We are focused on establishing a path of AI acceleration: Srikumar Ramanathan, Chief Solutions Officer, Mphasis

In this interaction with Express Computer, Srikumar Ramanathan, Chief Solutions Officer at Mphasis, shares insights into the transformative journey of Mphasis through cloud computing adoption. From leveraging the agility and scalability of cloud technologies to the strategic partnership with Oracle, Ramanathan sheds light on how these advancements have not only enhanced Mphasis’s operational efficiency but also paved the way for innovative solutions in the digital landscape.

Some edited excerpts:

How has the adoption of cloud computing transformed Mphasis’s business operations and facilitated its expansion journey?
Cloud and multi-cloud adoption offer businesses crucial advantages in agility, speed, scalability, and cost efficiency, particularly in navigating the challenges posed by the prevailing macro crisis. At Mphasis, we embarked on a comprehensive three-year project to transition our entire workload to the cloud, completing it just before the pandemic’s onset in early 2020. Today, we stand on par with cloud-native enterprises, leveraging the latest technologies seamlessly. Our early adoption and hands-on experience with emerging technologies propelled us to our current position of being 90% on the cloud.

Cloud integration has streamlined our access to critical enterprise services like HR and delivery systems, enhancing internal operations and client service. Moreover, it has significantly increased security measures, ensuring protection while enabling convenient anytime, anywhere access for employees. Our enhanced security posture is evident, reflecting a marked improvement over past practice. Additionally, intangible benefits such as improved availability underscore the transformative impact of cloud adoption, expediting processes that once took months into mere weeks.

Can you elaborate on specific instances where cloud technologies played a pivotal role in driving digital transformation within Mphasis?
Mphasis has been at the forefront of embracing cloud technology from its early stages. The primary objectives behind this migration include ensuring guaranteed availability, enhancing agility and scalability, adopting flexible pricing models (such as pay-as-you-go), and maintaining adherence to security standards, among others. Few instances where cloud played a significant role in driving digital transformation within Mphasis was during the migration to HCM Fusion Cloud, implementation of greytHR Payroll cloud, ESG Tool (implementation which is in progress), Service Now, and M365.

What were the primary considerations that led Mphasis to choose Oracle application cloud for migrating critical applications?
Mphasis has been an Oracle and Peoplesoft business applications user for a very long time. Hence, when we were looking to modernize our applications portfolio, Oracle was a front-runner among the available technology options, and we saw significant benefits in migrating the legacy stack to Oracle Cloud and SaaS business applications.

Could you provide examples of how integrated AI/ML technologies have enhanced performance and the overall employee experience at Mphasis?
In the current digital world, we strongly believe AI/ML is an integral component of every business process optimization and process automation. At Mphasis, our Front2Back approach to transformation centers on cloud and cognitive-led solutions, prioritizing data democratization to fuel AI-driven advancements. Our commitment to enhancing employee experience and productivity through advanced automation, AI, and digital technologies aligns with our organizational strategy, with a focus on security and compliance. Investment in AI/ML technologies is pivotal, facilitating quicker decisions and bolstering employee satisfaction. The GenAI initiative automates and accelerates multiple service offerings, while also paving the way for new archetypes in productivity transformation and delivery efficiency. This expansion broadens our market reach and reinforces our position at the forefront of AI adoption, underscoring our dedication to innovation and driving meaningful impact across our operations.

In what ways has the adoption of cloud applications contributed to Mphasis’ agility in responding to industry demands and customer requirements?
As an engineering-led organization, we recognized the evolving landscape and understood that the adoption of cloud was the next crucial step in our industry. At Mphasis, we are helping organizations modernize and transform into digital-first businesses, by applying advancements in cognitive and cloud to traditional application and infrastructure services to bring much-needed agility, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.

We have devised a unique formula for success – Mphasis X2C2TM – spanning a vision to shift anything to cloud and power everything with cognitive. This formula is integrated within our consumer-centric Front2BackTM (F2B) transformation framework.

Strengthening our dedication to a cloud-first approach, we also collaborate with cloud-ready tribes and form partnerships with hyperscale providers. Transitioning legacy applications to the cloud serves as a pivotal step towards embracing transformative technologies like AI/ML and deep learning, etc. This enables leaders to gain richer insights and make data-driven business decisions. At Mphasis, we guide our clients through this journey, empowering them to foster innovation while ensuring scalability for growth and enhanced customer engagement.

Can you talk about your partnership with Oracle? How does Mphasis envision the role of cloud in its future growth and expansion plans?
For the past 15 years, Mphasis and Oracle have joined forces in a collaborative effort to provide top-notch solutions to our clients. Through our strategic partnership, we facilitate companies’ transformation endeavors by deploying Oracle-driven business solutions. Our commitment lies in ensuring the success of our clients by streamlining organizational processes, expediting digital transitions, and empowering informed decision-making. We have been able to extract maximum business value for our clients based on our rich domain know-how and cutting-edge application expertise.

Every digital transformation plan necessitates the implementation of consumer-oriented technology supported by a robust, smart cognitive framework hosted on the cloud. Although core applications and systems remain essential for anchoring digitally-enabled functionalities, they will be designed with a holistic approach, considering both front-end and back-end perspectives. We’ve collaborated with numerous Hyperscalers, leading AI platforms, solutions providers, and cloud services, anticipating further growth in diverse deal archetypes as we broaden our offerings.

Additionally, at Mphasis, we are also focused on establishing a path of AI acceleration with our Mphasis.ai business unit that seamlessly integrates AI capabilities into the existing technology landscape of our clients, as well as powers all of our Technology Tribes, since they were designed to be Cloud First and Cognitive Native. Within our operations, we seek to integrate AI, including Gen AI, across diverse functions, leveraging Mphasis.ai’s innovations to drive impactful use cases company wide.