All of us at Simplus, Fluido, and Infosys are excited to see Kannan Narayanan, Senior Principal Technology Architect at Infosys, join the Salesforce Platform Partner Advisory Board. Membership on the board is a prestigious invitation and is exclusive to an elite few seniors Salesforce experts selected from all over the world. 

Kannan is a natural fit for such a board based on his storied career in Salesforce and ongoing professional development within the ecosystem. Born and raised in India, Kannan then spent over ten years in the United States building upon his bachelor of engineering, computer technology, with various developer roles. Interested in a career shift into more managerial and senior positions, Kannan made the shift to Salesforce and quickly fell in love. 

Now a Senior Principal Technology Architect with Infosys, Kannan is an exceptional leader in all things Salesforce, and we’re so thrilled to have his leadership as part of the global Salesforce practice for Infosys, Simplus, and Fluido. Amy Cook, CMO at Simplus, sat down for an interview with Kannan to learn more about his background and what being on the advisory board means to him.

AMY: So, first off, I’d love to hear more about how you got into the Salesforce ecosystem and how many Salesforce certifications you currently have.

KANNAN: “So after starting my career in the United States and spending over a decade there, I wanted to both reinvent my career for more managerial positions and find a way to relocate to India. Then one day, I was at a work lunch with my tech team discussing various cloud topics as we had just begun working on Salesforce at this organization. I had never heard of Salesforce before but I was intrigued by the phone number my colleague showed me: 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE. I thought, ‘Wait, a software company that promotes itself as no software? I want to know more about that.’”

“So I began looking into it, reading more about SaaS and multi-cloud and getting my first certification back in 2011. And that gave me the tools I needed to take my job search back to India. Once there, I continued learning in the Salesforce ecosystem, gaining more credentials, and became a delivery manager, which really gave me even more experience with the platform. Next, I secured an opportunity with Infosys, and I’ve been here ever since. At present, I hold 40 Salesforce credentials—28 certifications and then 12 accreditations.”

AMY: Wow, that’s incredible. And how do those credentials further your current role at Infosys’ Salesforce practice?

KANNAN: “I have been with the Infosys Salesforce practice for over eight years. I am currently a Senior Principal Technology Architect, and I view my role as being a horizontal advisory role. So whether it’s initial presales activities or delivery engagements, I get involved with customers to understand their roadmaps better and ensure we are mitigating any delivery risks throughout the Salesforce implementation journey. This includes promoting best practices across various Salesforce capabilities.”

AMY: I love that. Such an important role in any engagement. And finally, what does being on the Salesforce Partner Advisory Board mean for you personally and for the Infosys practice globally?

KANNAN: “It’s a privilege and an honor, first of all. I’m excited to be part of this impressive group and continue sharing my love of Salesforce learning. Salesforce was really the catalyst that helped me reinvent my career and open new opportunities, so to spread that same joy with like-minded people and learn from each other is one thing I’m excited about.”

“I’m also eager for how this will further align Infosys with Salesforce’s product development. We’ll get the chance to be the voice of the customer, share what we’ve learned about what’s working well or the common challenges we encounter and develop solutions to those items right alongside Salesforce. Influencing the roadmap for platform updates and uncovering opportunities for more development based on industry trends is very intriguing to me.”

“Finally, I’m especially eager to use this forum to increase collaboration across Infosys, Simplus, and Fluido’s Salesforce practices. The board will be great exposure for all of our delivery successes and allow us to stay on the pulse of the Salesforce market.”

Congratulations, Kannan. We’re excited to continue building innovative roadmaps together and guiding customers through Salesforce projects with your unmatched expertise.