Redington is evolving from a pure-play distributor to a technology ecosystem orchestrator under its “Unlock Next” strategy, emphasising digital platforms, services and value-added solutions beyond traditional inventory and logistics. This shift addresses the rise of cloud, SaaS, AI and cybersecurity, where software now drives a larger share of the distribution industry. In this interview, VS Hariharan, Group CEO, Redington, speaks to Sudhir Chowdhary on its transformation journey and expansion plans. Excerpts:
Technology distribution is being disrupted by direct-to-enterprise sales. How is Redington reinventing its role in the value chain?
Technology distribution is being reshaped by cloud, AI, security, and digital transformation, shifting from a one-to-many model to a many to many ecosystem. Technology layers have evolved from ownership to orchestration, with hardware moving to infrastructure as a service, software to software as a service, and agentic AI ushering in the era of service as a software. In this landscape, Redington acts as an ecosystem orchestrator, connecting vendors, partners, ISVs, startups, and customers through platforms like Cloud Quarks and strong solutions and services capabilities.
Where do you see business growth coming from over the next 24 months and the strategy to tap that?
Growth will be driven by AI-led modernisation, accelerated cloud adoption, and deeper digital penetration. In Q3FY26, we recorded 16% revenue growth, with software solutions growing 40% on cloud, SaaS, and AI trends, endpoint solutions 21% driven by AI-enabled PCs, and mobility 15% with premiumisation. Our strategy focuses on deepening hyperscaler partnerships, strengthening cybersecurity alliances, and building integrated solutions, while growth will also come from tier two and tier three markets across 300 to 400 cities in India, regions such as UAE, Saudi Arabia and Africa, and AI data centres driven by Neo cloud and sovereign players.
How is Redington positioning itself in the AI infrastructure and GPU distribution ecosystem?
The rapid rise of AI workloads is creating significant opportunities for AI infrastructure. Training and inferencing require high performance compute, advanced GPUs, optimised networking, and scalable storage, driving demand for data centres built by hyperscalers, Neo cloud operators and sovereign players. Redington is participating through partnerships with Neo cloud and sovereign operators, global GPU providers, and OEMs, while supporting enterprises modernising workloads onto GPU servers across on premise and private cloud environments.
Beyond infrastructure, AI is reshaping the technology stack across platforms, infrastructure software, and security. Redington enables this ecosystem by bringing global software and security solutions, supporting enterprise workloads with ISVs and startups, while demand for AI-enabled endpoint devices, including AI PCs, continues to rise across markets like India and the UAE.
Are enterprises in India ready to move from cloud adoption to AI adoption at scale?
India has built a strong cloud foundation over the past few years, and AI adoption is progressing on top of that base from pilot to experimentation in a structured and phased manner. The dominant trend is widespread experimentation with cautious scaling, as enterprises across sectors run pilots in areas such as back office, IT and finance operations, customer support, and sales enablement, while seeking clear commercial outcomes before large scale deployments. The conversation has shifted from curiosity to accountability, with ROI, data maturity, and skill readiness guiding decisions.
Globally, we see a similar pattern, where even markets with strong policy backing require governance, training, and continuous refinement, while in India long term scale will depend on replicable use cases and strong ecosystem enablement.
How is Redington helping global companies localise their strategies for the Indian market?
Localisation is not just about geography but about understanding economic diversity, regulatory nuances, financing structures, and varying levels of technology adoption. Markets such as India and the Middle East are highly heterogeneous, where enterprise demand in cities like Mumbai or Dubai differs significantly from tier two and tier three Indian cities or markets in Saudi Arabia. With a presence across more than 300 cities in India and strong regional networks in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Africa, we adapt global strategies to local realities.
For global OEMs, we provide market intelligence, go to market alignment, last mile logistics, partner onboarding, credit structuring, regulatory guidance, and financing models, while our CQ digital platform enables customer analytics, lifecycle management, product solutioning, and professional services.
How is Redington using analytics and AI internally to manage inventory, forecasting and logistics?
Operating across 40 plus markets requires strong data-driven execution. Redington uses analytics-based forecasting models to improve demand planning and inventory allocation across regions, enhancing working capital efficiency and reducing volatility, while deploying AI-based POCs to further strengthen forecasting.
In the back office, Redserv Global uses bots and AI across processes such as order to cash and procure to pay to improve efficiency while managing unstructured and multimodal data from partners and customers. Within Pro Connect Logistics, our 3PL subsidiary, AI POCs are being deployed to enhance warehouse inventory management and turnaround times. Overall, Redington has identified over 75 AI use cases through its AI Capability Centre in Chennai, each with a defined ROI and pathway to scale.
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