We are leveraging AI and GenAI across various divisions to improve efficiency and decision-making: Rejin Surendran, Global CIO, Wipro Enterprises

In an exclusive interaction with Express Computer, Rejin Surendran, Global CIO, Wipro Enterprises discusses the organisation’s digital initiatives, including ERP modernisation, employee experience enhancement, process automation, and analytics-driven processes. He highlights the use of AI and generative AI, challenges in implementation, cybersecurity measures, and future plans to scale AI-driven solutions, especially in legal, contract management, and employee self-service.

Here are the edited excerpts:

Can you walk us through some recent digital initiatives Wipro Enterprises has undertaken and their impact?

At Wipro Enterprises, we are driving several key digital transformation initiatives to enhance operational efficiency and business growth. Our first focus is ERP modernisation, a crucial step given Wipro’s growth through acquisitions, which has resulted in a varied ERP landscape. Streamlining and updating these systems ensures consistency, reduces operational costs , and boosts agility in decision-making.

The employee experience is another priority. From the candidate application process to onboarding, we are digitising and automating these stages to create a seamless experience. Research shows that companies with effective digital onboarding see 82% higher retention rates in the first year, underlining the importance of these improvements. We are also advancing process automation in areas like finance, HR, and sales. This automation provides leaders with real-time, data-driven insights, fostering quicker, more informed decisions. Companies adopting such technologies can achieve a 10-15% productivity boost.

In addition, analytics is at the core of our strategy in sales and marketing, helping us increase revenue and improve efficiencies. Lastly, infrastructure modernisation and cloud migration are critical components of our journey, reducing IT infrastructure costs by 10-15%, while cybersecurity remains an integral focus, ensuring robust protection across all digital initiatives.

How is Wipro Enterprises using AI and Gen AI in its operations? What impacts have these technologies had so far?

We are leveraging AI and generative AI across various divisions to improve efficiency and decision-making. In our consumer care division, we’ve implemented an analytics-driven recommendation engine tailored to individual outlets. This data-driven approach has helped boost sales by enabling more accurate customer targeting and optimising product placements.

In the engineering side of our business, we’ve developed an analytics model to optimise design time. When we receive customer requests, we now utilise existing designs to select the best fit, allowing us to respond quickly and improve the overall design process. This has streamlined operations and reduced time to market.

We are also exploring generative AI in several areas, though it’s still in its early stages. While we’ve conducted successful pilots, scaling these initiatives for full production remains a challenge, especially regarding business acceptance, accuracy, and cost. One promising application is in legal and contract management, particularly for risk assessment. We are also evaluating how generative AI can be used to improve employee self-service queries, making internal operations smoother and more efficient.

What challenges have you faced in implementing AI and Gen AI technologies?

Implementing AI and generative AI technologies at Wipro Enterprises has presented several challenges. We view analytics as integral to our business strategy, aligning it with our objectives and IT roadmap, which combines analytics and process automation. A primary challenge is data quality; AI projects require accurate, clean data, which is crucial before starting any analytics initiatives. Securing business sponsorship is also critical, as strong leadership support is necessary for integrating AI into business processes. Without top-down buy-in, embedding analytics effectively is difficult. Additionally, defining a clear ROI model AI initiatives is essential for building a strong business case. Finally, scaling proof-of-concept models from small to larger implementations often reveals unexpected complexities, hindering the full realisation of AI’s potential across the organisation.

What measures are you taking to ensure the security and integrity of your IT systems?

At Wipro Enterprises, cybersecurity is a top priority, and we embed a secure by design philosophy into all our digital initiatives, whether they’re SaaS-based applications or on-premise systems. We place significant emphasis on endpoint protection, and rigorously monitor both incoming and East-West traffic to guard against potential malicious attacks. Our Security Operations Center (SOC) plays a crucial role, continuously overseeing and responding to these activities to maintain system integrity.

Equally important is our focus on employee education. We treat cybersecurity with the same critical importance as safety in manufacturing, ensuring that every employee understands their role in maintaining security. To achieve this, we regularly conduct phishing simulations, and other training sessions to keep our staff informed about the latest threats and best practices. This comprehensive approach helps safeguard our IT systems and supports our commitment to robust cybersecurity.

What are Wipro Enterprises’s future plans regarding digital transformation and emerging technologies like GenAI?

Wipro Enterprises’s future plans for digital transformation emphasize deepening analytics integration into our business processes to drive better decision-making and operational efficiency. We are closely tracking generative AI pilots, particularly in legal and contract management. If these pilots demonstrate significant value, especially in risk assessment and employee self-service, we plan to scale these initiatives across the organisation. Our ongoing ERP transformation aims to streamline and modernise our varied ERP systems, which is vital for efficient operations and effective integration of acquisitions. Additionally, improving employee experience through enhanced digital onboarding and automation remains a key focus, aligning with our growth strategy and acquisition integration.