on it, and how decisions are governed – especially as agents begin to operate on their behalf. Privacy, governance, and transparency are what turn AI from a risk into a reliable partner. Without that trust layer, scale simply won’t happen.”- Maurizio Garavello, SVP for Asia Pacific & Japan, Qlik.
Drew Bagley, CrowdStrike VP and Counsel, Privacy and Cyber Policy
“Data Privacy Day is a reminder that privacy and cybersecurity rise or fall together, and those strategies must always be aligned. With AI becoming embedded across the enterprise and driving workflows, and constant data movement, we almost take for granted the new paradigm for access to and sharing of data. But real protection depends on visibility, privacy by design, and resilience that operates in real time.” – Drew Bagley, CrowdStrike VP and Counsel, Privacy and Cyber Policy.
Vaibhav Tare, Chief Information Security Officer, Fulcrum Digital
“Data privacy has become a foundational pillar of digital trust, especially as enterprises accelerate AI adoption. In India’s evolving data protection landscape, organisations must move beyond checkbox compliance and build privacy into the design of their systems, processes, and AI models. Managing privacy risks in an era of automation requires strong governance, accountable leadership, and a clear balance between innovation and responsible data use. Enterprises that prioritise transparency and secure data practices will be best positioned to earn consumer confidence and sustain long-term growth in an AI-first economy.”— Vaibhav Tare, Chief Information Security Officer, Fulcrum Digital
Sunil Sharma, Managing Director & VP – Sales (India & SAARC), Sophos
“Data Privacy Day 2026 is a timely reminder that data protection has become a fundamental business priority, not just a regulatory obligation. As organisations increasingly adopt AI, cloud, and digital-first operating models, the volume and sensitivity of data being created and processed continues to grow, making it an attractive target for cybercriminals. In this context, systems must incorporate privacy and cybersecurity by design, bolstered by robust governance, ongoing monitoring, and swift incident response. Equally important is building a culture of accountability and awareness across the organisation, because technology alone cannot address data risk. Organisations that prioritise data privacy and security will be better positioned to earn trust, meet compliance requirements, and drive sustainable digital growth.”— Sunil Sharma, Managing Director & VP – Sales (India & SAARC), Sophos
Balaji Rao, Area Vice President, India & SAARC, Commvault
“Data Privacy Day 2026 highlights a hard truth for enterprises operating in a cloud-dominated economy. Data privacy now defines operational credibility, regulatory readiness, and long-term competitiveness. As India advances its data-centric digital ecosystem, privacy by design has moved from principle to performance requirement across SaaS platforms, multi-cloud environments, and AI-driven workflows.
The Digital Personal Data Protection Act further reinforces this shift by requiring continuous accountability across the data lifecycle. Regulatory readiness depends on real-time visibility, policy-driven governance, and resilient recovery in environments where data and identities are highly distributed. Identity resilience plays a critical role by enabling real-time visibility, response, and recovery across identity providers, ensuring uninterrupted access while limiting exposure and operational risk. Today, nine out of ten attacks target identity systems like AD because they control access to data, systems, and applications
Enterprises that architect privacy and resilience directly into cloud data platforms establish a durable foundation for compliance and business continuity. Data protection strategies must evolve at the same pace as digital transformation. Organizations that operationalize privacy at scale will set the benchmark for trust, resilience, and responsible growth in India’s digital economy.”
Reuben Koh, Director of Security Technology & Strategy at Akamai Technologies
“In 2026, Data Privacy Day is a reminder that in an AI-driven world where data is the new precious commodity, privacy continues to be a critical and continuous responsibility. As data moves across cloud platforms, APIs, and intelligent systems at machine speed, our ability to discover and secure data must move even faster. At Akamai, we know this starts with deep visibility and granular network segmentation to effectively shrink the blast radius of any breach. Real-time threat intelligence also provides organizations with an edge to stay ahead of evolving cyber threats. By embedding privacy-by-design into AI deployments and leveraging automated, distributed defenses, organizations can innovate at speed and maintain consumer trust, while navigating an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape.”
Ranga Jagannath, Senior Director, Growth, Agora
“As technologies like AI, IoT, and Real-Time Engagement redefine the way we interact, the volume of personal data being generated is enormous. While this volume of data promotes innovation, it also poses significant risks to individual privacy and security. The challenge today is not only about compliance but about building a digital ecosystem where privacy is an intrinsic part of every user connection.
Businesses must adopt privacy-by-design principles, ensuring that data protection is an integral part of their solutions. This includes implementing secure APIs, end-to-end encryption, and adhering to the highest standards of transparency and user control. However, meeting these standards requires more than just regulatory compliance. It requires proactive measures to stay ahead of emerging threats and an unwavering commitment to privacy.
