Closing the AI Execution Gap with Forward Deployed Engineering
AI is moving rapidly from experimentation to enterprise priority, yet many organizations struggle to turn AI potential into production outcomes. The challenge is not simply access to AI technology, it is the ability to apply it effectively within the realities of existing systems, data, processes, security controls and business objectives.
This session explores how Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) can help close this AI Execution Gap by embedding engineering expertise closer to the customer and combining deep technical capability with an understanding of business outcomes. Drawing on WSO2's evolution toward a more proactive, outcome-driven customer engagement model, the session will explore what FDE means in the age of AI, why traditional delivery approaches need to evolve, and how organizations can move faster from AI ideas and pilots to production-grade solutions that deliver measurable business value.
Speakers
Ruwan is Chief Customer Officer at WSO2, leading post-sales Customer Success, Support, Professional Services, and Forward Deployed Engineering, while also driving WSO2's internal software and applications, treating WSO2 as a customer of its own technology. A technologist at heart, he began his career as a software engineer and went on to become an architect and product leader specializing in integration before taking responsibility for customer delivery and success. Passionate about delivering business value through technology, he focuses on helping enterprises turn technology, including AI, from potential into production value. He is also driving WSO2's transformation into an Agentic Enterprise, making WSO2 itself a leading reference for its own products.