Exclusive: Informatica's Rik Tamm-Daniels discusses push into Generative AI

Rik Tamm-Daniels has revealed how Informatica is shaping the future of data management with generative AI (GenAI) and innovative cloud solutions.

There's no doubt that Informatica is spearheading a data revolution by merging cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities with a comprehensive cloud-first strategy.

Rik Tamm-Daniels, Global Vice President for Ecosystems and Technology, detailed the company's ambitions, ongoing innovations, and commitment to helping enterprises maximise the value of their data assets to get ready for AI in a recent interview.

"Informatica provides the industry's leading AI-powered, end-to-end cloud data management platform," said Tamm-Daniels.

Known as the Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC), the platform transforms scattered data into trusted, actionable information for analytics, AI, and emerging generative AI applications.

A Dynamic Role in a Rapidly Evolving Industry

Tamm-Daniels has been with Informatica for seven years, a period that has seen the company undergo significant transformation. His role involves keeping a pulse on market developments, maintaining strong partner ecosystems, and ensuring customers are equipped with the tools to navigate their data challenges.

"My team's mission is to understand the most relevant ecosystems for customers, like Snowflake, Microsoft, or Amazon, and ensure seamless integration," he explained.

This requires constant collaboration across product, sales, and customer success teams, and a dedication to innovation.

"We work to guide customers on the right patterns and solutions, supported by blueprints that map out how to adopt our technologies alongside our partners' ecosystems."

Generative AI: Unlocking New Opportunities

Informatica's focus on GenAI positions it at the forefront of this technological wave.

"Generative AI is on the top of everyone's agenda," Tamm-Daniels said, acknowledging that while enterprises are eager to explore its potential, many lack the data readiness to fully embrace it.

"We like to say that everyone is ready for AI, except their data," he noted.

The company's AI-ready data foundation blueprints help organisations prepare their data for enterprise-level AI applications, addressing critical areas such as data quality, governance, and security.

These blueprints are tailored to each partner ecosystem, leveraging tools like large language models and vector databases. "Our goal is to provide a prescriptive roadmap that enables customers to scale generative AI while ensuring trusted, meaningful outcomes," Tamm-Daniels added.

Recent Innovations

The launch of Informatica's CLAIRE GPT and CLAIRE Copilot capabilities marks a significant leap in data management. These AI-driven tools aim to "revolutionise how data management is done," turning traditionally complex tasks into intuitive, conversational experiences.

"We're democratising data management, making it accessible and governed in a trusted way across enterprises," Tamm-Daniels explained.

These advancements are now available in Australia, further expanding their global reach.

In addition to AI tools, Informatica has enhanced its support for emerging open table formats such as Iceberg and Delta Parquet, catering to customers managing storage costs and data complexities.

A Focus on Customer Success

Informatica prides itself on being customer-first, a value embedded in its corporate culture. This ethos is reflected in its results, with the company reporting a 36% year-over-year growth in Q3 of this year in cloud subscription revenue and managing over 100 trillion transactions monthly.

"Our customers value the breadth and flexibility of our platform," Tamm-Daniels said.

"Whether they're on a single cloud or multi-cloud, we provide consistency in how data is managed, moved, and governed."

He highlighted a success story with the National Roads and Motorists' Association (NRMA) in Australia.

"They saw a 10x productivity increase and a 98% reduction in campaign delivery times, thanks to our deep integration with Google Cloud," he said.

Challenges and Future Goals

While customers face varied challenges, common themes include siloed data, hybrid environments, and the need for robust governance. "GenAI has shone a light on these issues," Tamm-Daniels said.

Informatica's continued investment in GenAI and cloud transformation underscores its long-term goals. "We're focused on creating unique capabilities that empower enterprises to build and scale AI applications responsibly," he explained.

The company's partnerships with six major ecosystems—AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud, Snowflake, and Databricks—remain pivotal.

"These collaborations allow us to innovate and help customers succeed across diverse data landscapes," he added.

Staying Ahead of the Curve

Informatica's ability to evolve has been a point of pride for Tamm-Daniels. Reflecting on his tenure, he said, "In the last seven years, we've transitioned from an on-premises business to a cloud-first, cloud-native, and now cloud-only strategy."

He continued, "Our focus on GenAI and ongoing innovation demonstrates our commitment to staying ahead of the curve for our customers."

With its powerful platform and strong ecosystem partnerships, Informatica remains a leader in data management. "Our customers recognise that we bring unparalleled efficiency and scalability," Tamm-Daniels said.

As the interview concluded, Tamm-Daniels shared a vision of a future where data is seamlessly harnessed to drive innovation across industries.

"We are just witnessing the beginning of this journey," he said.