India is poised for an unprecedented digital-first future, with the digital economy projected to exceed US$1 trillion, driven by ambitious governmental and enterprise initiatives. Recent advancements in AI and automation were the necessary technological breakthrough for India, yet this rapid shift necessitates massive upskilling efforts across the nation’s workforce.
Despite the nation’s digital ambitions, India faces a shortage of skilled digital and technology professionals needed to manage increasingly complex IT operations across government, enterprises, and public sector organizations. The challenge is substantial across multiple dimensions. In India, the supply of skilled IT professionals falls dramatically short of the demand. GenAI, for example, is suffering an acute mismatch, with a projected 53% shortfall of qualified engineers by 2026. This crisis is deepened by a substantial 55-60% demand-supply mismatch in cloud computing and a severe deficit in cybersecurity talent, where gaps can climb as high as 30-50% for highly specialized roles like cloud security and zero-trust architecture.
Bridging India’s Digital Skills ShortageThis persistent shortage of skilled talent, sometimes referred to as ‘workforce resilience’, is a problem impacting the whole IT sector. Nonetheless, recent advancements in AI provide clear evidence that when deployed properly, AI can alleviate several underlying challenges related to IT skills scarcity.
AIOps, for example, allows IT teams to automate many of the time-consuming tasks that ensure websites, applications, databases, and infrastructure function better. It applies machine learning and data analytics to enhance the monitoring of IT systems, freeing up time for hard-pressed IT teams.
Recent industry analysis shows that Indian IT teams could reclaim 8 to 10 hours per week through GenAI-driven automation, with up to 42% of routine operational tasks identified as highly reducible. This highlights how even partial automation can materially boost the efficiency and productivity of IT and cloud operations teams.Boosting IT Productivity Through AI
Taking this automation further are systems that operate with minimal human oversight. Called self-driving operations, these fully autonomous IT systems can monitor, manage, and optimize themselves in real time without human intervention. Developed using AI and ML, self-driving ops continuously adapt to changing conditions, automatically resolving issues and optimising performance to help ensure seamless operation across complex IT environments.
AIOps is certainly a step in the right direction as it automates many tasks, but humans still play a significant role in oversight, decision-making, and handling complex or unpredictable situations. Self-driving operations, on the other hand, take IT automation to the next level by making real-time decisions and executing them without human intervention.
When IT Starts Managing Itself
The paradigm shift brought about by self-driving operations reflects a potential for the Indian IT industry to alleviate the escalating demands placed on IT teams. However, it is understandable that concerns have arisen about the implications of automation on job security, and while these apprehensions are natural, they are fundamentally misplaced for two main reasons.
First, organisations in both the public and private sectors are already struggling to hire enough people to manage increasingly complex IT environments. India faces a 25–50% talent shortfall across critical digital roles such as AI, cloud, and cybersecurity. With shortages this deep and structural, there is little chance of turning a skills deficit into a surplus.
Second, for hard-pressed IT teams, self-driving ops is only really designed to replace mundane, repetitive tasks. At a time when demand for skilled IT professionals continues to outpace supply, the adoption of self-driving operations is not only a strategic advantage but an imperative. By embracing this technology, the public and private sector has an opportunity to address one of the major issues regarding the management of increasingly complex IT environments. If implemented correctly, it could also free up IT teams to focus on what truly matters, which is driving progress, enhancing service delivery, and future-proofing infrastructure, while leaving the repetitive, mundane tasks to the machines.
The Next Frontier
As India accelerates toward a digital-first future, the widening gap between the complexity of IT environments and the availability of skilled professionals can no longer be bridged through hiring alone. The question is not whether India should adopt autonomous IT management, but how quickly it can do so. For government, public sector, and enterprise organizations alike, self-driving operations are not merely a benefit, but a fundamental necessity. This autonomous approach will decisively unlock capacity, safeguard critical service delivery, and empower India’s IT talent to focus exclusively on innovation instead of being consumed by routine maintenance.
The author is Krishna Sai, Chief Technology Officer, SolarWinds.
Disclaimer: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETCIO does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETCIO shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organization directly or indirectly.
