This came in remarks by Zoho co-founder and CEO Shailesh Kumar Davey in an answer to Ahram Online's question on the company’s plan in terms of expanding and establishing more data centres in the region, as such kind of industries have taken momentum recently. This took place during an introduction session held during the ManageEngine Day 2026, held in Chennai, India.
The India-based Zoho Corporation is a global, privately held Indian tech company known for its extensive suite of cloud-based business software, covering CRM, email, finance, HR, and collaboration tools for over 100 million users.
ManageEngine has a strong presence in Egypt through direct offices, local partners, and active participation in local tech events like Cairo ICT and AI Everything MEA Egypt to support Egyptian businesses with IT management, security, and digital transformation tools, offering localized support and implementation services.
Davey added that the company is prioritizing emerging markets where governments increasingly demand local investment alongside sales activity.
“There is a global geopolitical shift where governments are increasingly asking: what have you done locally? Are you only selling, or are you also investing in the local economy?” Davey told Ahram Online. He added that Zoho selects data centre locations based on market growth rates, regulatory frameworks, and customer preferences.
“In 2025, our focus was on the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and we will be launching new data centres in these regions soon,” he said, noting that official announcements would follow later this year. Davey stressed that Africa and Latin America would form the next phase of expansion.
“These two regions will be our next focus areas, in line with our philosophy of being truly global while operating locally,” he said.
He stressed that local data centres simplify compliance and build customer trust, adding that compliance with local laws and government requirements becomes much easier when you have local data centres.
ManageEngine growth strategy
Against this backdrop, ManageEngine, a division of Zoho Corporation and a leading IT management software company, is targeting 20 percent year-on-year growth in business volume while aiming for an 80 percent customer retention rate in the coming years, its CEO said.
Rajesh Ganesan, CEO of ManageEngine, described 2025 as a milestone year for the company’s global impact, saying its platforms have enhanced operational efficiency and strengthened digital infrastructure security.
Speaking at the company’s headquarters in Chennai, Ganesan said IT teams saved more than $1 million by replacing multiple traditional tools with a unified endpoint management platform.
“Organisations are increasingly realising the value of consolidation, not only from a cost perspective but also in terms of operational control and security,” he said.
He added that ManageEngine mitigated more than 32 million zero-day vulnerabilities in real time over the past year.
The company also prevented 360,000 website defacement attacks, identified 14.7 million system outages, and analysed 7.5 trillion network events, helping clients maintain business continuity. On customer support, Ganesan said remote technical support tools enabled more than 22 million support and control sessions in 2025.
AI and cybersecurity
In his answer to Ahram Online's question on the role the adoption of AI plays in enabling the developing countries to meet their development plans by 2030, Ganesan noted that adoption of generative artificial intelligence rose by 58 percent over the past six months, accelerating the shift toward AI-driven operating models.
“The rapid uptake of generative AI is redefining how organisations monitor, manage and optimise their digital operations,” he said. However, he warned that GenAI is also being used to create cyberattacks.
“AI is being used to create attacks, so we believe you need AI to fight AI,” he said, adding that ManageEngine is embedding AI across its security platforms. Cybersecurity, he said, tops the company’s three key growth pillars.
“Cybersecurity is the number one concern for every executive today. We are moving towards a world where chief information security officers will be at the centre of decision-making,” he said.
Ganesan highlighted ManageEngine’s focus on zero-trust access models, highlighting that the application should not stop you from working, but it must be intelligent enough to know whether you are using a corporate device or a borrowed laptop.
Ultra-local presence
Alongside product expansion, Ganesan said ManageEngine is pursuing an ultra-local presence strategy. “We want to go ultra-local. That means local data centres, local offices and leadership teams that live in the market,” he said.
He said nearly 20 senior executives have already relocated to markets including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK, Singapore, Brazil, and Mexico.
“We have already moved close to 20 senior colleagues over the past two to three years, with more relocations planned to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Poland,” he said.
He stressed that physical presence remains vital in the age of AI. “In a world of AI, the personal touch will matter more than ever. We want our customers to see human faces, not just systems,” he said.
While some global firms are reducing staff, Ganesan said ManageEngine will continue hiring.
“Let AI do its job, but we will continue adding people who can engage directly with customers,” he said.
Long-term vision
Davey told Ahram Online that Zoho continues to invest in what he described as universal business problems, such as project management, finance, operations, marketing, sales, customer service, and IT management.
“These are problems that will always exist as long as humans exist. The way we manage them will change, the technology will change, but the problems themselves will remain. They are fundamental anchor areas for us. Based on how technology evolves, we will pivot our solutions accordingly,” he added.
Davey said Zoho began implementing its transnational localism model as early as 2017 and 2018, relocating senior staff and building regional teams even before the pandemic.
He concluded that Zoho’s expansion strategy combines global scale with deep local integration to ensure regulatory compliance, customer trust, and sustainable long-term growth.
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