Amit Sharma, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of CData Software, has led the company from an early-stage startup into a widely used provider of data connectivity and integration solutions. Founded to simplify enterprise data access, CData delivers self-service products that enable real-time connectivity across hundreds of on-premises and cloud applications. Sharma, who began his career at Infosys and later served as Chief Technology Officer at CData before becoming CEO in 2014, said his leadership approach reflects both environments.
“My time at Infosys shaped a deep respect for enterprise-grade quality, while my startup experience taught me the value of speed and direct impact,” he said. Under his leadership, CData has focused on providing standardized, scalable access to live data that supports analytics, cloud adoption, and AI-driven applications.
In an interview, Sharma said the rise of AI has exposed long-standing weaknesses in enterprise data infrastructure. “AI doesn’t fail because of models; it fails because of messy, inaccessible, or outdated data,” he said. He defined AI-ready data as information that is accessible, reliable, real-time, and governed through standard interfaces, not just centralized systems. Sharma noted that only a small share of organizations consider their data infrastructure fully ready for AI, as teams still spend significant time on repetitive data plumbing. Looking ahead, he emphasized governance and security as the next major bottleneck. “The future of AI isn’t just about speed or scale,” he said. “It’s about trust, accountability, and responsible deployment.”
