Analyst Note: As the market chases the largest language models, I am heading to Zoho Day to look at a completely different strategy. Here is what I am watching for regarding pragmatic AI, vendor consolidation, and how software actually impacts the people using it.
I am looking forward to next week's Zoho Day. To me, it feels like the world's largest gathering of technology analysts. Of course, I am also looking forward to meeting these other analysts, as it is always a great thing to run into peers and exchange notes on occasions like this.
I have known Zoho for over 15 years. I have watched them grow from a CRM to a massive platform with over 55 apps. Every year, I can clearly see their progress. Their ecosystem is expanding, their products are maturing, and they are moving deeper into specific industry verticals.
Talking Directly to the Builders
One of the best parts of this event is the access. Zoho's leaders do not hide behind a formal process. They are available and have real conversations with attendees. The AR and PR team, led by Sandy Lo, is very approachable. This makes it easy to ask questions and get straight answers.
It is not just the top executives, either. A lot of Zoho's product heads will present their own roadmaps and development plans. This gives analysts a clear view of how the platform is actually being built.
The Real Impact on Careers
I also really enjoy talking to the Zoho customers who attend. I was thrilled to learn how many careers have flourished because of this platform. People are impressing their organizations by using Zoho to make processes more efficient and integrated.
- They are taking complex problems and simplifying them.
- They are bypassing bureaucratic hurdles to build immediate solutions.
- They are delivering work that gets noticed by leadership.
A Practical Approach to AI
Then there is the technology itself. While the rest of the world was talking about massive LLMs, Raju Vegesna was talking about small, narrow, and medium models.
This shows a very practical approach to AI. Zoho has its own proprietary AI model called Zia. Just like their own infrastructure and data centers, this shows that they have spent their money in the right places. They prioritize privacy, context, and control over hype.
What does this mean for the next five years of strategy?
Between their global presence, the Zoho One platform, and an easy pathway for enterprises to pilot and adopt these tools, there are very interesting developments to watch. It means we will likely see a strong shift toward sensible vendor consolidation and a focus on AI that actually protects company data while solving specific daily problems.
There will be lots to learn next week, and I have a lot of questions to ask.