SolarWinds accelerates AI software rollout in the Gulf region

In 2020, SolarWinds experienced a significant cyberattack that halted its revenue growth and impacted its operations. The Texas-based IT software company saw a dramatic decline in revenue, which as of 2024, remains below the peak levels of 2020. The company serves many government entities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, with over 80% of these entities utilizing SolarWinds’ software. Looking to recover and grow, SolarWinds is focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) innovations to enhance its outcomes and market presence. As the Gulf region invests heavily in technology, online services, and e-commerce expansion, SolarWinds has recognized it as one of its fastest-growing markets. The company opened an office in Dubai in 2022, which has significantly contributed to its focus on generating double-digit revenue growth within the region. According to the company’s chief technology officer, Krishna Sai, the Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are progressing rapidly in the digital transformation race, narrowing their digitalization gap with developed economies. The acquisition by California private equity firm Turn/River, valued at $4.4 billion, has spurred SolarWinds' capacity for innovation, emphasizing the roll-out of new agentic AI tools. By adopting agentic AI, SolarWinds aims to move from merely diagnosing issues to providing automated solutions that can fix problems within their software systems without human intervention. This new approach involves software capable of reasoning and memory, presenting a mind shift in development. Krishna Sai expressed enthusiasm for advancing software development through this paradigm shift as they navigate the changing demands of modern IT infrastructure. The growing reliance on AI technology fundamentally changes how software operates, pushing the company towards an era of intuitive, self-correcting systems that can address a multitude of customer applications and networks. With these strategic changes, SolarWinds is poised to respond to both the immediate challenges of recovery and the longer-term demands of a rapidly evolving market.