FAIITA–ASIRT: Forging a Powerful New Alliance for India’s Technology Channel

In an era when AI, emerging technologies and rapidly evolving channel dynamics are redrawing the IT landscape, FAIITA President Navin Gupta outlines how a stronger FAIITA–ASIRT partnership can unlock new opportunities, empower partners, SIs and dealers, and build a more collaborative technology ecosystem across India.

One of the leading and most influential IT industry associations in the country -- The Association of System Integrators and Retailers in Technology (ASIRT) successfully conducted its annual flagship event: the Synergy Biz Conclave 2026 in Karjat, Maharashtra. Held from August 7 to 9 at impressive ambience of the Radisson Blu Plaza Resort & Convention Centre, the high-voltage gathering brought together System Integrators, channel partners, industry leaders for meaningful engagement, exchange of ideas, networking, and high-impact knowledge sessions.

Marked by a robust participation from the ASIRT community, the marquee event received a thumping response from the channel community.

Laser-focused on the evolving needs of System Integrators and the changing dynamics of the technology business, the conclave provided an avenue for the IT community to brainstorm the shifts, exchange ideas, and deep dive into how the changing techscape is opening newer vistas for the partner community.

The ASIRT Synergy Biz Conclave 2026 also witnessed two of the country’s leading IT associations - ASIRT and FAIITA - joining forces to further their cooperation on protecting the interests of the partner community and chalk out viable ways to meet the future challenges together with innovative ways and solutions.

At the sidelines of the conclave, SME Channels Editor Manash Ranjan Debata had spoken to Navin Gupta, President, FAIITA (Federation of All India Information Technology Associations) to gain an understanding of the synergy struck between the two associations; the future course of action; the notable initiatives taken by FAIITA to actively protect the interests of the partners, dealers and the distributors after he assumed office; how is preparing its members to ride the AI wave; and much more. Edited excerpts…

“Our objective is to ensure that FAIITA members are informed, trained and equipped to participate in the rapidly expanding AI market.”

— Navin Gupta, President, FAIITA

The ASIRT Synergy Biz Conclave 2026 offers a rare opportunity when two of the country's most powerful IT associations are joining forces: FAIITA and ASIRT. How do you see the synergy that you have struck between these two associations? What is the future course of action?

Attending the ASIRT Synergy Conclave has given me an excellent opportunity to meet and interact with members of the association. We have always been looking to strengthen our relationships with system integrators and technology partners, and we have found that many ASIRT members are active in both these areas.

I strongly believe that a closer partnership between FAIITA and ASIRT can create significant value for members of both associations across India. There is considerable scope for sharing knowledge and expertise, particularly in areas such as AI, emerging technologies and system integration. ASIRT members also have strong relationships with national distributors, particularly in networking and other technology segments, but many of our dealers may not yet be fully aware of these opportunities.

The gaming market is another promising area. It has grown rapidly, creating strong demand for high-performance components such as graphics cards and RAM, which are readily available through the networks of ASIRT members. We can communicate these opportunities to our members and encourage greater engagement between dealers and ASIRT members.

I will discuss this further with ASIRT President Bharat Chheda, and we plan to organise virtual meetings involving members from across India. The objective will be to identify business opportunities, facilitate knowledge-sharing and build stronger networking between the two associations. I believe this collaboration can generate significant mutual business opportunities for our members.

FAIITA has been at the forefront of protecting the interests of partners, dealers and distributors. After you took over as FAIITA President, what has really changed at the association?

One of our key priorities has been to improve communication with our members. We realised that many members across India were not fully aware of the initiatives and activities undertaken by FAIITA. To address this communication gap, we launched Patrika, a quarterly e-magazine of around 20–25 pages.

Patrika has become an important platform for keeping members informed about FAIITA's activities, as well as sharing best practices and success stories from associations across the country. We highlight community-service initiatives, IT expos and other industry activities undertaken by associations in states such as Punjab and Gujarat, as well as cities including Bhubaneswar and Pune. This allows members to learn from one another and encourages greater collaboration within the industry.

We also publish articles on subjects such as cybersecurity, the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), government policies and other issues that directly affect our members. The first edition of the Patrika was launched in Tirupati, and we have now published three editions.

At the same time, we have strengthened our engagement with the government, OEMs and dealers to address some of the industry's most pressing concerns. One of the biggest challenges facing dealers today is the impact of e-commerce and pricing pressures.

Our Brand Committee Chairman, Mr. Deepak, has been actively engaging with companies whenever there are concerns about price erosion or significant price reductions in the market. He directly takes up such issues with company CEOs to understand the reasons behind the pricing changes and to safeguard the interests of the dealer community.

We also held a meeting in Lucknow in May with senior representatives of OEMs, where we had an extensive discussion on these issues and explored ways to create a more equitable environment for traditional channel partners.

AI has been taking the technology world by storm. Not a single sector has been left untouched by the widespread adoption and impact of AI. How do you prepare your members to ride the AI wave?

AI is highly technology-intensive, and we recognise both the challenges and the enormous opportunities it presents. We are therefore engaging with OEMs and technology companies to explore ways of educating and training our members through virtual meetings, workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions.

There is still considerable uncertainty about AI among many dealers and even some system integrators. While ASIRT members, because of their enterprise-focused clientele, are generally more familiar with AI technologies, many of our counter-based dealers need greater awareness and guidance on how they can participate in the emerging AI opportunity.

We are working with technology companies to help our members understand practical AI use cases and identify new business opportunities. The emergence of AI universities is one such opportunity. We recently saw an AI university being established in Gujarat, and one of our members supplied servers worth approximately ₹5–6 crore for the project.

I spoke to the dealer involved and encouraged him to share his experience with the wider dealer community through a virtual session. He has also contributed an article to our bulletin. We are inviting him to conduct a virtual training programme for our members, explaining how dealers can identify similar opportunities and potentially participate in the creation of AI-focused institutions in their respective states.

There are tremendous opportunities emerging from AI, and our objective is to ensure that FAIITA members are informed, trained and equipped to participate in this rapidly expanding market.