Rohit Midha, Executive Director of Enterprise Business at Lenovo, on the company’s shift from PC maker to AI-driven enterprise partner.
In today’s rapidly evolving digital world, enterprises are reimagining how technology is deployed, utilized, and scaled. For Lenovo India, the focus extends well beyond its identity as the world’s leading PC maker. The company is carving out a larger role as a trusted partner, delivering comprehensive solutions that span devices, infrastructure, services, cybersecurity, and AI.
Driving this strategic shift at Lenovo India is Rohit Midha, the Executive Director of Enterprise Business. He is the driving force behind the company’s end-to-end growth and innovation, leveraging AI to unlock opportunities across all business lines. With his extensive experience and previous leadership roles, he has consistently advanced Lenovo’s transformation, market share, and client relationships.
In a recent interaction with Jatinder Singh, Editor, CIO & Leader, Midha discussed Lenovo’s shift from hardware supplier to trusted solutions partner, the challenges CIOs face in transitioning AI from pilots to production, the importance of consolidation without vendor lock-in, and why sustainability is finally becoming a business imperative.
CIO&Leader: Lenovo has long been associated with PCs. How are you reshaping customer perception and broadening your role in India?
Rohit Midha: Globally, Lenovo is structured into three core business units. First, the Intelligent Devices Group (IDG) encompasses laptops, PCs, tablets, and Motorola devices. Second, the Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG), which emerged from our IBM x86 acquisition and focuses on data center and server solutions. And third, the Solutions and Services Group (SSG), which is brand-agnostic and works closely with CIOs to deliver business outcomes.
In India, our focus has been to move away from being seen as a hardware supplier to becoming a trusted partner. Despite significant marketing expenditures, many still view Lenovo as a PC company. But today, we work with leading banks, telecoms, and retailers to manage entire technology stacks—often across non-Lenovo devices. For example, for one of India’s fastest-growing banks, we manage uptime for thousands of endpoints, 95% of which are not Lenovo devices. That’s the fundamental transformation.
CIO&Leader: How does this shift to services create differentiated value for CIOs, especially in a hybrid and edge computing era?
Rohit Midha: COVID was a big realization point. CIOs quickly saw the need for consolidation in IT lifecycle management. Traditionally, there were multiple vendors—one for imaging, another for deployment, yet another for cybersecurity. However, during the pandemic, the business problem was straightforward: how to deliver ready-to-use devices to employees across India without requiring them to come to the office? We built end-to-end logistics, even customizing packages with HR or CEO letters, SIM cards, or coupons. Later, attrition made reverse logistics equally critical.
These sound trivial, but for CIOs, they became decision points. What consolidation delivers is not just simplicity, but also frees up CIO teams to focus on innovation rather than routine endpoint management. That’s why we see CIOs actively seeking partners who can manage scale across geographies—whether it’s 300,000 endpoints in retail or first-line L1 support for telecom back offices.
CIO&Leader: While consolidation reduces complexity, CIOs also fear vendor lock-in. How do you balance the one-stop model with multi-vendor flexibility?
Rohit Midha: The risk is actually on us. Services account for 8–10% of our global revenue today, but 90% of our revenue still comes from devices. If we fail to deliver on services, we risk losing multi-million-dollar hardware contracts. Therefore, our skin in the game is higher than that of traditional service providers.
Second, our services are designed to be brand-agnostic. In one global SI engagement, we even manage competing operating systems alongside Lenovo devices, including L1 support. CIOs value this flexibility. At the end of the day, they are not looking for a vendor to save Rs. 100 on contract value; they want reliability when the CEO’s device goes down.
CIO&Leader: You mentioned AI being the inflection point. How is Lenovo enabling enterprises to move beyond pilots?
Rohit Midha: AI is at the center of everything now. Lenovo is investing not in millions, but billions, in AI. We collaborate with over 60 ISVs to co-develop industry-specific use cases. A BFSI requirement is significantly different from those in the pharma or retail sectors, and that’s where partnerships truly matter.
Globally, we’ve worked on unmanned store concepts, reducing pilferage, and sustainability tracking. In India, we’re piloting similar solutions, including with a jewelry retail chain. Our AI-based tool, “LISSA” helps CIOs assess their current position in their greenification journey.
But let me be clear—most enterprises are still in POC mode. A recent study conducted by IDC, which surveyed nearly 1,000 Asia-Pacific CIOs, and another study with Indian CIOs reveal that almost 80% of AI projects are stuck in pilot phases. The challenge is moving to production with clear ROI and responsible AI governance.
CIO&Leader: Is sustainability still a boardroom talking point, or is it finally shaping real investments?
Rohit Midha: It’s definitely moving beyond talk. Four or five years ago, discussions centered on processor, RAM, or screen size. Today, CIOs are asking: How much power does the device consume? We now provide CO₂ offset services, offering devices with certified carbon offsets at the point of purchase.
In Europe, regulations already mandate lifecycle extension for a percentage of devices, and global firms are mirroring that in India. For one large SI, we extended the lifecycle of thousands of devices as part of their international policy. This will soon become a regulation in India as well. Customers are increasingly requesting Decra certifications and CO₂ metrics. Sustainability is no longer “nice to have”; it’s becoming business-critical.
CIO&Leader: Where do you see the most significant inflection points for Indian enterprises in the next year?
Rohit Midha: Without doubt, the future belongs to AI. But the real differentiator lies in responsible AI—striking the right balance across private, public, and hybrid models. Lenovo is advancing this vision by building AI-ready devices, infrastructure, and services, all backed by proactive monitoring and support.
For instance, instead of waiting for the dreaded “blue screen of death,” our AI-driven tools can alert CIOs in advance that specific devices may require memory upgrades or battery replacements, ensuring business continuity and uninterrupted employee productivity.
As Gen Z enters the workforce, the expectation of zero downtime and proactive support is only intensifying. Enterprises that fail to adapt risk losing both talent and productivity. Our role is to equip CIOs with the exemplary architecture and governance frameworks to deliver seamless, resilient experiences at scale.
CIO & Leader: Lenovo operates in 180 markets worldwide, but India’s enterprise landscape is distinct. What lessons from your global operations are most relevant to Indian CIOs today?
Rohit Midha: India is at an interesting crossroads. On the one hand, we share the same global challenges: AI adoption, sustainability, hybrid cloud, and cybersecurity. On the other hand, Indian enterprises face scale and diversity that few other markets can match. For instance, delivering a ready-to-use device to a new employee in Chikmangalur or Shillong is very different from shipping in New York.
The lesson from global operations is that while the technology stack may be similar everywhere, execution must be deeply localized. That’s why we invest in logistics, lifecycle extension, and region-specific service hubs. The other big takeaway from global experience is the importance of responsible AI. Europe is already setting regulations, and India will likely follow suit.
Our role is to equip CIOs with AI-ready devices, infrastructure, and services, while ensuring that governance, security, and compliance are built in from day one.