AI is significantly transforming traditional IT services: Venkatesan Vijayaraghavan, Global Head – Technology Service Lines, Virtusa
Virtusa has been at the forefront of transforming legacy systems, enhancing customer interactions, and embracing cloud and AI technologies. In this editorial interaction, Venkatesan Vijayaraghavan, the Executive Vice President and Global Head of Technology Service Lines at Virtusa, shares his insights on Virtusa’s current digital transformation initiatives, successful project implementations, and the integration of AI in their solutions. Venkatesh also shares with us how Virtusa is preparing for the future of IT services, the transformative role of AI, and the company’s investment in developing a skilled workforce to navigate the evolving technological landscape
Some edited excerpts from the interview:
1. What are the key digital transformation initiatives Virtusa is currently focusing on, and how do they align with the company’s overall strategic goals?
Virtusa is focusing on several key digital transformation initiatives that align closely with the company’s overall strategic goals. These initiatives encompass advancements in technology, customer experience, and operational efficiency, driving significant value for clients and positioning Virtusa as a leader in digital transformation. Some of the initiatives include Legacy modernization, Customer experience transformation, Workload optimization into cloud and serverless models, Custom software development, and leveraging AI and Generative AI technologies.
By acquiring BRIGHT, we have significantly bolstered our capabilities in digitalization, security, observability, and AI & ML analytics. BRIGHT’s expertise in ServiceNow and Splunk will enhance our ability to offer comprehensive digital transformation solutions, particularly within the European market. This acquisition aligns with our strategy to drive enterprise transformation for global enterprises through consultancy, design, implementation, support, and continuous improvement.
By acquiring ITMAGINATION with a focus on digital transformation, cloud computing, data analytics and artificial intelligence, we will aim to deliver solutions that drive business growth and efficiency for clients across Europe and North America, by strengthening our nearshore delivery capabilities. This combination is poised to offer enhanced value to clients seeking to accelerate their digital transformation journeys.
How is Virtusa integrating AI into its solutions and services, and what specific AI technologies are being prioritized?
At Virtusa, we are deeply committed to integrating AI into our solutions and services, leveraging a range of advanced technologies to drive innovation and efficiency. Our focus encompasses analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and generative AI, which are strategically applied across various domains. We prioritize the use of analytics to deliver actionable insights, AIML for enhanced decision-making process and developing intelligent systems and generative AI to automate tasks and create new opportunities for innovation and efficiency.
Generative AI is a cornerstone of our strategy, playing a pivotal role in driving innovation and optimization across our offerings. Virtusa Helio, our suite of generative AI offerings, not only accelerates our ability to innovate and deliver cutting-edge solutions but also enhances operational efficiency, fosters continuous improvement, and supports the development of tailored solutions that drive meaningful business outcomes for our clients.
In what ways do you see AI transforming traditional IT services, and what opportunities does it present for both Virtusa and its clients?
AI is significantly transforming traditional IT services by introducing automation, enhancing decision-making, and optimizing operations across various domains. At Virtusa, we are leveraging AI to drive innovation and create new opportunities for both our company and our clients with:
*Enhanced productivity by automation of routine tasks and AI-driven IT operations (AIOps)
* Improved decision making with data driven insights and generative AI applications.
* End-to-end process optimization through AI enabled workflows and customizable platforms.
All of these provide significant growth opportunities for Virtusa’s clients with
* Innovative solutions and services including AI centers of excellence and generative AI projects.
* Competitive advantage with accelerated digital transformation
* Strategic business transformation using client specific AI strategies and sector specific applications.
By staying at the forefront of AI advancements, Virtusa ensures that both the company and its clients can navigate the evolving technological landscape and achieve sustained growth and success.
Generative AI is gaining attention for its creative applications. Are there any innovative uses of Generative AI within Virtusa’s projects that have yielded remarkable results or insights?
Virtusa has leveraged Generative AI in various innovative ways across different projects, yielding significant results and insights. Here are two notable case studies showcasing the impact of Generative AI in practical applications:
Warehouse management optimization
A leading information management services company’s existing method for physical record identification, scanning, and replacement of damaged boxes in the warehouse was heavily reliant on manual inspection. This labour-intensive process consumed time and resources, delaying re-boxing requests and risking further damage to valuable records.
Virtusa developed a Generative AI-enabled drone detection product to optimize warehouse management. The drones, equipped with advanced AI-driven navigation systems, mapped the site and captured images of barcodes and license plate numbers (LPNs) to identify damaged boxes. The drones used the Segment Anything Model (SAM) from Meta to process the images and Google’s BEiT vision model and Vision AI OCR model for damage classification and barcode extraction. The system integrated with SKP API for seamless re-boxing requests.
Some of the benefits delivered to the client through this engagement included 30X efficiency as compared to before, 80% accuracy in damage identification with continuous growth potential as the model trains with more data, reduced inventory costs and increased productivity.
Generative AI project management assistant
A globally recognized US-based not-for-profit professional organization for project management was facing challenges in project management, including high project failure rates, difficulty in accessing relevant data, and a lack of effective tools and knowledge among project managers.
Virtusa developed a Generative AI project management assistant using GPT-3.5-Turbo, connected through Semantic Kernel. The assistant provides project managers with accurate, reliable answers, smart suggestions, automated document generation, and a responsive conversational interface. It draws from a vast database of 14,000+ pieces of thought leadership content with key features like 99.4% accurate responses, smart recommendations and feedback capture and control.
We helped the client achieve global adoption with more than 40,000 users in 4 weeks, increased efficiency by more than 60% and reduced manual efforts by almost 80%. By providing data-driven insights, the client was able to make informed decisions, and this helped the client significantly improve their project efficiency, user experience and success rate.
