Most vendor conferences that Kiran Narayan attends follow a familiar pattern. They start with a marketing-heavy keynote presentation. Then, there’s a preview of the product roadmap and some breakout sessions. He says the beats are so predictable that they’re almost like a metronome.

But a November 2024 conference was different. Narayan, the Director of Products and Digital Capability for Serco Asia Pacific, experienced a “eureka” moment at the Sydney Boomi World Tour event.

He sat in the audience as Ed Macosky, Boomi’s Chief Product and Technology Officer, conducted a live demo of the Boomi Enterprise Platform’s latest capabilities, available in every customer’s license. The demo included the platform’s suite of built-in Boomi AI agents, like Boomi Scribe for autonomously recording documentation, Boomi DesignGen for creating integration processes, and Boomi DataDetective for protecting personally identifiable information (PII).

Narayan thought: wait, what?

“That was the moment when I realized that buttons had been sitting there all along,” he said. “I was like, ‘Why haven’t we used it? What were we waiting for?”

Putting AI Agents to Use — In Real-Time

While the session was still in progress, Narayan contacted his team on a work chat and asked, “Can you see this button? Can you try clicking on it? What do you see?”

“I literally walked them through, step-by-step, while Ed was still talking,” he said.

Narayan’s team began duplicating some of the processes Macosky showcased on stage — in less than 15 minutes.

“As a business, we want to try and embrace AI as soon as possible,” Narayan said. “Everyone wants to jump on the AI bandwagon. When I have the low-hanging fruit in front of me, and I can reach it, why not grab it and eat it? Ed’s case studies provided us with a bit of inspiration. I’m still excited about that moment. It’s not often that we get a chance to act on something we see immediately.”

Embracing the Human Element of AI

Serco is a UK-based multinational firm that positively impacts the world by helping governments provide a wide range of critical services for citizens. For example, Serco manages call centers in Australia where people can contact nurses for medical advice. That kind of program is why Narayan says that even though he’s a technologist focused on providing business users with the tools they need for their jobs, his ultimate customers are the people Serco serves.

“We’re always thinking about the human element,” he explained. “Our work on a day-to-day basis involves empathy and catering to the people who receive these government services. And I think that’s where the true growth of AI lies.”

A large part of why Narayan attends these conferences is to pay close attention to vendor roadmaps and stay abreast of their latest innovations to determine how they can help him achieve Serco’s mission. That’s why his ears perked up late last year when Macosky explained the platform’s agentic capabilities and how Boomi enables businesses to get the most from every AI initiative through seamless connectivity.

Serco’s Asia Pacific region has leveraged Boomi since 2019. At Serco, the small but mighty team has expanded its use beyond middleware integration over the past few years. Boomi DataHub improves data quality by creating “source of truth” records of essential information to create consistency throughout the business. Serco also utilizes Boomi API Management and Event Streams functionality while currently migrating onto the Boomi Managed Cloud Service (MCS).

“Boomi has been very pivotal for Serco,” said Narayan, who has nearly two decades of experience in technology.

In the call center example, Narayan said Boomi helps Serco manage a complicated series of interactions by connecting six different systems and many processes.

“Maybe to some people, that would be complex,” he added. “But the complexity also brings an element of coolness because we’re making it simple.”

Leveraging AI Agents to Speed Project Completion

Now, Serco is taking advantage of the platform’s ease of use to leverage Boomi agents to simplify and democratize integration processes throughout the business. Narayan said they have yet to perform a detailed analysis to quantify time savings. Still, it’s evident to him that using Boomi Scribe, Boomi DesignGen, and Boomi DataDetective has recalibrated how their team engages with stakeholders and helps them complete projects faster.

“When we use DesignGen to do the process for us, it’s much quicker than the previous time,” he added. “It speeds up the whole process. I can say that with the use of DesignGen and Boomi Answers, we are able to save anywhere from four to six hours, if not more, per requirement.”

A Trusted Platform Means Trusted AI

Narayan said his organization, like all businesses, is trying to balance the potential of AI with the risks. There are many reasons why companies choose to embrace AI methodically, including valid concerns around security, data integrity, and licensing. However, Narayan said, because Serco already relies on Boomi to transport, share, and manage critical data, he had confidence in the platform’s agentic features. There was no leap of faith because Boomi had already earned the team’s trust by delivering governance, compliance, and reliability.

He cited the Boomi World Tour in Sydney as an example of why vendor conferences, even if they tend to be similar, are invaluable. They provide attendees the perfect opportunity to learn about new products and service capabilities. Not only did Narayan discover Boomi’s agentic vision, but how he could leverage Boomi AI agents to benefit Serco’s stakeholders instantly – and, ultimately, people around their region.

“Using tools like Boomi’s AI agents is about creating real value,” he said.

There’s still time to register for Boomi World in Dallas, May 12-15. And order the new book from Boomi CEO Steve Lucas, “Digital Impact: The Human Element of AI-Driven Transformation,” to learn how solving digital fragmentation and data complexity problems will set up your business for success in the era of AI.