Looking ahead, the key to a trusted digital world lies in balancing innovation with responsibility. As real-time engagement technologies continue to evolve, protecting privacy will be crucial for fostering trust and ensuring a safe, secure digital experience for all. At Agora, we are committed to building this future, where innovation and privacy go hand in hand, delivering seamless and secure digital interactions globally.”
Vaibhav Patkar, Risk & Security Solutions Advisor at Orient Technologies Limited
Trust-led cybersecurity as a foundation for resilient, future-ready businesses
“On Data Privacy Day, the conversation goes beyond compliance to how organizations build long-term trust and resilience in a digital-first economy. As enterprises scale cloud adoption and deploy AI across operations, managing cyber threats effectively becomes critical to protecting business continuity and stakeholder confidence. A comprehensive security approach, spanning cloud, endpoint, and network environments, combined with real-time monitoring and AI-driven incident response, enables organizations to stay ahead of evolving risks. Aligning security practices with global standards not only strengthens privacy and governance, but also empowers businesses to innovate securely and sustainably.” – Vaibhav Patkar, Risk & Security Solutions Advisor at Orient Technologies Limited
Tejesh Kodali, Group Chairman, Blue Cloud Softech Solutions Limited
Embedding Trust and Responsible AI at the Core of Digital Growth
“Data Privacy Day reflects the vision that inspired me to build solutions focused on trust, resilience, and responsible innovation. As AI and digital systems become integral to business, data protection must be embedded into strategy, not treated as an afterthought. By adopting proactive, intelligence-driven security and strong governance, organizations can safeguard sensitive information, meet regulatory expectations, and scale innovation with confidence.” – Tejesh Kodali, Group Chairman, Blue Cloud Softech Solutions Limited
Prakash Ravindran, CEO & Director, InstiFi
“Data privacy has become a critical pillar of the digital payments ecosystem. With increasing reliance on online transactions, the responsibility to protect sensitive financial and business data has never been greater. For fintech platforms, privacy-by-design and compliance-driven frameworks are essential to maintaining trust and minimising operational risk. Strong data protection practices enable merchants and users to engage confidently with digital systems. At InstiFi, data security is embedded across our technology and processes, reflecting the expectations of a maturing digital economy. As adoption continues to grow, consistent focus on privacy and accountability will shape how digital payments earn and sustain trust going forward.”- Prakash Ravindran, CEO & Director, InstiFi
Avaneesh Kumar Vats, Vice President – Information Technology, Techno Digital
“As India advances into DPDP Act’s next phase, enterprises must re-architect digital foundations with privacy as a core design principle, not a compliance afterthought. With cloud scale exploding, AI workloads surging (26% of firms AI-mature), and data sovereignty demands rising, privacy outcomes hinge on upstream infrastructure: where data resides, flows, and is governed across distributed environments.
At Techno Digital, we embed privacy-first infrastructure for sustainable growth. India’s data centers jumping 66% to 1.5 GW by 2026 amid $3.8B investments and a digital economy eyeing 20% of GDP by 2030, handle exploding AI data layers like prompts, logs, and inferences. Enterprises demand visibility, control, auditability, and local protection in hyperscale/edge setups exactly what our designs deliver.
In this new regime, organizations investing in privacy-first architectures, granular data controls, auditable data flows, and sovereign infrastructure will not only stay compliant but gain customer trust, regulatory resilience, and competitive advantage in India’s data-driven economy.
As India emerges as a digital superpower, trust defines success. Resilient infrastructure enforcing privacy-by-default will power this $100B+ decade of innovation. Our commitment: confident scaling with privacy in the backbone.”
Achyuth Krishna, Head of Enterprise IT, Security, and Procurement, Whatfix
“Generative AI has turned data into a double-edged sword. While it drives unprecedented automation, the cost of a single misstep has risen to nearly $4.5 million per IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report. To thrive in 2026, leadership must shift from “defensive” privacy to “offensive” trust.
The Strategy for 2026:
1. Democratize Control: Replace opaque data collection with user-centric dashboards. When users have clear sightlines into how AI uses their data, adoption friction disappears.
2. Anticipate the Threat: Move toward AI-driven security that identifies behavioral anomalies in real-time. Resilience must be embedded in the code, not just the firewall.
3. Embrace Regulatory Rigor: Treat the DPDP Act and GDPR not as constraints, but as blueprints for data minimization. Collecting only what is necessary reduces the “attack surface” and streamlines operations.
A PwC’s 2025 Responsible AI Survey confirms the shift that 60% of executives report responsible AI practices directly drive ROI and efficiency. By building with privacy at the core, organizations don’t just protect their data, they protect their future. At Whatfix, this philosophy guides how we operate and build. Data privacy and security are embedded across our product suite through privacy-by-design, AI-driven threat detection, automated safeguards, and strong internal practices, including continuous employee training. By placing trust at the center, we help create digital systems that are secure, resilient, and built for the future.”
