Infosys, Mindgate join Confluent to help businesses with data streaming

U.S.-headquartered Confluent, Inc., a data streaming platform, on Wednesday, announced the launch of its Confluent OEM Program for managed service providers (MSPs), cloud service providers (CSPs), and independent software vendors (ISVs) to help them integrate its data streaming platform into their customer offerings.  

Indian IT companies including Infosys and Mindgate Solutions have joined as Confluent's partners to help businesses bring real-time products and Kafka offerings to market faster and easily monetise customer demand for data streaming worldwide, the company said in a statement.

The program makes data streaming a high-margin part of the business with expert implementation guidance and certification to help these IT companies – as partners - launch enterprise-ready offerings; flexible commercial terms that match the ways partners sell; and ongoing technical support to ensure long-term customer success, the statement added.

"As data-driven technologies like GenAI become essential to enterprise operations, the conversation has shifted from ‘if’ or ‘when’ a business will need data streaming to ‘what’s the fastest, most cost-effective way to get started?’” said Kamal Brar, Senior Vice President, Worldwide ISV and APAC, Confluent. 

“We help our partners unlock new revenue streams by meeting the growing demand for real-time data within every region they serve. Confluent offers the fastest route to delivering enterprise-grade data streaming, enabling partners to accelerate service delivery, reduce support costs, and minimize overall complexity and risk.”

 "Organizations in digital transformation trust Infosys for enterprise-standard technology solutions," said Dinesh Rao, Executive Vice President at Infosys. "By utilizing Confluent’s data streaming technologies, we improve project efficiency and reduce risks and costs, offering clients a comprehensive platform with pre-configured connectors, stream processing, data quality management, and enterprise security."

"Processing over 7 billion real-time payment transactions monthly for major financial institutions requires high performance," said George Sam, Co-founder of Mindgate Solutions. "With Apache Kafka from Confluent, our RTP UPI payment platform efficiently meets the demand for real-time transactions, reinforcing our commitment to innovative and scalable payment solutions globally."

The need for real-time data has cemented data streaming as a critical business requirement. According to ISG Software Research, by 2026, more than three-quarters of enterprises’ standard information architectures will include streaming data and event processing.

To meet demand, teams often use popular open-source technologies like Kafka and Flink. However, developing and maintaining these at scale can be costly and labour-intensive. Experts note that companies managing Kafka independently typically take over two years to reach production scale, with ongoing costs exceeding millions annually, draining engineering resources and hindering differentiation.

In May, Confluent said that it plans to expand its workforce in India by 25% in 2024, focusing on enhancing operations amid the country's rapid digital transformation. CEO Jay Kreps told Mint, India plays a crucial role in the company's global strategy, noting that it encompasses product development, engineering, finance, HR, marketing, and sales.

Currently, India accounts for about 400 of Confluent's 2,744 global employees, with nearly 20% of the workforce based there. Brar emphasized India's importance as a key investment market due to its economic growth and technological advancements. Confluent's Indian clients include Swiggy, Meesho, Zepto, and MPL.