With the rapid pace of technological change, how is Virtusa preparing for the future of IT services, particularly in terms of emerging technologies and evolving client demands?
Virtusa is at the forefront of navigating and shaping the future of IT services amidst rapid technological advancements and evolving client demands. Our approach is multi-faceted, emphasizing innovation, client-centric solutions, and the integration of cutting-edge technologies to drive digital transformation and disruption.
Virtusa envisions a future where IT services are not just reactive but proactively lead digital disruption. Our strategy involves:
Holistic Solutions for Enterprise Customers: We provide a comprehensive approach that spans from user experience and design to omni-channel experiences. This ensures seamless interactions across all user touchpoints, enhancing overall customer satisfaction.
Configurable Platforms and Customizable Product Models: By leveraging platforms that are highly configurable and products that can be customized, we enable clients to rapidly introduce new features and functions, akin to the product and platform world. This agility is crucial in staying ahead in a digitally disrupted market.
AI-Enabled Processes: Intercepting and enhancing workflows at critical junctures with AI-driven solutions is central to our strategy. This transition to AI-assisted workflow systems ensures greater efficiency and productivity, transforming traditional processes into more intelligent and adaptive operations.
Platform and Product Strategy
Our platform and product story are a cornerstone of our strategy for future-proofing IT services. We are:
Leveraging Platforms for Scalability: Virtusa’s platforms are designed to be scalable, ensuring they can grow and adapt with the evolving needs of our clients. This flexibility is key in supporting long-term digital transformation journeys.
Customizable Products for Specific Needs: Our products are built to be customizable, allowing clients to tailor solutions to their unique business needs. This customization ensures relevance and effectiveness in addressing specific challenges.
AI and Emerging Technologies
Virtusa is heavily investing in AI and other emerging technologies to stay ahead of the curve:
AI-Enabled Solutions: Our commitment to AI spans across various facets of IT services. From AI-driven analytics and machine learning models to generative AI technologies, we integrate these advancements to provide robust decision-making tools and automation capabilities.
Generative AI and LLMs: By combining traditional AI models with generative AI foundation models, we deliver comprehensive solutions that power end-to-end use cases. Our controlled and isolated sandboxes with enhanced security controls facilitate safe experimentation and development.
Preparing for the Future
To prepare for the future, Virtusa is focusing on:
Innovation and Experimentation: Through initiatives like Helio Innovate, we bring together our Open Innovation Platform (OIP) and a rich generative AI experimentation ecosystem. This accelerates innovation by enabling rapid ideation and prototyping using a variety of AI models and algorithms.
Modernization of Legacy Systems: With Helio Enhance, we are accelerating the modernization of legacy systems using generative AI. This involves detailed analysis, development, and assurance processes tailored to specific client needs, ensuring a seamless transition to modernized IT infrastructures.
Intelligent Operations: Helio Operate integrates generative AI and AIOps to set up intelligent operations, automating use cases that were previously manual. This includes ticket understanding, log analysis, and chatbot-powered service desks, all aimed at reducing human effort and improving efficiency.
Client-Centric Innovation
Virtusa’s role in shaping the future of IT services is deeply client centric. We focus on:
Developing Robust AI Strategies: Our Thrive Academy and partnerships with leading institutions and platforms ensure that our leaders and workforce are equipped with the skills to drive AI-driven growth and innovation.
Enabling Business Transformation: We assist clients across sectors such as Banking, Healthcare, and Manufacturing in leveraging AI to transform their businesses. Our solutions are designed to meet the specific needs of these industries, providing strategic insights and operational efficiencies.
By integrating these strategies, Virtusa is not only preparing for the future of IT services but is actively shaping it. Our commitment to innovation, client-centricity, and the intelligent application of emerging technologies positions us as a leader in driving digital disruption and transformation
As new technologies like AI and Generative AI become more prominent, how is Virtusa investing in its talent pool to ensure employees have the necessary skills to excel in these areas? What training and development programs does Virtusa offer to keep its workforce up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in IT services?
Virtusa is deeply committed to empowering its workforce with the latest advancements in technology, particularly in areas like AI and Generative AI. Our approach encompasses a comprehensive set of training and development programs designed to foster continuous learning and professional growth, ensuring our employees are well-prepared to excel in these cutting-edge fields. Some of the things we leverage, to train our workforce includes:
Comprehensive training programs through online courses and certifications, in-house training modules and workshops and bootcamps.
Mentorship and coaching to help budding resources apply their skills practically
Hackathons and innovation challenges to encourage employees to experiment with new technologies and develop innovative solutions
AI centers of excellence with a focus on developing best practices, researching emerging technologies, and disseminating knowledge across the organization
Customized training tracks allowing employees to choose from a varied set of Generative AI courses to accomplish their learning goals, ensuring tailored learning experiences
Investment in state of the art learning tools like AI-driven learning management system (LMS), virtual labs and simulation tools provide a rich and interactive learning experience to our employees
Additional initiatives
Thrive academy in partnership with Emeritus offers a bespoke upskilling program for our leaders. More than 800 leaders have participated in expert-led sessions, sharpening their skills in leveraging AI for driving growth and innovation
AI leadership and solution training, in partnership with IIT Madras trains over 200 architects on a breadth of AI techniques, emphasizing neural networks, deep learning, generative AI, and mathematical models powering AI.
Additionally, around 450 engineers have undergone training in Generative AI, focusing on LLM usage, prompt engineering, pipeline orchestration, and assurance of generative AI solutions.
Partnership with Google cloud includes developing a Center of Excellence (CoE) as a strategic approach for campus hiring in India and Sri Lanka. Through partnerships with over 86 colleges in India, we develop tailored programs and internship opportunities for students, preparing them to be future-ready.
